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Why can't I find a hotel?

For someone who wants to launch a web site and needs an idea, here's one: Call it Why Can't I Find a Hotel (www.whycantifindahote.com is available) and provide information to prospective travellers about busy times in their destinations.

Here's why.

I live in Louisville, Ky. At Derby time (that's *the* Kentucky Derby), hotel prices skyrocket. Not just by 20 bucks. They double, triple, or more. I always wonder about the hapless souls who by chance are driving through Louisville en route to somewhere else and stop to spend the night. You can't get a room for love or money within 50 miles of the city Derby weekend. What if they could have checked an online calendar ahead of time, to see if points along the route were likely to be booked solid? They could take a different route or pick a different weekend.

In a couple weeks my dad and I leave for a motorcycle trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway. I started to look for a hotel for our first night this week. I couldn't find anything less than $125 (and that was for a Red Roof Inn!) in these little towns in Virginia, and rooms available even at these prices were almost nonexistent. I spent a couple hours checking hotel web sites and orbitz et al, wondering what was up in Virginia.

When I finally called the one hotel I found for under $100 (a Howard Johnson), the clerk informed me there were not one but two college graduations that weekend. Well, no wonder! If we could have checked months ago to see what was going on when, we may have chosen a different weekend.

And what about all those random conferences and festivals that fill cities to maximum capacity, blocking any casual travellers from spending the night? Wouldn't it be great to check these things out before you plan a trip?

So if any entrepreneurial spirits out there are reading, please start this web site. I'll even help.

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Photo by me: The crowd at the Parthenon in Athens.

TAGS: hotel festival crowded graduation

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[ READER COMMENTS ]

1

Dana said:

Scratch that! When my husband read my blog he promptly bought the domain and informed me *we* should do this! :)

Posted at 06:34 PM, on April 17 2008

Why can't I find a hotel?

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