Still looking to book a room ahead of Monday’s solar eclipse? Be ready to fork over some serious money.
A room at the Holiday Inn Express on Elmwood Avenue for this Sunday night will run you $950 before taxes and fees. The Best Western in Henrietta booked its last available room this week – for a base rate of $699.
Hotels in the Rochester area have largely sold out for Sunday — and for a price.
The going rate for Sunday night on Hotels.com was between $600 and $700.
“That sounds about right,” said Nayan Patel, manager of the downtown Holiday Inn. “Seems reasonable ... from what I've seen with the Hyatt and other hotels.”
LISTEN: Tips for making your eclipse experience last for generations
The 217-room downtown Holiday Inn is wrapping up a $6 million renovation, and Patel is hoping to push several dozen newly completed rooms online yet this week.
The region is expecting a massive influx of visitors. And the latest forecast shows a mix of clouds and sunshine.
Hotel rates have spiked, of late. But while well above normal, they are not unheard of. At the Best Western, general manager Nichole Arroyo said the top rate they got was $709 for the coming days, drawing visitors from Ontario, Canada and as far away as the Netherlands. But when the PGA was in town, the hotel charged $899 a night, she said.
“If you booked in advance. You got a pretty good rate,” said Don Jeffries, president and CEO of VisitRochester, the local tourism agency. “If you're waiting till now, it's going to be expensive. ... You know, it's what the market will bear. You know, some of the hotels you talk to, in February (their nightly rates) are $99.”
This likely does not constitute price gouging because there is no declared state of emergency, natural disaster or market disruption, officials said. The state Attorney General’s Office is looking into complaints of people who booked early and are finding their hotel reservations are getting cancelled.
