A friend in L.A. sends in this inquiry:
I recently sent in my order for Olympics tickets & now must look for lodging. I was totally stunned by the greed of the major hotel chains — asking $750 -$1000/night for rooms that otherwise would be $150-$250. So, being a public sector Planner, with a salary to match, I cannot pay those exorbitant prices.
Do you have any suggestions for alternative housing options? Perhaps some local blogs or websites, where more reasonable accommodations can be researched?
I am bringing my wife & 2 kids (ages 10 & 12) & we are staying for 5 days, so we do need something comfortable, just in a more reasonable price range. There must be some flats for rent or small independent hotels or other lodging options available. Any tips or help would be greatly appreciated!
I thought hotels wouldn’t be price-gouging during the Olympics. Guess some didn’t get the memo.
Any advice out there for my friend?
Two choices: One, bite the bullet and know you have a place to stay, or two, play the waiting game. In past Olympic hosting cities many home owners had big dollar signs in their eyes and found their homes went vacant for the duration. Beijing was just the latest example of that. Come a time closer to the olympics you may be able to pick up a relative bargain. By closer I mean a day or so before. There will be plenty of vacancies in private homes and you can have them bid against each other (like priceline… hmmm… I wonder if we should set up a priceline system for Vancouver’s Olympics? A filled home generating some revenue is better than an home sitting empty).
What’s your e-friend’s place in L.A. like? Another option might be to see if there are Vancouver families who want to do a house swap (even if they have to sweeten the offer with some cash and the use of their place, it will be cheaper and nicer than a hotel room). Not everyone actually wants to hang around during the Games.
There’s also probably decent accommodation that isn’t necessarily downtown and that isn’t a “major hotel chain”. Maybe check with Tourism Vnacouver or BCAA for a motel guide.
I am forbidden by my strata council from jumping on the rental bandwagon. Indeed the fact that there are no tenants in any of these townhouses was a big selling point for my realtor. (I was of course at that time, a tenant myself. And in an illegal suite to boot)
But I have no desire to be here during the Olympics and see nothing to stop me doing a house swap. And I am sure there are others who may be thinking the same thing if their employers force them to take time off. I am going to research web sites that arrange house swaps, and suggest your friend does the same
Probably trying to find a house swap would be the best bet. Lots of people are going to want to get out of Vancouver for the games… I’m sure lots would love a free holiday to sunny California in the dead of winter.