New London Olympic event: Hotel price gouging?

Normally, we strive to present offers that will save money, as this half-price cruise to the western Mediterranean. But some deals beds hostel dormitory in the 2012 London Olympics (July 27 to August 12) was so frightening that we had to share.

Sites like Expedia and Hotels.com have policies dictating that you can not book rooms for more than 11 months, which means they are only now allowing reservations coincide with the Olympic Games.

Here is what we found: A 28-bed all-male dorm room at Palmers Lodge Hostel (just south of Hampstead Heath) is on sale for $ 157.50 per person per night on Hotels.com – that's about $ 4400 per night for the entire room. (The price includes 28 breakfasts.) That said, depending on which bed you book at the hotel, both in a separate room or an eight female-only room stays per person price the same. (Hint:. Palmers' direct booking prices are much cheaper than those posted by Hotels.com)

Would you like to stay at Hostel 639, a location close to Notting Hill, on the same date? On Hotels.com is the per-person price for a night at Hostel 639 corresponding to the fees for a dorm room at Palmer's – but Hostels rates twice as Palmer's offer for a basic double room with shared bath. It is more than $ 500 per night for two people. Get a quad room today and you will pay $ 1,000 per night. Booking sites, including Hotels.com and Venere.com has prices starting at less than $ 20 (including taxes) for stays at the same properties in September.

These price increases should come as no surprise, since news outlets have reported price increases during the Olympics in London for some time. But perhaps we can be optimistic that the hotel owners are being, well, optimistic. Tom Jenkins, president of the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA), told the Telegraph, "In Athens [host city for the 2004 Olympic Games], about 15,000 hotel rooms were sold. London has 125,000 rooms to sell. Such optimistic pricing in the face of such differences is extremely courageous. "

David Tarsh, another spokesman for the ETOA, has been widely told visitors to London during the Olympics should wait until early next year before you book your accommodation, Tarsh has predicted that hotels with unsold rooms will be forced to lower their prices at the time.

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Submited at Thursday, September 22nd, 2011 at 4:00 am on Tips by ethan
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