WHAT OIL? Resorts looking forward to ‘very strong holiday weekend' (PHOTOS)

Joe Farley says the key to keeping people coming to Destin area beaches this weekend is a sound, fair cancelation policy.

“One thing you cannot do is lock people into a two or three week cancelation policy,” said Farley, general manager at the Destin Holiday Inn. “You want to work with people — they don’t want to feel trapped.”

While Memorial Day weekend in Destin usually equates to fun in the sun and the kickoff of summer, local resorts and hotels are battling the oil spill fear factor and cancelations. But owners and managers are keeping an optimistic outlook.

To see photos from Okaloosa Island beaches Tuesday, click here.

To see photos of South Walton beaches bustling Tuesday, click here.

To see photos from Louisiana's closed beaches, click here.

Farley told the Log Monday that he has no idea what is going to happen over the next couple of days, or “what to expect right now.”

“We are running a little slower than we were last year for our advanced reservations,” he said. “I am still confident that we will fill up for the weekend though. The weather is good, and it’s safe to make reservations right now — we won’t hold people to their reservations if oil does end up on our beaches, it’s just a matter of being smart.”

The Holiday Inn currently has around 130 openings for the upcoming weekend.

Jeanne Dailey, who has been in business locally for 25 years, also shares Farley’s optimistic attitude.

“We have a lot of strong, loyal customers who come to our beaches,” she said. “It just warms my heart to know people want to come here, not just the beaches, but all of the other great things there are to do.”

Dailey, who is the president of Newman-Dailey Resort Properties, said as of Tuesday, she was “looking at a very, very strong Memorial Day weekend.”

Like Farley, Dailey said they have a cancelation policy in place to fit the current situation.

“We had a no cancelation policy before,” she said. “But now we are allowing travelers to purchase trip insurance.”

Customers at Newman-Dailey can pay 40 percent of the vacation costs up front and reserve their rooms, then pay the remaining balance the day before, or the day of their arrival.

Dailey said “customers can book their trips without feeling trapped” if something were to happen.

“We are offering a 100 percent refund to our clients if the beaches are closed,” she said. “We just want our guests to know that there is no oil on our beaches, and the weather is beautiful.”

While area business shudder at the thought, the pending oil spill may actually help them in the upcoming weeks.

When asked if the threat of oil reaching our beaches in the future may help the upcoming holiday weekend, Destin Chamber of Commerce President Shane Moody said “it was a possibility.”

“What I’m hearing about next week is hope with some anxiety,” he told the Log in an e-mail. “As reports of the oil spill remain positive for our area, hope remains strong that visitors will make last minute plans and visit Destin.”

He went on to say that “though reservations may be down, the weekend will be close to where we’ve been.”

Regardless of oil talks, according to the Okaloosa County Tourist Development Council, the Fort Walton Beach and Destin areas are projecting a 41.69 percent room occupancy rate for the weekend, which is right on par with 2009’s 43.48 and 41.12 percent in 2008.

“The main thing we can do right now is share with the public that there is no oil on our beaches,” said newly appointed TDC Director Mark Bellinger. “We are doing everything we can to share that news. We are in this about 100 percent, and in fifth gear.”