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RURAL hotels in the Balearics had between 250 and 300 guests over Christmas and New Year. This is around 60 percent of available places in those hotels which stayed open over the holidays. They were chosen principally by couples and people who were looking for a different way to celebrate the start of 2006. According to the director of the Balearic Agrotourism Association, Brigitte Foster, hotels had had “slightly more” guests for New Year's Eve 2005 than the year before. The hotel owners said they were satisfied with the results of this offer of a different way to celebrate the Christmas period and expressed the hope that it would encourage more hotels to open their doors at this time of year. Foster explained that only 60 percent of rural hotels, which together offer some 2'000 beds, stayed open during New Year's Eve. She also highlighted the fact that those establishments which offered a special programme of events had 100 percent occupation. These special programmes include, according to Foster, a dinner with party bags, and live music in some cases while in other cases there was a disc jockey. In some establishments, hot chocolate and ensaimadas were available in the early hours of the morning.