Hawai'i hotel workers topped off fuel in generators, cleaned out drains, restocked sandbags and breathed a sigh of relief that Tropical Storm Felicia appeared to be fading.

"Thank goodness the storm is weakening," said state tourism liaison Marsha Wienert.

The state's No. 1 industry is in no position to take another major hit. The sagging global economy has already knocked visitor spending down by more than 15 percent in the first half of this year.

Felicia weakened from a Category 4 hurricane last week to a tropical storm yesterday.

"People have been staying tuned to the forecast and have pretty much seen Felicia go down," said David Uchiyama, of the Hawai'i Tourism Authority.

Uchiyama and Wienert said they have not heard of any cancelations.

Wienert also said she felt the tourism industry pulled together quickly and efficiently to prepare should the storm worsen.

"The properties responded admirably in their preparations for this potential storm," she said.

Hotels cooperated on identifying available rooms if visitors were stranded by the storm and on setting what discounted "compassion rates" could be offered, she said.

READY FOR WORST

While they were pleased the storm threat was easing, hotels were still preparing for the worst yesterday. They were checking emergency supplies and taking steps to ease any disruption caused by flooding or storm surge.

Most of the hotels used notice boards and sent letters to keep their guests informed about the storm.

Kaleo Keolanui, president of the Hawaii Hotel and Visitor Industry Security Association, said most hotels keep emergency supplies and usually inspect them in June, the start of hurricane season. Most also review specific emergency guidelines for each property.

The October 2006 earthquake that rocked the Islands and cut power to much of the state helped prepare hotels for future emergencies. They know to double-check food and water to make sure they have enough to take care of guests and employees, Keolanui said.

Keolanui is director of security and hotel services at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki Beach Resort & Spa. A power failure after that earthquake "went pretty smoothly" at the resort, he said, and gave officials a chance to fine-tune some of their procedures.

After 2006, he said, most properties adopted a policy of storing some emergency supplies, such as glow sticks and water, throughout the property.

"If the power goes down, we have them in place," he said.

He said that when a storm approaches, hotels routinely store outdoor furnishings, including umbrellas and pool furniture, and move lanai furniture into rooms. Some hotels even remove landscaping such as rocks or cinders.

Barry Wallace, of Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, was keeping an eye on the situation throughout the state yesterday, as staffers reviewed emergency supplies.

He said the threat of heavy rain caused some Big Island visitors to move from Hilo to the drier Waikoloa area. "We have had a few cancelations in Waikiki," he said, but very few disruptions.

Wallace said all hotels try to act as an information depot, checking with airports on flights and roads so visitors won't have to keep calling for themselves.