FLL Hotel Price Guaging

I have been cruising out of FLL for years, but for 2016 I noticed the prices on hotels are outrageous. $300 min and then after the cruise leaves it's $100. Not fair at all.

I have been cruising out of FLL for years, but for 2016 I noticed the prices on hotels are outrageous. $300 min and then after the cruise leaves it's $100. Not fair at all.

Prices are expensive during season which starts about mid October and goes through Easter.

Peak season is Christmas through March.

Price gouging I'm assuming is what you mean simply does not exist.

Cruisers make up a small percentage of our tourism.

Europeans and South Americans will come here and spend weeks at a time.

Anywhere in Florida will be expensive during season.

I would suggest cruising out of Baltimore because Charleston and NYC are also expensive.

Price gouging is raising the price of a critical and typically limited resource, typically in time of crisis, like a hurricane, or like happened here in California after some of the wildland fires.

What you are seeing in Ft Lauderdale is simply supply and demand. No one is forcing you to stay in the $300/night places, or in the Ft Lauderdale area, or even travel there. The hotels are simply charging what the market will bear. If people stopped staying there in peak season, the prices would plummet.

And you could spend more than that if you wanted to. We don't need overnight accommodations as we will be in Fla for the winter, but I just checked on Expedia for rates for the night prior to the departure of the cruise we're taking out of FLL. The Red Carpet Inn is $83 and you get comp'd shuttle and breakfast. Prices for that night seem to run from that up to around $449 for the Sonesta and Pelican Beach, but there are MANY under $125-ish a night. Check Expedia and similar sites.

I agree the prices are ridiculous but that is because silly people like us will pay it. I am going to get a rental car at the airport and stay farther away from the port and just return the car the next day (we fly in the day before the cruise) and hop on a shuttle down to the port. Its cheaper for me to do it that way then pay $300 for 12 hours in a hotel.

I agree the prices are ridiculous but that is because silly people like us will pay it. I am going to get a rental car at the airport and stay farther away from the port and just return the car the next day (we fly in the day before the cruise) and hop on a shuttle down to the port. Its cheaper for me to do it that way then pay $300 for 12 hours in a hotel.

This is the direction I am likely headed as well. $280+ with no airport or port shuttle service. Just starting to look elsewhere.

Not fair at all.

It is rather naive to think that 'fairness' would even enter into the setting of prices. It is a business decision plain and simple.

We are staying in Ft.lauderdale pre cruise in late January and I was shocked at prices as well. Most of the big chain hotels talked about on these boards frequently were in thr range of $300 per night. Found a small hotel near the beach via researching on tripadvisor, not cheap but not $300 either. We are staying three nights so I wanted beach or Las Olas area.

Timing and demand rule. Visit Fl. in July for some nice rates.:D

It all comes down to supply and demand and lots come into play including the economy and time of year.

Keith

As others have said, supply and demand. We are sailing Carnival Splendor on Dec 6. Three weeks later, the price is roughly double what we are paying. Is Carnival price gouging all those people who choose to cruise over the New Year's holiday?

We sail every January and have never seen the prices as high as they are this year. In comparison, Sleep Inn Dania was $129 last year for our pre-cruise hotel and they want $250 this year. We've never paid over $200 for any of our pre-cruise hotels (Cambria Suites, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn, Hyatt Place).

We sail every January and have never seen the prices as high as they are this year. In comparison, Sleep Inn Dania was $129 last year for our pre-cruise hotel and they want $250 this year. We've never paid over $200 for any of our pre-cruise hotels (Cambria Suites, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn, Hyatt Place).

It doesn't look like you cruised last February. You really need to be comparing exact dates or it's apples to oranges.

Different events can double prices even during peak season.

 

Different events can double prices even during peak season.

Speaking of events, do you know when the Ft Lauderdale Boat Show is in 2016?

Speaking of events, do you know when the Ft Lauderdale Boat Show is in 2016?

I would imagine November 3-7, 2016. The CEO is a regular in my husband's restaurant and said they moved it from Halloween weekend to the first weekend in November because all the yachties kept getting wasted on Halloween.

I was also hit hard with the hotel prices for our pre-cruise hotel on 2/27/16. Embassy Suites at 289+tax/fees.

I would imagine November 3-7, 2016.

