The Eclipse!

[Arks]

Our town is on the path of the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse, with over 4 minutes of total darkness here. A year ago I doubled the rates for my rooms on eclipse day, and a couple of days either side of the big day. They are all rented, and the event is a year away! I could have gotten $1,000/night or more!

I'll need to remember this for the next time. We're supposed to have another total eclipse over our town...in 2112!

 

[gillumhouse]

It will miss us. DANG!!

 

[GoodScout]

We are also in the path of totality. We raised our rates to $499 a night with a 3 night minimum, and back when the last eclipse took place in 2018 did a one-day advance booking promotion that three people took advantage of.

Reservations for our remaining rooms open Saturday, so we'll see how fast they get snapped up.

EDIT: Just changed my rates again. Found out the AirBnBs in town have raised their rates for those days to between $1,350 to $2,650 a night for those nights.

I'm not charging half that, because I don't want the reputation as a gouger. Just wow.

 

[Arks]

the AirBnBs in town have raised their rates for those days to between $1,350 to $2,650 a night for those nights.

I'm not charging half that, because I don't want the reputation as a gouger. Just wow.

You're not making me feel any better for "giving away" all 6 of my suites at $350/night!
Yes, just wow. But there's a fine line between gouging and smart "what the market will bear" business. Everybody who paid $2,650/night did so willingly. They could have driven there for the 4-minute show, then driven a few hours for bedtime in a cheaper place. They made their choice.

 

[Tom]

A few years back, totality a hundred miles north of us, in Oregon. After the "show", superchargers were clogged with Teslas trying to get home.
I'll be that Tesla increases its charging cost when the demand is high.

 

[GoodScout]

I wrote a blog post about the event, and explained why we were charging high season rates, but not price-gouging like others: Into Every Sun, a Little Shade Must Fall

 

[Arks]

I wrote a blog post about the event... Into Every Sun, a Little Shade Must Fall

You're sure right about total eclipses being different. When we had the last one near here, a few years ago, some of my friends drove to southern Illinois to see the total eclipse. I didn't go because our area was supposed to get a "94% of total" eclipse and I figured that would be good enough.

Well, the 94% was just like having a white cloud go over. Not even as dark as a rainy day. Meanwhile, the friends in Illinois went on and on for weeks about how amazing a total eclipse is.

 

[gillumhouse]

In the book The Frontiersmen which is a narrative (carefully researched - I knew the names and the territory in the book) of the 50 years of settling the western territories from during the Revolutionary War. It is told using Simon Kenton as the min person followed from Virginia and into Kentucky. It also covers the Indians perspective. Apparently Tecumseh was able to foretell some things - he was able to form his federation of MANY tribes, not just the Shawnee (and it almost succeeded BTW) when he sent word to tribes not yet convinced that the sky would go dark as night in the middle of the day and telling when it would happen. There was an eclipse of the sun when he said it would happen. Much of the territory in this book is where I grew up.

The power of an eclipse.

 

[Generic]

Big city, we are in the path of the total eclipse.... but just at the edge... the northern suburbs of the city, aren't. But no one really bothers in the big city. Besides, I don't do rates until 6 months out. We still want to be able to go on vacation when we want.