Moncton hotel rooms in high demand

Hotel owners in Moncton, N.B., hope to cash on three main events taking place in the city this weekend, including Saturday's Bon Jovi concert on Magnetic Hill.

The city is also hosting the annual Atlanticade Motorcycle Festival Rally, which began Wednesday and runs until Sunday.

A three-day district convention of the Jehovah’s Witnesses got underway Friday at the Moncton Coliseum Agrena.

The busy weekend means hotel rooms in Moncton are in short supply. That has resulted in higher rates for people booking rooms this weekend.

A room for two people staying at the Delta Beausejour will cost approximately $300. That’s about twice as much as it will cost next Saturday when there aren't three big events planned.

Ray Roberge, general manager for Delta Beausejour, said the hotel expects to make about 50 per cent more money this weekend as a result of the three events being held.

Give advance notice on concert dates, says hotel owner

However, Hamand Joshi, who owns the Econolodge hotel in Moncton, is one hotelier who won't be taking financial advantage of the influx of tourists.

Joshi booked people attending the Jehovah's Witness convention into his hotel last year at a rate of 35 to 40 per cent less than if he had known about the Bon Jovi concert ahead of time.

"It's a simple matter of supply and demand," Joshi told CBC News on Friday. "Once we understand that there's a large event — if we know ahead of time — then we can adjust our rates and we don't get caught with too low a rate."

Joshi said he would like be included in the planning for big events in the future. He said that charging more at peak times is critical in his business.

An official with the tourism department for the City of Moncton said it does work with hotel owners to let them know of dates for upcoming events and concerts.