El Nino Scares Up Some Hotel Deals

Worried that the much-ballyhooed wet weather of El Nino--or fear of it--will wash away tourist business, California tourism bureaus have devised some novel promotions.

In Northern California’s Humboldt County, home to Eureka, some hotels are promising free accommodations to guests stranded in January or February by storm-caused road closures or flight cancellations. While bragging that the county has had the toastiest temperatures in 25 years, a spokeswoman added: “But it might turn bad, and we invite you to be here for the adventure. . . . Inlanders may have never experienced the drama of a majestic storm.” Information: (800) 346-3482.

Some lodgings in San Luis Obispo County, home to Hearst Castle and other attractions, are offering up to 50% off in December, January and February under the El Nino-El Schmino Special, billed as “a virtual spit in the eye of the storm.” Information: (800) 634-1414.

And over in Palm Springs, they want to remind you, as hotel owner Ray Lovato put it: “We’re in a desert. That means dry, and that means sun.” Meteorologist Carl Garczynski of the local Coachella Valley Water District backs him up: “I predict maybe an extra quarter-inch of rain in the valley.”