Thanks, that's what I was worried about. Should have taken the Regal out of New York on October 27.

We sail every January and have never seen the prices as high as they are this year. In comparison, Sleep Inn Dania was $129 last year for our pre-cruise hotel and they want $250 this year. We've never paid over $200 for any of our pre-cruise hotels (Cambria Suites, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn, Hyatt Place).

We're sailing in January, too, and Cambria Suites where we usually stay is $279 with a senior or AAA discount. We're driving this time, and we're staying in the Plantation area unless I find something better/cheaper in the next month or so.

We sail every January and have never seen the prices as high as they are this year. In comparison, Sleep Inn Dania was $129 last year for our pre-cruise hotel and they want $250 this year. We've never paid over $200 for any of our pre-cruise hotels (Cambria Suites, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn, Hyatt Place).

We're sailing in January, too, and Cambria Suites where we usually stay is $279 with a senior or AAA discount. We're driving this time, and we're staying in the Plantation area unless I find something better/cheaper in the next month or so. It's high season so the rates will be high.

Oh thank goodness for this thread, I thought it was just me!! I started looking for a Ft Lauderdale hotel this week and the prices were thru the roof. We also have to budget for the exchange rate CDN to USD :eek: so we are being a bit pickier this time around. I had started a thread on this but I'll ask here anyway...I read on CC about a hotel in Hollywood Fla that was a great price, great value and had a shuttle from the airport and to the cruise port. Can anyone come up with a name??

Speaking of events, do you know when the Ft Lauderdale Boat Show is in 2016?

Google is your friend:

http://www.showmanagement.com/fort_lauderdale/exhibitors/

Bottom of the page 3-7 Nov 2016.

Lesson learned from cruise earlier this month. If cruising from FLL in November, find out when the boat show is before booking a cruise. I started looking for a room six months before the cruise and was only able to book at the CYM for a huge price. Traffic was a terrible and parking was worse.

I have been cruising out of FLL for years, but for 2016 I noticed the prices on hotels are outrageous. $300 min and then after the cruise leaves it's $100. Not fair at all.

We drive to the port so we have some flexibility. As we were going home up I95, we saw numerous hotels may 5 to 10 miles from the port. Suggest you try some further out.

In fact, we've decided to stay much further north and complete the drive in the morning of sailing. We may stay as far north as Ocala which would be about a four hour drive. (Our total drive time is 14 hours.) Looks like we could save $400 over driving to FLL and staying at the ES. We're early risers so that should work well.

Oh thank goodness for this thread, I thought it was just me!! I started looking for a Ft Lauderdale hotel this week and the prices were thru the roof. We also have to budget for the exchange rate CDN to USD :eek: so we are being a bit pickier this time around. I had started a thread on this but I'll ask here anyway...I read on CC about a hotel in Hollywood Fla that was a great price, great value and had a shuttle from the airport and to the cruise port. Can anyone come up with a name??

I also started searching this week for hotels in the area for April 30 2016...the prices are very high (doubled) compared to when I stayed there last year in June. We are also starting to look further out for a decent priced hotel. What the heck?? I am interested in knowing what hotel in Hollywood your asking about as well. I'm familiar with Hollywood beach having spent a lot of time growing up in the area and would love a room near my old stomping ground.

We drive to the port so we have some flexibility. As we were going home up I95, we saw numerous hotels may 5 to 10 miles from the port. Suggest you try some further out.

 

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Be careful about recommending accommodations on I95. Some can be in very bad neighborhoods.

I also started searching this week for hotels in the area for April 30 2016...the prices are very high (doubled) compared to when I stayed there last year in June. We are also starting to look further out for a decent priced hotel. What the heck?? I am interested in knowing what hotel in Hollywood your asking about as well. I'm familiar with Hollywood beach having spent a lot of time growing up in the area and would love a room near my old stomping ground.

April is the end of peak season for us. June is off season. You are comparing apples to oranges.

Be careful about recommending accommodations on I95. Some can be in very bad neighborhoods.

My recommendation was a general suggestion to examine areas further out. We saw some very nice properties north on I95. But, you are correct, due diligence is important.

Personally, I never book a property until after I've looked at reviews on TripAdvisor, looked at the property and surrounding area on google maps and even taken a look from street view. I also use google maps to see if there are any restaurants in the close in area.