The United States is about to experience an incredibly rare, natural phenomenon on August 21 which will be a solar eclipse that will plunge parts of the country into total darkness.
The eclipse fan are now planning and looking for different suggestions on where to go to get the best views. Since the first landfall appearance of the eclipse will be seen along the western shores of Oregon, travellers are gobbling up Oregon hotel rooms. According to some travel experts, Oregon might see the footfall of as many as million visitors during the latter part of August.
Expecting the rush, the state’s attorney general Ellen Rosenblum has a warning for the travellers – they should confirm the reservation. Some hoteliers who are hoping to cash in on the state’s tourism bounty have been cancelling room reservations outright, while others have quietly upped the rates. In fact, the issue became so serious that the DOJ had to send letters to all hotels within the path of the eclipse reminding them of the strict consumer protection laws of Oregon.
Booking a reservation, then cancelling it or raising the room rate is a violation of Oregon’s Unlawful Trade Practice Act (UTPA), which prohibits businesses from making “unlawful, false or misleading representations concerning the offering price of or a person’s cost for services.” The hotels and the other accommodations have been notified that they must honour the original reservations at the agreed-upon rate. If not, they must pay at least $500 to affected customers.
Attorney General Rosenblum said that the travellers need to be able to trust that hotels will keep their reservation and honour the original price. He said, “We want to make sure travellers know that hotels must honour their advertised prices, regardless of whether the prices are advertised directly by the hotel, or with a third party.”
