anyone know where i can find a good deal during the IMF meeting week...all the rates are jacked up by as much as 100 bucks and it's hard to find anything.

also..random question..has anyone stayed at the inn crowd hostel? supposedly it's one of the best hostels in the world and really cheap

Hi aaron1262, Welcome to FlyerTalk! :)

There is also another thread (http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=586484) that deals with the same problem. Hope you can find some answers there.

Consider locations that are not within the Central Business District, like Little India, Balestier, Geylang, Sentosa, Changi (these are the non-central areas of Singapore which have hotels IIRC).

And for your other question, I have nv actually heard of InnCrowd Hostel. Try looking on www.hostelworld.com and read the reviews over there. Might give you an idea of what to expect. :)

Try calling the hotels directly. I had a problem like this during the Asian Air Show (???), and all the hotel booking sites - including the respective hotel one's - were saying no availability. I then called my favorite hotel (Shangri-La) and they immediately confirmed my room over the phone.

I had the same problem during CommunicAsia. There was no availability for some nights at my usual chains. But I was told there might be rooms available at the Shangri-La, which I had never had the opportunity to sample. So I also called and it was a very nice experience. :)

I think they black out the booking for travel agents... or something along that line.... during the given period.