Welk Resorts

Cabo Welk Employee Relief Fund Established

Many have asked how our friends and associates at Sirena Del Mar are faring following Hurricane Odile. As reported, all employees came through the ordeal safely, although some of their homes and possessions were lost. The damage to Cabo San Lucas is extensive, although cleanup efforts are well underway, and power and water have been restored. 

For those of you who would like to help, we’ve set up a relief fund, through the Lawrence Welk Family Foundation, for our Sirena Del Mar associates and their families. Your tax-deductible contribution will go directly to associates of Sirena Del Mar and their families, to be used to rebuild homes, replace lost or damaged possessions, and provide support while the resort is under re-construction.

There are two ways to donate:

By check: Mail your check, made payable to the Welk Employee Relief Fund, to Welk Resort Group, c/o Lisa Harris, 300 Rancheros Drive, Suite 450, San Marcos, CA 92069

Online at www.gofundme.com/welkrelief

Welk Resorts has pledged to match, dollar for dollar, all donations up to $25,000. Thanks to all of you, for your caring and generosity. 

Cabo San Lucas was hit with a Category 3 hurricane on Sunday night, which knocked out power to the region and has caused extensive damage to buildings, roads, and infrastructure in the area.

We are happy to report that all of our guests and owners have been safely evacuated off property and to the airport, where they are being sent to various cities in Mexico for transportation home. One guest reports that the president of Mexico was at the airport, greeting tourists and even boarding one plane to speak with everyone. Additionally, the Mexican police and military presence were great about assisting those in need.

Our Welk team members on property are also safe, and arrangements are being made for all Cabo associates for accommodations, food and other necessary assistance. Four Welk Resorts leaders have flown to Cabo to assist the team, provide supplies and assess the situation. We are extremely grateful for their bravery and commitment to helping our guests and fellow associates.

We are also grateful to our Cabo team, led by General Manager Alejandro Neri and our Vice President of Sales Phil Gerbracht, who provided leadership for our team, comfort and communication for our guests, and a successful departure for all. Our team members are in place securing the resort, assessing damage and working to re-establish the necessary infrastructure, including power, water, sewer treatment, etc. The resort suffered significant damage in some areas, including the guest reception, lobby and preview center building, railings on balconies and pool decks, pool bar, and barbecue palapa. In other areas, we found missing roof tiles, a demolished construction trailer and other out-structures, damaged landscaping and some damage to units. Our construction and engineering team will be assessing this damage over the coming weeks to determine the scope of needed repairs and related cost and schedule of this work. Until we fully assess the extent of the damage and the impact on all building improvements, systems and furniture, fixtures and equipment, we cannot determine the date that the resort will re-open. Rest assured, we are working diligently towards this outcome, so that we will re-open Sirena Del Mar as the world-class resort that it has become.

Welk Resorts has cancelled all reservations for the next two months until we determine the re-opening date. We will keep you posted as more details become available. We are fortunate that the structures at Sirena Del Mar are well-built steel-reinforced concrete, which allowed our resort to withstand the Category 3 hurricane with much less damage than many resorts in the area. We eagerly look forward to making many wonderful new vacation memories for our owners and guests at Sirena Del Mar!

Some family members of guests or owners who were on-site may have questions about the location or status of their loved ones – our Owner Services Department will be happy to provide support. Please call 1.800.240.9342, 8am to 5pm Monday through Saturday, and 8am-4pm on Sunday.

Many have asked how they can help. We are working with Human Resources to set up a fund specifically to assist Welk associates in Cabo and their families — please check our website www.welkresorts.com for more details. We look forward to coming together as a family in an effort to show our support and provide comfort and assistance to those in need during this challenging time.

Welk Resorts is moving forward with rescue and recovery plans for guests and associates at Sirena Del Mar, now in its second day without power. Communication is still very sporadic. 

A Welk team left San Diego today for Culiacan, where they will take a ferry to La Paz overnight on Wednesday, with planned arrival at the resort Thursday morning. They are bringing food, water, generators and other necessities. 

Additionally, Welk is working with an external aviation company to airlift in additional supplies, and start ferrying guests to nearby destinations for departure to the U.S.

The Associated Press reports that the Mexican federal government has begun airlifting some stranded tourists out of Los Cabos, to airports in Tijuana, Mazatlan, Guadalajara and Mexico City to catch connecting flights back home. A government spokesperson reports that priority would be given to the elderly and people with health problems. Reports also indicate that a boat with humanitarian aid is on its way, and authorities are working to restore utilities.

We are also monitoring a new storm, Polo, which is moving up the coast from Acapulco and tentatively expected to reach Cabo by Friday. To date, it is a tropical storm but could be upgraded to hurricane.

As reports continue to come in regarding Hurricane Odile, Sirena del Mar will be closed to all arrivals until further notice. Unfortunately, there are no new reservations being taken at this time.

All guests and associates are safe and accounted for and will be enjoying a taco dinner with cold beverages tonight. We have not received any news as to when the power will be fully restored, however, please know that we are doing everything to ensure the comfort and safety of everyone on property.

If you have questions concerning family members or guests staying on property, please call 1-800-240-9342.

Those with existing reservations, please contact Welk Resorts Guest Services at 1-800-240-9342. 

At last contact with the resort, early on Monday morning, September 15, all guests and associates were reported safe. Since then, communication has been limited, but we do have unsubstantiated reports of damage to the property. We anticipate being able to reopen lines of communication shortly in order to confirm and verify the situation.

The safety of our resort guests is of the utmost importance to us, and we are coordinating efforts to ensure their needs are fully met until transportation out of the area is possible.

Preliminary findings indicate that the damage caused by the hurricane will necessitate the resort’s closure for the next two weeks.

For those of you with reservations for Sirena Del Mar with arrival dates falling between September 15 and 29, 2014, our guest relations teams will be reaching out to reschedule or refund your vacation ownership time or vacation rental.