Mueller Lake Park Outdoor Amphitheater
Shocked by Accommodation Prices
RECEIVED Mon., Nov. 12, 2012
Dear Editor,
I am a business traveler to the Austin area and would like to express my shock over the pricing of accommodations that have skyrocketed due to the U.S. Grand Prix race coming to Austin this weekend. I am forced to leave the area on Friday morning because my room rate is increasing from $65 to $449 a night. That's nearly seven times the normal rate.
This is not an aberration, as I have checked the rates at the other motels and have found similar hikes, the lowest of which is four times the normal room rate. After the devastation visited on the East Coast by Hurricane Sandy, price gougers were lambasted for such practices. While my need to stay in the area doesn't rise to that level, it certainly leaves a bad taste in my mouth and belies the lauded Texas hospitality that is so universally accepted as the standard in this fine state.
I am a business traveler to the Austin area and would like to express my shock over the pricing of accommodations that have skyrocketed due to the U.S. Grand Prix race coming to Austin this weekend. I am forced to leave the area on Friday morning because my room rate is increasing from $65 to $449 a night. That's nearly seven times the normal rate.
This is not an aberration, as I have checked the rates at the other motels and have found similar hikes, the lowest of which is four times the normal room rate. After the devastation visited on the East Coast by Hurricane Sandy, price gougers were lambasted for such practices. While my need to stay in the area doesn't rise to that level, it certainly leaves a bad taste in my mouth and belies the lauded Texas hospitality that is so universally accepted as the standard in this fine state.
Dave Perry
Seaside, Calif.
Seaside, Calif.
