Hotels and businesses are busy getting ready for Hurricane Leslie, which could hit Bermuda as a Category Two storm on Sunday.Some venues reported yesterday that they have already experienced cancellations.Sophie Dier, communications director at the Elbow Beach Hotel on South Shore Road, Paget, said around a third of their bookings have been lost for this weekend due to the potential arrival of Leslie.“We were going to have 62 rooms occupied, but we have now had about 20 room cancellations, so to date we will now only have 42 rooms occupied,” she said.“Our reservations team is expecting call volume to continue to increase regarding cancellations for this weekend as the storm moves closer.”Ms Dier added: “Due to the potential threat to Bermuda, Elbow Beach is closely monitoring the path of Leslie. The hotel has a comprehensive hurricane preparation plan, and preliminary precautionary steps are already underway.“The hotel’s risk management team is liaising with local authorities and continues with preparations for the storm’s arrival to ensure that all possible safety measures are in place.“All South Shore beaches, including Elbow Beach, are closed to swimmers at this time and we are actively informing our guests of this for their safety. A red ‘no-swimming’ flag has been posted at our beach entrance. Our hotel facilities and dining outlets will remain open for as long as possible, depending on the progress of the storm.”Mickey’s Bistro and Bar has been damaged by strong waves on the South Shore in the past and will be boarded up to secure it against the hurricane.Teresa Chatfield of the MEF Group, which owns Mickey’s and other restaurants at Elbow Beach, said: “We started taking action on Tuesday to minimise the effect of the storm, in particular the storm surge. Mickey’s is still open but will gradually be dismantled so it can be properly protected; Lido and Seabreeze will remain open [today and tomorrow] and will be reopened for business as soon as the storm has passed and clean-up operations have taken place.”She added: “Some of the business from the weekend has either been brought forward, or moved to a later date or a more protected environment. We are working with our customers to help them ensure that their plans are not too disrupted; some weddings have moved to venues inside rather than change the date.”David Dodwell Jr, resort manager at the The Reefs Hotel and Club on South Shore Road, Southampton, said: “We are in the process of preparing the property to make it as safe as possible during the storm, which will include securing outdoor furniture etc, over the next few days.“We have not had many guests decide to leave early, as of yet, but we are of course offering as many options as possible to help in any way they need and are making preparations for the guests that do stay through the storm. We haven’t had any official meetings yet with guests, as it is still early, but have information posted on the storm and are answering questions as needed.”John Harvey, of the Bermuda Hotel Association, said it is still gathering statistics from its members on the total number of cancellations and rebookings due to the storm.“It’s still too early to tell, but I’m sure those guests who intended to come to Bermuda this weekend are probably reconsidering their vacation and will shortly rebook. Those that are here will be discussing whether to leave as soon as possible,” he said.However, he believes from past experience that others may decide to stick around and make the best of the storm.“Some who are booked into central Hamilton hotels may rebook to those on the South Shore to enjoy the view,” he said.A spokeswoman for Rosewood Tucker’s Point resort in Hamilton Parish said: “We reviewed our hurricane contingency plans earlier this summer and then purchased everything we would need. We have had daily meetings about the path of Leslie since last Friday when we began implementing the first stages of our contingency plan.“Our beach club was boarded up today which will allow time for our facilities team to concentrate on protection measures for the golf club, residences and hotel. Our mantra has been prepare for the worst and hope for the best.”Philip Barnett, president of the Island Restaurant Group — which owns Hog Penny, Barracuda Grill, Victoria Grill, Rumbar and Pickled Onion — said: “The bad news is the storm is coming but the good news is that generally it’s a relatively soft week for us right after Labour Day so if it hits it will do the least amount of damage to our sales in this week.”Mr Barnett said three parties have been cancelled so far — but all have rebooked to other weekends. He hopes that if the storm stays on course, it may mean closing early on Saturday but won’t affect Sunday night as long as it is safe for his staff to travel to work.“I hope everyone stays safe and rides out the storm and we will see everyone with air conditioning and wonderful food on Sunday evening,” said Mr Barnett.Joanne MacPhee, executive director of the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce advised members that a full meeting of the Emergency Measures Organisation, including Chamber representatives, will be held tomorrow.Keith Jensen, president of the Bermuda Employers’ Council said improved safety equipment, training and emergency plans have been in place since Hurricane Fabian.“Several retail businesses have improved their security since thieves may attempt to break in during the storm,” he noted.Mr Jensen added: “So far, the slow speed of the storm and early warnings have given the opportunity for everyone to have enough time to prepare for the hurricane.”Meanwhile, ship schedules are likely to be affected by Leslie, according to Joe Simas, vice president of Maritime Operations at Meyer Agencies.The container ship Bermuda Islander is due in port today from New Jersey. It would usually leave tomorrow morning but Mr Simas said it is due to leave at 6pm today instead.He said Stevedoring Services have been asked to work an extra hour in order to get everything on and off the ship by 6pm.The Norwegian Star which arrived yesterday may leave Bermuda earlier than its planned departure tomorrow at 5pm. Mr Simas said that decision will be made today.The Norwegian Dawn is due in from Boston at 11am on Sunday. However, Mr Simas said “there’s a 90 percent chance she’s not coming at all” due to the high winds forecast for Sunday. A decision will be made on that today too.One Bermuda Alliance leader Craig Cannonier said the party is confident the Emergency Measures Organisation is putting the right preparations in place, and Bermuda has an infrastructure strong enough to cope with the storm.He noted: “Bermudians have in the past demonstrated a tremendous community spirit in the wake of storms like Leslie. Neighbours help neighbours, strangers help strangers, all as if they had been friends all their lives. That’s the Bermudian way.”He urged Bermudians to extend their help and reassurance to others in the community such as seniors and guest workers “who would be grateful to know there was someone they could reach out to if need be”.He said MPs, constituency workers and volunteers will distribute information to the elderly and vulnerable before the storm, and help clean up after it.