There are no certainties in business, and no one knows this better than hospitality brands. Economic flux aside, there are always a million and one things going wrong that can affect business, and the Zika virus seems to the latest among them.

Hotels — particularly those located in the Caribbean and Mexico — are being hit with cancellations amidst the spreading Zika fears, forcing hotels in these regions to offer fresh new deals for tourists.

Even areas that have not been affected by the virus are seeing heavy cancellations in what would otherwise be a busy season. Lucrative deals in the peak season — something once unheard of — have now become commonplace.

The New York Times found some of these deals, including amazing offers like:

• a fourth night free through Dec. 18 at the Thompson Hotel in Los Cabos, Mexico
• 30 percent off room rates for stays of four nights or more at Carlisle Bay in Antigua, valid between April 18 and Nov. 30
• several stay-longer, save-more offers across all Ritz-Carlton hotels in the Caribbean and Mexico

This is just a glimpse into some of the offers, but more like these are coming up every day across hotels and resorts in these regions. Some are even offering heavy discounts along with additional days and even annual offers in many cases. The deals have never been so lucrative, but whether they will pay off still remains to be seen.

While hotels seem to be the most affected at this point, airlines and cruise ships may not be too far behind. Anticipating problems, some airlines are already offering incentives to travelers, like discounts and credits against cancellations for future travels.

A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll shows 41 percent Americans have said they are now less inclined to travel to Latin America and the Caribbean this year. The rapidly spreading Zika virus, which is said to be linked to thousands of birth defects in Brazil, is discouraging many Americans to step onto their popular cold-weather getaways.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has actively discouraged pregnant women from traveling to Zika-affected areas. This has served as a warning not just for them but also new mothers, young parents — and, in short, most travelers.

With the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring an international public health emergency over the disease, it is not surprising to see new cancellations every day. Zika is a new virus, and containment is still under experiment, so it is right that these agencies are warning people against traveling to these affected areas.

With its links to the birth defect microcephaly, it is safe and smart to be cautious, though studies are still ongoing to find definite links between the two. It doesn't help that beautiful as they are, these areas are also prone to drug trafficking, violence, terrorism and even tourist ransoms. With the virus as the new villain in the scene, the travel and hospitality industry here has much to contain with.

According to data received from the World Travel and Tourism Council, the Virgin Islands, Barbados and Jamaica in the Caribbean are most vulnerable. With most of their economic survival depending upon tourism and Zika scaring away visitors, things aren't looking too good for these nations.

For example, tourism revenue accounts for 85 percent of the economy in the British Virgin Islands. With nearly 1 million tourists visiting the Virgin Islands group each year, this could be a huge setback.

Brazil, which is set to host the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August, may suffer long-term consequences as the hotbed for the virus. Typically, it has close to 6 million international tourists visiting the country each year, a number that is slated to be significantly higher during the Olympics. Mexico, which has often exemplified the best location for "babymoon" trips and has tourism account for about 15 percent of its economy, could suffer as grave a fallout as Brazil.

Scientists are hard at work to learn more about the Zika virus and how to combat its effects. To date, no vaccine or medicine has been innovated to treat this mosquito-borne virus. The virus can also be transmitted sexually, which increases risks as it continues to spread to across countries and territories in the Americas.

At the moment, most travel and hospitality brands are trying to overcome the crisis with their lucrative deals. It remains to be seen how far they succeed if the virus proves to be more dangerous than anticipated.