Eclipse travelers in the US were met with sky-high prices – and booking chaos Solar eclipse

Hotel prices in states witnessing the path of Monday's solar eclipse have soared to astronomical prices, with some eclipse watchers traveling from across the country to find their reservations canceled and sold for several times the original price.

Millions of Americans are expected to travel to witness one of the most spectacular celestial events in recent memory, as the moon's total path is set to sweep across 15 states, along with parts of Mexico and Canada. had brought And with it more than $1 billion for local economies.

Those looking to book accommodations in the middle path of the Great American Eclipse have seen prices rise and hotels sell out, according to an analysis from The New York Times. an offer One hotel in Grayville, Illinois, is offering rooms for nearly 10 times the usual nightly rate.

In Buffalo, New York, where up to a million visitors are expected to flock to view a key site during the eclipse, hotel and flight bookings have quadrupled compared to the same time period last year. according to Analysis by Chase Travel.

Amid the uproar over accommodations, one travel agency said it had to rearrange accommodations for more than 150 people after canceling reservations made two years ago at two Buffalo hotels. Rooms that cost $129 to $159 were canceled and resold for $450 or more, according to Sugar Tours owner Chris Donnelly, who said it was “gross price gouging.”

“Of course it was all about profits,” Donnelly said. “I have a feeling they never put our rooms into the system and sold them and waited until 30 days before telling us. Thirty years in this business, this has never happened before.”

Manga Hotel Group, which owns the Aloft Buffalo Airport and Hampton Inn & Suites Buffalo Airport, said the room cancellations were due to an overbooking error. She added that no canceled rooms were resold as new reservations.

The region's tourism office, Visit Buffalo Niagara (VBN), said it worked with individuals who received cancellation notices and that it “does not condone this business practice of canceling room reservations.”

“We find it shameful that both long-time customers and new visitors are treated this way,” said Patrick Kahler, president and CEO of VBN. “Putting greed before the visitor experience and destination reputation is unacceptable.”