Hotel prices surge as Washingtonians search for air conditioning to escape record-setting heat
SEATTLE - Thousands of hotel rooms in the Pacific Northwest are sold out as people search for ways to cool down during this historic heat wave.
Sunday night, booking websites listed 2-star hotels in SeaTac for around $1,000.
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That’s even higher than 5-star hotels like the Four Seasons in downtown Seattle.
But it wasn’t just Seattle.
Hotel rooms in Kent that typically cost around $80 were going for nearly $450 by Monday morning.
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People looking to escape the heat by heading to the coast were also facing higher prices.
By Monday morning, a check of major booking sites like Expedia, Priceline, Hotwire, Travelocity, and Orbitz showed every single hotel from Bellingham to Olympia had sold out.
Many people are now urging Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office to look into why some hotel rooms were going for more than $1,000.
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Ferguson's office said they don't comment on pending investigations, but noted that Washington is one of 15 states with no price-gouging law, so investigators have to rely on the Consumer Protection Act’s general prohibition on "unfair and deceptive" business conduct.
"This session, our office proposed Attorney General-request legislation that would have, for the first time, defined and prohibited price gouging during a declared state of emergency," Ferguson's office said. "The legislation included hotels. Unfortunately, the Legislature refused to pass this legislation, which was opposed by the Association of Washington Business and other industry groups."
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