Moncton loses annual event over hotel prices

Hotel price gouging during large events has cost Moncton at least one annual festival and the economic spinoffs that go with it, organizers say.

But city officials say the practice is not unique to Moncton and there isn't much they can do.

The Atlanticade Motorcycle Festival Rally, which has been held in Moncton the past three summers, drawing more than 5,000 motorcyclists to the city, is moving to St. Andrews, N.B., next year, organizers have said.

That's because hotel rooms were scarce and expensive during this year's festival, which fell on the same June weekend as the Bon Jovi concert and a Jehovah's Witnesses convention, said organizer Dale Hicks.

"The hotels saw the need to hike their rates up for whatever reason and that caused a lot of concern for our people, who were starting to call us saying, 'The hotel where I stayed last year has now doubled the price so I'm not coming because of that.' "

Ian Fowler, the head of Moncton's recreation, parks, tourism and culture department, said the issue is a concern, but it's not unique to Moncton.

"I mean, if you went to Halifax and there was a major event on, or Charlottetown, or Toronto and they're going to be selling out, they put their max rates into effect then too," he said.

No one likes it, but there isn't much the city can do about it, Fowler said.

Losing Atlanticade comes with a heavy price for Moncton.

Organizers of the festival say the event brought in about $3 million worth of economic spinoffs each year.