It’s the end of the summer. It’s the last chance to travel, the last chance to throw that epic party you’ve been mentioning with your friends, the last chance for leisure before the semester starts and schoolwork dictates your life. It’s Labor Day weekend, it’s your last chance for freedom.
But of course, with the impending semester right around the corner, there’s no doubt you’ve already received that costly tuition bill. With a near-empty bank account, it can be tough to get away for one last weekend of peace. While I’d love to give you a list of destinations to go on the cheap, I’m not going to. Rather, I’ll share some advice on cities you may want to avoid for your last weekend of R&R. Avoid Seattle.
CheapHotels.org released their data on the most expensive destination for Labor Day weekend. Topping their chart is Seattle, WA. CheapHotels compared the 20 most popular destination spots for the long weekend, and each city’s cheapest available double room daily rate (minimum 3-star hotel) for the time period spanning August 31 to September 3. Boston, a notoriously expensive city in virtually every category imaginable, came in at number five, just one spot ahead of New York City.
The daily rate for Seattle’s cheapest double room is normally $188. During Labor Day weekend, the price skyrockets to an obscene $312. According to the survey,
“The annual Bumbershoot Festival, which takes place over the Labor Day weekend, is certainly contributing to Seattle’s most-expensive status. A widely popular music and arts festival, Bumbershoot annually attracts close to 100,000 visitors to the city. Thanks to the large number of overnighters it draws, hotel rates have risen approximately 65% above their normal price.”
Boston rates, conversely, drop from $262 to $246. And though our fair city isn’t hosting a weekend music festival, it is treating tourists and locals to Howl at the Moon’s Labor Day Luau, Gypsy Bar’s End of Summer Bas, Rumor Nightclub’s Labor Day Weekend Bash, and a Laser Light Show at the Boston Common’s Frog Pond.
If you’re looking to avoid the unpredictable New England climate or don’t want to see if Seattle’s reputation for rainy weather is true, try going south to sunny Orlando for $63 per night or maybe use the cash you save for the blackjack tables in Las Vegas for $101/night. Check out the full list of costliest destinations here.
