Hotels, fans, A/Cs hot commodities during Metro Vancouver heatwave

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Unprecedented heat on the Lower Mainland has people getting creative in their attempts to cool down.

Some are packing up their bags and splurging on a hotel room with an A/C for a few nights.

A search on Booking.com Monday morning for a hotel room that night in Vancouver showed 76 per cent “of places to stay” were unavailable. In Burnaby, 90 per cent of places were already booked up.

On Reddit, one person says they got a hotel for both Saturday and Sunday night, acknowledging it’s “pricey but worth it to just escape the heat and have a little staycation.”

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Another says they checked into a hotel room Sunday morning, and when they stepped out around 3:30 p.m. to get food, the “lobby was crazy full of 50+ people trying to check in.”

Someone who booked a hotel room for two nights in Langley says when they tried to get a third, they were told it would cost double, adding “I guess those people on marketplace selling crappy A/Cs for $1000 aren’t the only ones taking advantage. I looked on Expedia. Later in the week it goes back to the normal rate.”

Reselling for a markup

Indeed, some people who have their hands on a fan or A/C that’s not being used during this heatwave are trying to make a quick dollar. Some are being listed for more than double their retail price on Facebook Marketplace.

As some people try to take advantage of those trying to beat the heat, one local buy & sell group on Facebook Marketplace is taking action. pic.twitter.com/C7lRNz3aLS

— Amanda Wawryk (@AmandaWawryk) June 28, 2021

NEWS 1130 found one Mainstays 16″ Stand Fan, new in the box, listed for $120. That same fan can be found on Walmart’s website for $20. We also found Danby 14,000 BTU portable air conditioner “like new only used for one summer” that was listed for $2,000, even though it goes for about $900 on Amazon.

The price gouging attempts have prompted the admin of one Facebook group to issue a warning.

“Anyone attempting to take advantage/cash in by posting a fan or air conditioner for more than a normal and proper price will have their ad deleted as well as be removed/banned from the group,” they wrote.

Some fans and portable A/C's are being listed online for more than double their retail price as people try to make a quick dollar during heat wave. https://t.co/VHOERKZbtd pic.twitter.com/uTU3D2Ms48

— Monika Gul (@MonikaGul) June 28, 2021

The brutally hot stretch the Lower Mainland has been experiencing is expected to peak on Monday, with Meteorologist Michael Kuss saying temperatures are set to climb into the 30s and even the 40s in some areas.

“Here’s the interesting thing: Tuesday morning’s low could be the warmest — 23 to 26 degrees, so not great sleeping tonight. But it will be a little bit cooler tomorrow; 28 to 32 degrees,” he says.

Meanwhile, BC Hydro says some of its own records were shattered over the weekend, with more expected to be set on Monday.

The utility says preliminary numbers show British Columbians hit an all-time power consumption record for an hour on Sunday night, breaking the record set just a day before.