World Cup 2015: Vancouver hotels are charging anything they want and there's barely an Airbnb bed left in the city

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      There are more than 1,500 rooms* for rent on Airbnb in downtown Vancouver and Kitsilano. And not a single one of them is available this weekend.

      This Sunday (July 5) is the women’s World Cup championship match when the United States will take on Japan, and apparently a few Americans have decided the game is a good reason to spend the Fourth of July weekend north of the border.

      When I ran a search for Airbnb availability in Vancouver for this weekend, I couldn’t find one room for any price available in downtown Vancouver or even anywhere near the city’s core. (Since sharing my findings on social media, a couple of people have responded to say they were able to find a couch downtown renting for $162/night. My search is still coming empty but maybe people are scrambling together last-minute Airbnb posts and they’re going fast.)

      An analysis by an SFU master’s student found there are more than 1,500 Airbnb rentals spread across downtown Vancouver, the West End, and Kitsilano, and every single one of them is occupied for the World Cup finals this weekend.
      Karen Sawatzky

      A quick search on Expedia shows beds are equally scarce in the city’s hotels.

      Just about every hotel in the city was already sold out. The Sutton Place Hotel had one room left for $639 a night, the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver had a couple of rooms left for $864, and even the Best Western apparently figures it can get $685 a night this weekend. That was just about all that's left.

      Are you up from the States and looking for a place to rest your head in Vancouver this weekend? Our mayor has a tolerant record for people tenting in parks. Though please know a campfire ban is currently in effect.

      *The number 1,500 comes from an analysis by SFU master’s student Karen Sawatzky dated to June 1, 2015. Her thesis recently came to the attention of Vancouver city councillors, which you can read more about here: “Councillors ask if 3,500 Airbnb listings are eating into Vancouver's supply of rental housing”.

      Comments

      3 Comments

      Anonymous

      Jul 3, 2015 at 2:44pm

      Crass.
      Describes your article to a tee.
      Typical of World Cup bull.
      Perhaps a rethink is in order?
      At least you know if you are down on your luck you can pitch a tent in a park and won't come up empty hey Mr?

      Everything...

      Jul 3, 2015 at 3:13pm

      in Vancouver is booked for the Women's World Cup?!? Gawd. People just don't know what to do with themselves.

      Huh?

      Jul 3, 2015 at 3:16pm

      What's the point of this article. Demand drives price - that's not too hard to understand is it???