From the Hill Country to neighboring states, hotels are hiking room rates to cash in on tourists looking for a spot to watch the celestial phenomenon.
FILE - People gathered near Redmond, Ore., to view the sun as it neared a total eclipse by the moon, Monday, Aug. 21, 2017. Across Texas and in neighboring states, people are looking to cash in on the flood of tourists for the April 8 eclipse by raising hotel prices and turning their property into camping sites.
The Wine Country Inn in Fredericksburg — a Hill Country town in the “zone of totality” where eclipse viewing will be at its best April 8 — wants $1,288.19 with taxes for a king room the night before the astral phenomenon. It’s more than eight times the price the no-frills motel is seeking later in the week, according to its website. About two hours southwest of Fredericksburg by car, The Inn at Uvalde is asking $1,325.56 for a queen bed, 10 times its normal rate.
“Hopefully this one weekend will get them through the slow months,” she said. Her biggest concerns are traffic snarls and stores running out of food.In Hot Springs, Ark., there are a bevy of eclipse-watching events and other attractions for tourists. A local yoga studio will host a “sound bath” for visitors to “harness the energy of the solar eclipse to set new intentions and manifest” goals. NASA will do a public presentation.
For those who want to experience the eclipse from the sky, and avoid outrageous hotel fees, there are still options.several flights in the direct and partial paths of the April 8 eclipse. Airline planners modeled daily flight operations against projections of the umbra and penumbra, which are shadows cast by the moon’s eclipse of the sun.