temperatures plunging this week in the northeast of the United States, it was claimed yesterday.

Island hotels say their telephones have been ringing off the hook this week as shivering Americans have been inquiring about escaping to the sun.

Most can't jump on the next flight out because they are snowed in, but the blizzards have focused many Americans' minds on booking a spring or summer vacation, said Bermuda Hotel Association president Billy Griffith.

"The telephone has been ringing off the hook in the past two days, much more so than in recent weeks,'' Mr. Griffith, also the president of the Harmony Club, told The Royal Gazette yesterday.

"If they can't get out of their houses they feel a frustration and are thinking about their vacations.

"It's a psychological thing about being freezing and not being able to get out of the house that makes them think a lot more about vacations.

"I've had significantly more advance bookings on Monday and Tuesday than I would have had it not been for the snow storms in the US.

"The calls have been for medium time to summer, late February to April, although I've had some May and June bookings.

"There is nothing like Bermuda that they can get away to. Not even Miami is two hours away.'' Heavy snow has fallen this week in New Hampshire, New England, New York, New Jersey, Massachussetts, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

The storm is the heaviest in New Hampshire for three years and resulted in many flight cancellations at Manchester Airport.

While the US east coast has been shivering, the Island has been basking in sunshine this week.

Major renovations being carried out throughout the Island, spurred on by tax breaks offered by Government's Hotel Concessions Act, mean the number of beds immediately available is less than before, although current occupancy rates are low.

Other hotels, however, including Ariel Sands and The Reefs, did not report any additional inquiries as a result of the cold weather in the US.

Any additional business the Island can pick up will be welcome, coming in the wake of November's figures which show the Island had its lowest air arrivals for 20 years.

And there was more bad news on Tuesday when it was confirmed Delta Airlines is cancelling its second seasonal flight from Atlanta to Bermuda due to lack of demand.

The airline launched the additional daily flight from April to October last year to complement the existing daily flight from Atlanta.