Monterey Hotels Charging Up to 124% More for Jazz Festival
September 19, 2012
Jazz lovers who haven't yet firmed up their overnight plans for the Monterey Jazz Festival better make sure they have some extra cash ready. Securing a last-minute room shouldn't pose a problem, but their procrastination will cost them. That's because hotels in the vicinity of the festival's venue have hiked their rates significantly. The latest survey by CheapHotels.org unearthed this finding when it looked at Monterey hotel rates for the festival weekend of September 21-23.
As of press time, almost half of all establishments in the coastal California community of Monterey still had rooms available. With the festival less than a week away, however, the prices being posted for these vacancies are an average of 47% more than usual. And some of the budget hotels are hitting eleventh-hour guests even harder with substantially higher rates.
A good case in point is the Downtown Days Inn. There, rooms regularly go for $109 per night, but during the Monterey Jazz Festival, they'll cost guests $209. With its close proximity to the Monterey County Fairgrounds, where the festival takes place, the Vagabond Bay Inn is also gouging festival goers. During the event's three-day run, the establishment has jacked up its nightly rate to $249. That's 128% more than the regular rate of $109.
Those travelers who insist on staying in a three-star hotel will currently have to pay close to $300 per night, and that's for the cheapest available room. If they are willing to settle for a budget hotel, they can find a room for around $150 in neighboring Seaside. Another advantage, in addition to the cost savings, is that Seaside is actually located closer to the festival grounds than downtown Monterey is.
The following table shows the Monterey hotels presently listing available rooms during the Jazz Festival run of September 21-23, 2012, along with their nightly rates.
| Name of Hotel | Stars | Room Type | Festival | Regular |
| Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa | 4.0 | 2 Queen | $499 | $399 |
| Best Western Plus Resort | 3.5 | 2 Queen | $369 | $349 |
| Hotel Albrego | 3.5 | King | $359 | $309 |
| Hyatt Regency Monterey | 4.0 | King | $339 | $259 |
| Hilton Garden Inn | 3.0 | King | $309 | $242 |
| Marriott Monterey | 3.5 | Deluxe | $289 | $229 |
| Monterey Bay Lodge | 2.5 | Queen | $275 | $188 |
| Monterey Bay Travelodge | 2.0 | King | $259 | $139 |
| Vagabond Inn Monterey | 2.0 | King | $249 | $109 |
| Quality Inn Monterey | 2.0 | 2 Queen | $219 | $149 |
| Bayside Inn | 2.0 | Queen | $218 | $139 |
| Super 8 Monterey | 2.0 | Queen | $209 | $112 |
| Downtown Days Inn | 2.0 | King | $209 | $109 |
| Ramada Limited Monterey | 2.0 | Queen | $199 | $109 |
| Monterey Oceanside Inn | 2.0 | Queen | $179 | $98 |
About the Methodology
The survey was conducted on September, 17 2012. Available hotels in Monterey and their rates for September 21-23 were established based on a search of various hotel-booking sites. For comparison purposes, the rates for the same rooms for October 5-7 were established and determined as "Regular Rates."”
