Cruise Ship Hotel Cancelled -- Alternative Options Still Available!!!

With only 9 days until the Opening Ceremonies more than 1000 guests are out-of-luck as Newwest Projects have cancelled the hiring of the Norwegian Cruise Line that they were renting out to 2010 visitors.

Refunds have apparently been issued, but that doesn't help the fact that more than 1000 guests are now having to scramble to find occupancy in an already tight market.

Fortunately, there are still many alternative options that can be explored such as staying in the homes or condos of private owners willing to vacate for the games.

For more than 100 listings including some large homes capable of housing up to 10 guests visit our listings page.

2010 Promo Videos...

With approx three weeks to go until the Vancouver 2010 games the world is getting excited!

Here's a few promo videos. One from Australia, Germany, and China...







It's not too late to secure your 2010 accommodation. Click here for more than one hundred listings!

Still Opportunities to Come to Vancouver 2010...

There's still nearly 25 days prior to the Vancouver 2010 Opening Ceremonies.

One can still find reasonably priced accommodation in both Vancouver and Whistler.

Plenty of free or nearly free events happening in Vancouver and Whistler.

Many events still have availability at original prices directly from VANOC, especially if you're willing to sit in a partially obstructed view seat (10-50% view obstruction).

Virtually every event has significant availability through the official Vancouver 2010 Fan-to-Fan Marketplace.

What are you waiting for... this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

150 Days until the Opening Ceremonies!

In only 150 days, or 5 months, the world will be watching.

Make sure you find your accommodation beforehand in our FREE forums.

Keeping Rental Dreams Realistic

With less than one year to go until the Vancouver Whistler 2010 Winter Olympic Games there is still time to rent your place, but there is one major caveat; Be Realistic!

The world has changed a lot in the last twelve months since many would be short-term Olympic landlords saw the dollar signs in their eyes.  Global credit markets have seized.  Global real estate prices have plummeted.  Global stock exchanges have crumbled.  Olympic sponsors have vanished. Olympic rental asking prices have remained stable.

Hmmm... what's wrong with this picture?!  Well, it's all wrong, but the one part that hasn't changed is the one part that must if you want any hope in renting your place for 2010.  Neither the team at Winter2010Rentals.com, nor anyone else is going to pay $500 per night to stay in your cramped basement suite in Abbotsford to enjoy the games, we're not going to spend $50,000 per month to stay in your 2 bedroom condo in East Vancouver, and we're certainly not going to fork over $15,000 per week to stay in a one bedroom condo in Whistler Village.

We suggest you start by lowering your sights somewhat, and from there make sure it's clear that you have set an "asking" price where the negotiations can start.  You may get your entire asking price and more, or you might get somewhat less, but make sure you remain flexible so you're not left out in the cold.

To post your accommodation for free please visit our rental forums.  

[If you have already posted your listing on our website, consider adjusting your pricing to better reflect the current market conditions.]

Athletes village to get $100-million loan

The city of Vancouver is providing up to $100M to the developer of Millennium Water, what the world will know as the Athlete's Village during the 2010 Olympics.

The funds will be a loan to help cover cost overruns and other shortfalls.

Read more here.

Swap for 2010

Not everyone is excited that the world is coming to Vancouver & Whistler in 2010 for the Winter Olympic & Paralympic Games, but there are of course plenty of options.

You can rent your place out for 2010 and book yourself into a hotel somewhere else... maybe a tropical locale OR you can make it easier and explore the exciting world of house swapping.

There are plenty of people interested in swapping there world-wide homes for yours during 2010. This is a great way to get all the comforts of home in a win/win relationship with another exchanger.

You can post your swap listing in our 100% FREE forums here.

Hospitality Packages Now Available for 2010

VANOC announced yesterday that hospitality packages for the XXI Winter Olympic Games are now available.

The 47 different packages are being offered through the official supplier CoSport, accessible through www.CoSport.com.

Read more here.

Financial Crisis Continues to Dog Athletes Village

The Global Financial Crisis is still causing a lot of headaches for the developer of the Vancouver Athletes Village and articles continue to pour out about their potential trouble.

At this point most of what we're seeing is largely speculative, but makes sense in the current climate.

We'll continue to follow this and try to post relevant articles here.

Listings Begin...

Now that the 2008 Beijing Olympics have completed the world's attention is shifting to Vancouver 2010 which brings us to the need for alternative accommodation. Vancouver will see many more guests than it's hotels can handle.

If you are looking for a place to rent or have a place that you plan to offer up post it in our FREE forums.

