Originally Posted by
mapu
8 times the normal rate seems to be the standard for rooms during the olympic madness
As I've mentioned before, ridiculous advance purchase hotel rates are normal for any Olympics. The pattern has been repeated a dozen times before. Hotels block rooms for VIPS, post insane rates for everyone else, and then at the last minute prices drop dramatically.
I see no reason why this pattern will not be repeated in Beijing. Indeed, it seems even more probable, given that none of the locals could possibly afford these prices.
I strongly urge anyone who wants to go to the Olympics to reserve their airline seats, get their event tickets, and wait to book lodging. Having a fully refundable "fall back" hotel plan is not a bad idea, but I'll be shocked if anyone needs it here.