The Price You Pay (for a Hotel)

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As of now, Klaudia and I have become cogs in the system and have a survivable idea of how things work in terms of prices and negotiating prices; in the Cultural Triangle, though, we were still totally uneducated and overpaid heftily for our rooms. Prices in Sri Lanka, as I'm sure is the case in most of Asia, are extremely dynamic, dependent on many factors that are not simply confined to the idea of availability and demand, but include factors such as where you are from, how you are traveling (are you wearing a Rolex or are you a scuzzy backpacker?), and did you come in on the bus or with a driver. In other words, prices are different for everyone (and I mean everyone), and, given time and a little effort, you can figure out what the bottom really is, not in general, but at least for you. I will just add that, in this respect, it doesn't help when other tourists/travelers lie about how much they have paid for something. This tactic is very common here when, after giving you what “you think” is a good price, a Sri Lankan will ask you not to tell the other tourists staying in the hotel how much you have paid, and will provide you with the rate the other tourists are paying so that, if asked, you can confirm that you are paying the same (this is also how we began to understand the pricing… well, that and a drunk hotel proprietor in Ella, but more on that later). From an economically competitive standpoint, it makes total sense that you would lie to the other tourists because, by doing so, you’re getting a better deal; but, you’re not helping them any and I wonder how many times someone has lied to us. Oh, and we’ve done some lying too… Cogs in the system…



Finally, it’s also important to understand that, when I say things like “we heftily overpaid”, I’m talking like $10-15 total for both me and Klaudia; but, on the other hand, when you’re traveling on a budget, every dollar counts. And why should you let them rip you off?



Hotels/hostels range from 1000-4500 Rupees per night, and we have talked to tourists who have paid even up to 5000 Rupees. We paid 4000 per night in the Cultural Triangle, which also contains a high number of high-paying tourists – the Triangle is the largest tourist trap in Sri Lanka and I definitely think we paid too much for everything (including a Coke for 200 Rupees, which turned out to cost 95 Rupees elsewhere). I think that more than 2500 Rupees for budget accommodation anywhere is too much. Start with 1000 and see what you can get; we’ve paid not more than that much since we left the Triangle.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Alway good to include pricing
This always helps fellow travelers plan their budget.