Whistler Headache : Transportation

Whistler's primary concern regarding the Olympic Games is going to be transportation. The full-time, non-Olympic transit system in the resort municipality consists of 25 buses. During the Winter Olympics that number within the resort area will swell to 125.

And these numbers do not include the substantial amount of buses that will probably be used to transport people up and down the Sea to Sky highway from Vancouver. Buses may ultimately be the only vehicles, other than emergency, allowed on the to be completed thoroughfare as to achieve the 1hour 30minute time frame quoted for the IOC during the bidding for the 2010 games.

These concerns were addressed at the primary Whistler civic consultation meeting held last night.

Other issues that Whistler will be dealing with and continuing to work out right up until the Opening Ceremonies include accommodation and security.

Shortage of Hotel Rooms in Vancouver & Whistler

There are not enough traditional hotel rooms in the Lower Mainland (Vancouver & area) or the Sea to Sky Corridor (Whistler & area)! This is both a challenge and an opportunity.

There will be an estimated 26000 hotel rooms in 2010. VANOC has reserved 21000 of those. 5500 Olympic Games athletes and officials are expected. 1350 Paralympic Games athletes and officials are anticipated. 10000 media representatives and broadcasters are forcasted. 3000 recreational vehicle spaces exist. Here's where the numbers get interesting though...

The Olympic Family anticipates 50000 guests and 350000 spectators and tourists!

Take a moment to either list a wanted add on our free forums or if you have some non-traditional accommodation that you would like to offer to a spectator or tourist you can also list that ad here.

Likely at this point if a visitor is calling a hotel inquiring about accommodation they are being put on a waiting list. They will have to explore the options of bed and breakfasts, recreational vehicles, family and friends, and private rentals of houses and condominiums. Winter2010Rentals.com has a dedicated, 100% free forum for this purpose at forum.Winter2010Rentals.com.

Official Supplier : Sleep Country

Sleep Country Canada is the Official Supplier of bed frames, box springs and mattresses for the 2010 Winter Games. The sponsorship provides VANOC with over 5,800 sleep sets for athletes and officials who will be housed in the Olympic and Paralympic Village Vancouver and the Olympic and Paralympic Village Whistler.

SleepCountry.ca

The 2010 Version of Park 'n' Ride

With accommodation expected to be in extremely tight supply during the 2010 Winter Olympic games in Vancouver & Whistler, BC non-traditional housing for participants, media, and spectators is expected to boom. In Canada, the term Park 'n' Ride usually refers to small parking lots in close proximity to transit connections or highway arteries. During the Olympics this term may hold a slightly different meaning.

Campgrounds and other non-traditional accommodation types are expected to boom. We already told you about the City of North Vancouver's request for proposals for the docking of cruise ships at it's ports to house thousands of persons at the foot of Lonsdale Avenue within steps of the SeaBus Transit link to downtown.

Now it's becoming clear that many people are inquiring and making reservations at Campgrounds during the Olympic Games. With rates as low as $51 per night for a full-service camp site it seems a bargain. Some campgrounds are even in close proximity to public transit as an added bonus.

Fraserway RV Rentals is exploring the idea of setting up a temporary RV park in Pemberton for the games period but still have to arrange power and sewerage services.

Opening Their Home for the Olympics

While some are planning to "cash in" with an Olympic Rental others are planning to remain "cash neutral" for the experience.

One family, the Hamills of Vancouver's WestSide plan to offer a guest suite in their home free of charge to the family of an athlete whom otherwise might not be able to attend the games given the cities room shortage that will inevitably push up prices during Olympic fever.

The Hamills even plan to pick up the family from the airport and are even willing to show them around the town about and take them out for dinner to achieve this Olympic experience they crave.

VANOC is hoping that more families than just the Hamills catch this Olympic Spirit.

News : RCMP Procures Blue Horizon

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have procured the landmark Blue Horizon motel on Robson Street in Vancouver for the 2010 Olympic Games.

The Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit made the contract directly with the Blue Horizon Hotel for it's entire 300 units for the games. The contract will commence January 31 through March 2, 2010 with the option to extend if necessary.

The RCMP has not talked publicly about how many beds it will require for the games security but there is no doubt that the task at hand is quite daunting. More than 12,000 security persons will be tasked with the job during the games.

The Security Unit will protect some 5,000 athletes, 10,000 media, 25,000 volunteers, and hundreds of thousands of visitors & spectators.

The total security budget, believed to be under funded, was originally $175M.