This morning, engineers and contractors were assessing the damage and determining what the next steps would be, according to the hotel management. It did not have an estimate of when construction would recommence and how the accident would affect the project's timetable. The hotel was to have been ready in November 2003.

The construction involves restoration of the 70,000-sf Karotkin building, erected in 1910, and adding three stories to bring the building to 120,000 sf. The finished product is to be a 99-room luxury hotel. The hotel is a project of Patrick Kennedy, president and of La Mansion Hotels Ltd. It is situated on San Antonio's River Walk, across from Kennedy's 337-room La Mansion del Rio.

The design team working on the project includes HKS Inc. of Dallas, architect; Lyda Builders, the San Antonio-based contractor; Hirsch Bedner Associates of Santa Monica, CA, interior designer; and Project Control Inc. of San Antonio as project manager.