Hyatt Gold Passport - "Catastrophic Destruction" at Grand Cayman Hyatt

Has anyone heard much about the Hyatt property on Grand Cayman Island ...and how it did during/after Hurricane Ivan's wrath?

Newspapers including USA Today described damage there, including to the Hyatt, as being "catastrophic" ...but the Hyatt website only lists "water damage" to the property ...and that it won't re-open 'till December.

The only picture I could find on the 'net was this one:

http://blueoceanart.com/ivan/

...which shows the hull of a large 150-passenger catamaran normally docked at the Hyatt on-top of numerous smashed cars in what's left of their parking lot.

The only other news I could find online says that the first floor of the resort was completely submerged by the storm surge.

I was watching one of the news cannels reporting on the hurricane and one of the destruction shots was a Hyatt sign surrounded by downed Palm trees. I assumed it was the Grand Cayman Hyatt, but they never mentioned where the shot was from.

Has anyone heard much about the Hyatt property on Grand Cayman Island ...and how it did during/after Hurricane Ivan's wrath?

From Cayman Damage Reports (http://cayman-damage.andy.net/7mile.php) - supposedly from e-mail/postings from people on-site: "Damaged - Water damage to first floor, no structural damage. Hopes to re-open Dec. 1, 2004". Better off than the Marriott or Westin. I'm amazed the new Ritz reports "no damage".

Yikes...was supposed to be at the hyatt for thanksgiving...I need to check into this. Thanks for the heads up FT!

Yikes...was supposed to be at the hyatt for thanksgiving...I need to check into this. Thanks for the heads up FT!

I have a feeling you may want to change your plans. Here are some pictures (http://blueoceanart.com/ivan/) that include a few pictures of the Hyatt's parking lot and party boat. I borrowed the link from this trip report (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3249664#post3249664post3249664).

The hyatt is definitely out of the picture for our Thanksgiving in the Caymans. The westin will also be closed until 12/1. I'm ready to cancel it right off now but for the plane tickets....supposedly CO is only allowing changes through the middle of october. I'm sure that they would be happy to cancel it today for a cool 100 per ticket...but given our dates 11/24-11/28.....everything priced now is sky high relative to what I paid for the tickets to the caymans months ago. We're ninety percent sure that we'll cancel the trip even if we have to pay the change fee...but now any other place to go...desirable place...is now priced sky high...I've already said 'prepare for a thanksgiving in houston'...Yikes. Now of course this certainly doesn't compare to the suffering of those devestated in the caymans or by other hurricanes.