US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former US President Bill Clinton, were not the only tourists blown out of Bermuda by Hurricane Bill at least 150 other vacationers cut their trip short as well.

Hoteliers yesterday said many people left early, cancelled or moved their vacation because of anticipated stormy weather.

However, the Island received little damage from the Category Two hurricane. At its closest point early Saturday morning, Hurricane Bill was more than 150 nautical miles west of the Island.

Frank Stocek, general manger of Elbow Beach, said the hotel lost approximately 200 room nights, or 40 bookings, due to the storm.

He said the property experienced some erosion on the western side of the beach, but all parts of the hotel were operating normally.

Occupancy levels at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess and the Fairmont Southampton were also affected.

Said a spokesperson for the two properties: "We had room cancellations ahead of the storm. We had some guests leave early, but we also had a few who chose to arrive sooner to enjoy the Island before the storm.

"The Fairmont Hamilton Princess had one couple who was planning their first trip to the Island. At first they hesitated about coming but, when it looked like the storm was shifting to the west, they decided to come anyway. And once they were here, they had a great time. At both hotels, everyone worked together to take care of the guests who were here and make sure that, despite the storm, they enjoyed their stay in Bermuda and at Fairmont."

The Clintons stayed at Cambridge Beaches before leaving on Thursday to avoid the storm. Mike Winfield, the Somerset property's chief executive officer, said he believed the hurricane had been over-hyped on US weather channels.

"I think 'much ado' comes to mind," he said. "Unfortunately the focus on hurricanes in the international media heightens the fear and causes reactions all the way through the system. I have been made aware of headlines — 'Bill to batter Bermuda' and the like."

Most clients who cancelled their reservations re-booked for a different period, he said.

But Mr. Winfield noted: "The cancellation of all flights on Saturday did complicate the issue but we managed to get all sorted out fairly quickly.

"We had minimal damage and were fully back to normal by 11 on Saturday morning thanks to extraordinary efforts by the Cambridge team.

"Hopefully, this will be the last storm that looks like it is heading our way this year — we don't need any more given the state of business already this year."

Pompano Beach Club manager Tom Lamb said he too experienced cancellations, with approximately 50 guests backing out of their holiday.

"Many decided to come another day," he said. "And we returned everyone's deposit who could not re-book the holiday. We did out best to help people who had to cancel find another suitable time to come to the Island. Fifty is a lot of people, particularly for a small hotel "

Everything was back up and running by Saturday afternoon and many guests spent Sunday swimming in the pool or on the beach, Mr. Lamb said.

Newstead Belmont Hills also saw approximately a dozen people cancel their vacations. Nothing was damaged at the hotel, however many guests moved their vacation to avoid the hurricane, managing director Clarence Hofheins said.

Grotto Bay Resort general manager JP Martens said there was no damage at his resort: "We did have some early departures and cancellations due to Hurricane Bill. Most guests, including a group due to arrive last weekend, rescheduled their stay."