Sydney - The New Perth

Over the last few years, Perth has been the busiest hotel market where accommodation is regularly hard to find and rates are through the roof. Perth was busy again during peak season this year but nowhere near as bad as it was in previous years. Sydney however was as busy as I've seen it for a number of years.

Sydney virtually sold out for four straight weeks starting from the second week of November. It started with the Rolling Stones concert, then there were conferences, sporting events and more concerts. Week after week, it became virtually impossible to find rooms for under $500/night. Yes, the hotels saw what was happening and rates went through the roof.

The two busiest times of the year for Sydney hotels are February/March and November. On the back of a huge November for them I can only imagine what hotel's rate expectations will be for Feb/March 2015. If you travel to Sydney regularly, book early.

The event that stopped Melbourne

And no, its not The Melbourne Cup.

Back in October saw the busiest week that the Melbourne hotels experienced all year. Bigger than The Melbourne Cup, bigger than the AFL Grand Final, bigger even than the F1 Grand Prix.

What was it I hear you ask? The Jehovah's Witnesses Convention! Yes, you read that correctly. October 15 - 19 thousands and thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses descended on Melbourne and the hotels were full for most of the week. The Saturday night was also the Caulfield Cup which created a melt-down as availability was virtually non-existent and rates were through the roof.