Given the fallout from Sept. 11, investors were unsurprised whenthe Spokane-headquartered hotel company attributed the decline"primarily to a decrease in hotel revenue of 11.6%." In its Nov. 14announcement, WestCoast said, "the terrorist attacks had an impacton the ability and motivation of our customers to travel andutilize our hotels and restaurants." And it is clear the companyexpects impacts may continue.

In big, bold letters, a heading in the announcement read, "Wemay face interruption of production and services due to increasedsecurity measures in response to terrorism." WestCoast furtherstated that delays in services such as transportation, mail orfinancial "could have a material adverse effect on our business,results of operations and financial conditions."

Looking forward, Chris Burdett, a hotel specialist with theSeattle office of Colliers International, tells GlobeSt.com heexpects financial reports from hoteliers to be dreary for a while,but he believes an end to the gray skies lies in the foreseeablefuture. Just as experts are predicting a relatively short-livedrecession for the overall economy, Burdett sees something similarfor the hotel sector. "It's just going to take some time," hesays.