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It really doesn’t matter that millions of brackets have been busted and that many teams have cheated their way into the tournament, nearly 100,000 fans have already made their plans to attend the upcoming 2018 Final Four in San Antonio.
However, those looking to save a few bucks on their stay by going the Airbnb route have been getting quite the sticker shock.
With a simple search, a consumer watchdog group called Airbnb Watch pointed out the insane price gouging Airbnb hosts in San Antonio are currently dropping.
Downtown hotels close to the epicenter of the Final Four are already booked according to KSAT. Those rooms were going for anywhere between $400 and $1,000 a night. Budget hotels in the area were going for around $185 a night. So, if you want to get a place anywhere near the Alamodome, it’s going to cost you.
Here are the current listings as of this week (March 22) which show the price gouging still in full throttle.
| Airbnb’s in San Antonio | Final Four and National Championship Mar 31- Apr 2Rate/Night |
Off Event Rate/Night | $ Rate Increase | Percent Increase |
| Todd’s House** | $1,999 | $119 | $1,880 | 1580% |
| Ryan’s House** | $3,500 | $222 | $3,278 | 1477% |
| Eric & Mercedes’ House ** | $899 | $99 | $800 | 808% |
| Alcala Family’s House | $2,995 | $145 | $2,850 | 1966% |
| Joseph’s House | $1,200 | $103 | $1,097 | 1065% |
| Ryan’s Guesthouse** | $1,899 | $159 | $1,740 | 1094% |
| Alex’s Townhouse | $1,500 | $185 | $1,315 | 711% |
| Todd’s House** | $1,659 | $99 | $1,560 | 1576% |
| Dancito’s House** | $1,495 | $129 | $1,366 | 1059% |
| *All rates and unit availabilities subject to change per host preference **Denotes commercial operator with multiple other listings including: Host Eric & Mercedes (3 listings), Host Ryan (2 listings), Host Todd (3 listings) and Host Dancito (4 listings) |
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Listings that are normally anywhere from $100-$200 per night are marked up to more than $2,000 to $3,000 per night.
There are other options still under $100 per night in the greater San Antonio area, they’re simply further out in the suburbs.
And if you haven’t booked your flight yet — you’re about to creep further into the fetal position.
A round-trip for a Kentucky fan out of Lexington is going for a minimum of $842 (with one stop). Over $1,000 non-stop.
How about a Villanova fan out of Philly? $647 (one-stop) — $1171 non-stop.
Even Jayhawks fans who want to fly out of nearby Kansas City — and relatively close to Texas — are looking at $876 for a non-stop flight.
All of this mess simply means that if you want to book any type of room near the Alamodome it’s going to cost you some serious change. Unfortunately, as long as rich people are willing to dish out the cash and the hotels continue to fill up first, the downtown listings for Airbnb’s will continue to skyrocket for future events.
So what are your options?
A) Take a chance and book your flight and hotel months in advance without knowing whether your team will make it to the Final Four
B) Stay in the suburbs and rent a car all weekend
C) Pay-up
D) Keep Calm and Carry On
EDITOR’S NOTE:
A spokesperson from Airbnb reached out with a statement, saying in part, “The vast majority of Airbnb hosts in San Antonio are providing affordable stays, allowing fans to experience the tournament when they otherwise could not afford expensive hotel options.”
Josh Helmuth is a sports reporter in St. Louis who contributes for Mandatory. Follow him here!
