Gustav left hotels in New Orleans in good shape

— -- New Orleans hotels escaped the pounding they took from Katrina, due to Gustav's lesser force and to better preparation, those cleaning up after the hurricane say.

Damage is slight compared with 2005, says Kelly Schulz of the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau. Many lodgings aim to reopen by early next week, depending on repairs, government re-entry guidelines and the return of evacuated staffers.

"We're hoping to reopen our properties by Saturday or Sunday," says Gil Zanchi, area general manager for 16 Marriotts in the New Orleans region. "They all have power. … I drove around the city (Tuesday) and the most I saw is trees that fell and roof stuff."

New Orleans' InterContinental plans to reopen Saturday for insurance adjusters, oil company executives and government employees, says general manager Martin Driskell. The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans will reopen Thursday.

Some found the storm followed them. Drury Hotels regional manager Brian Collins spent Saturday boarding up the New Orleans property, leaving its key with the police-officer husband of its general manager, because no one else could be found to guard it after the city was evacuated.

Then Houston-based Collins moved northwest to the Lafayette (La.) Drury Inn & Suites, which was jammed with evacuees and employees. The team traveling with him boarded up windows, brought in bottled water, tuna and other non-perishable eats and an extra generator.

When Gustav hit Lafayette on Monday, Collins says, "It was nerve-racking. A couple of windows in the atrium popped out. There was slight wind and water damage." But by Tuesday, all 100 rooms were expected to be functional.

Meanwhile, damage to casino hotels in Biloxi, Miss., was minor compared with the beating they took from Katrina, says Mary Perez, Biloxi Sun Herald casino reporter. They were closed Tuesday, awaiting gaming commission permission to reopen, she says.

As Gustav loomed, people drove hours from their homes in search of hotel rooms. Among the places they went: