And it just keeps getting better

[naughtynatale]

I was in Chi town the other day and read an article on hotel rates. Like when you think things are good they throw this in to the pie.

So now my question is do you think it will affect the touring ladies? I know it says something like 7% but dang..... Will fun rates now be affected as well? It sure seems for an economy in the state it is in that this would happen. I just think if it is not broke then don't fix it. They talk of increase in occupancy. Do they think by increasing the rates that it will bring even more ????

http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/20...tes08_ST_N.htm

[124816]

Nat Probably in both cases (hotel and hobby rates) the business traveler is fairly insulated from the increase and any change will go widely unnoticed.

The vacationing family or the local hobbyist is probably much more impacted by pricing changes.

So in each case I would think it depends upon the primary market that the Hotel or Provider considers as their bread and butter as to whether pricing will impact occupancy.

[Kelly Christiansen]

Originally Posted by naughtynatale

I was in Chi town the other day and read an article on hotel rates. Like when you think things are good they throw this in to the pie.

So now my question is do you think it will affect the touring ladies? I know it says something like 7% but dang..... Will fun rates now be affected as well? It sure seems for an economy in the state it is in that this would happen. I just think if it is not broke then don't fix it. They talk of increase in occupancy. Do they think by increasing the rates that it will bring even more ????

http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/20...tes08_ST_N.htm

Oh girl, I think increased hotel rates are just gonna make it tougher for everyone and I hope the hobbyists understand the impact on us!!! I don't see how increased rates are going to help anytihng...just going to discourage the number of traveling tours.....maybe we need to flirt it up with the hotel managers

Originally Posted by 124816

Nat Probably in both cases (hotel and hobby rates) the business traveler is fairly insulated from the increase and any change will go widely unnoticed.

The vacationing family or the local hobbyist is probably much more impacted by pricing changes.

So in each case I would think it depends upon the primary market that the Hotel or Provider considers as their bread and butter as to whether pricing will impact occupancy.

Well, I'm trying to distinguish between the business traveler and the vacationing family difference....do you mean that the business traveler is covered by 'business expenses' and not too concerned about an increase vs the vacationing family that pays out of pocket?

[naughtynatale]

Originally Posted by Kelly Christiansen

..maybe we need to flirt it up with the hotel managers

Yeah I was thinking the same thing.... but you know me that would probably get me in more trouble LOL

[mostlynormalstl]

Yeah. The hobby is done for. If an average room is 85.00 (just a educated guess for a reasonably decent place), I cannot imagine how the overhead of an additional 2 dollars and 97 cents per night could possibly be absorbed. (based on the articles' assumed increase of 3.5% per annum).

[naughtynatale]

Norm when ladies travel like I just did to Chicago the room was 330 per nite. So when you consider all that is involved in touring you will start to count pennies. And that room was not all that btw. So depending on where you go it does cost. Just consider New York. For a decent room there if you do not have the inside scoop on sites like priceline it can be quite pricey. And for here I do know the inside deal on priceline so I know what to bid in what area. For ladies who have not traveled here they don't so some will have to pay full price and I know if they are staying downtown in a nice hotel well that too is 100+ a night and this does not include taxes parking taxi fare food I mean we have to eat. Then you add that airlines have increased their prices as well.

[124816]

Originally Posted by Kelly Christiansen

Well, I'm trying to distinguish between the business traveler and the vacationing family difference....do you mean that the business traveler is covered by 'business expenses' and not too concerned about an increase vs the vacationing family that pays out of pocket?

Kelly, Yes that is exactly the differentiation I was referring to.

[Kelly Christiansen]

Originally Posted by mostlynormalstl

Yeah. The hobby is done for. If an average room is 85.00 (just a educated guess for a reasonably decent place), I cannot imagine how the overhead of an additional 2 dollars and 97 cents per night could possibly be absorbed. (based on the articles' assumed increase of 3.5% per annum).

Nat is right on target....for my last trip to NYC the rooms were ~$400 a night....add in airfare, taxis, food, etc...a slow week can be disaster....it's rare to find a room in STL for $85....a nice room in a good location, that is!

Originally Posted by 124816

Kelly, Yes that is exactly the differentiation I was referring to.

Totally agree with that!

[bluffcityguy]

My €0.014:

1) As the article Natale posted pointed out, this is all the result of market forces. People weren't traveling, so hotels dropped their rates in part to stimulate demand. Now that people are traveling, hotels can up their rates both to realize more money and to price ration an increasingly scarce resource (their rooms).

2) As 124816 points out, business travelers expense things like hotel rooms, airfare, and meals on the road, so they're not in the habit of price differentiation (have you ever noticed that you have to pay for wi-fi in an upscale hotel like, say, a Hilton or a Marriott-Renaissance--just to mention the last two hotels I've stayed in (both of those Priceline deals, I might add)--that caters more to business travelers? That's the dynamic here, as a business traveler will pay for that on an expense account, whereas the recreational traveler won't).

3) For what it's worth: business travelers tend to stay in hotels from Sunday-Thursday. You may see hotel and airline "deals" (not as good as before, but still "deals" compared to the weekday rates) for Friday-Saturday stays and flights, as the hotels/airlines try to maximize use of otherwise unused rooms and seats over the weekends.

But this kind of rate fluctuation is the price you pay for living in a "free-market" economy. So enjoy!

Cheers,

bcg