Eighty percent of Vancouver hotels are already booked by the Vancouver Organizing Committee and hotels are reserving the remainder for preferred clients and tour operators. Since the city is expecting over 350,000 people to arrive for the games, there will be lots of folks looking for a place to stay and lots of competition for each availability.

The city is allowing private residences to be rented out entirely or for individual rooms to be rented to make up for the lack of hotel space. This is your best option if you have not yet reserved a room.

To find Olympic lodging that fit your needs, you will need to confirm how many people will be in your party, type of accommodation you would like to stay at and number of bedrooms you will need. Economies of scale play a big role here, for example, for a big group of say 10 people, it might make sense to rent a bigger house rather than separate apartments. This can be 3-4 times less expensive than individual condos.

Determining sleeping arrangements (type of beds and how many) is very important as well. Some travelers will need separate beds, for example if it is a group of singles, others will require queen of king beds for couples. Also decide on the minimum number of bathrooms needed in their Olympic rental. It is especially important to consider for larger groups, after all, nobody wants to spend hours in the lineup.

Based on your preferences and budget, you will need to decide on the ‘category’ of accommodation for your 2010 Olympic stay. Vancouver offers a wide range of private rentals for Olympics starting from luxurious executive type mansions to very affordable single occupancy rooms in private homes.

Depending on which 2010 events you will be attending, identify the part of town where you would like to stay. Obviously, the most desirable location and therefore the most expensive is Downtown Vancouver. However, if you are willing to travel a little bit it will save you considerable money. One of the best tools to estimate location of your rental is to Google the address of your Olympic rental and of the 2010 venue you will be attending; this will give you distance and time by car. Then I recommend using ‘Public Transit’ button to see if there is good public transportation in the area. Another great way to check out public transit options is http://www.translink.ca.

Most of the private 2010 rentals have minimum stay requirements and because same accommodation can be rented out to several different groups (for different dates obviously), it is very important to know precisely your arrival and departure dates.

There are two ways to find 2010 accommodations: renting straight from an owner or through a licensed accommodation rental agency. It is highly recommended that you work through a licensed rental agency because of the high cost of rooms during the 2010 Olympic rentals period and the possibility of scams.

The average rate for a room is currently $500 per night in Downtown Vancouver so it is well worth working through a rental agency even if it costs a little more. That great deal from a private owner may turn out to be not so great if you show up and find that the same room has been rented to several people, or the accommodation look nothing like what you’ve seen on the photos or in the description. With a licensed rental agency you can be confident that when you arrive, your 2010 Olympic rental will be just what you expected. If you decide to book through an agency, ask if they personally verify the ownership of rental property, and confirm all the details. Check if this agency has a contract with the owner, so that the owner is contractually obligated to keep the accommodation reserved for you. Most importantly, ask were the reservation deposit going. Make sure that the agency is licensed; such agencies are required to put deposits in trust (or escrow) accounts, therefore protecting you, the renter, that the owner is not going to just take your money, sell the place and leave. Since all rentals will require a large deposit (up to 50%) in advance it would be crazy not to go through a licensed reputable agency.

Finding the right 2010 accommodations will be a bit of work, but will be well worth the effort when you are there to witness the spectacle of the games firsthand. The world will be watching the events unfold in British Columbia, but watching on television is no substitute for experiencing it all in person.

So do not delay. If you have always wanted to see the Olympic Games, this is the perfect opportunity. 2010 Olympic rentals are going fast but there are still plenty of rooms available if you get connected with a reputable licensed rental agency. Then prepare yourself for the experience of a lifetime as the nations of the world come together in peace to compete in the ancient tradition of the Olympic Games. You don’t want to miss it!

To get more information on private rentals for 2010 Olympics in Vancouver visit http://www.goldencityrentals.com. You will find how much local home owners are charging for private accommodations during Vancouver 2010 Olympics and what type of rental accommodations are available. You can list your property for 2010 Olympics or rent one if you wish.

Article source – http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Slava_Kandakou

Additional websites for finding Olympic 2010 private rentals:

• http://www.rentatthegames.com
• http://www.rent2010.net
• http://www.rentforthegames.com
• http://www.vancouverstays.com
• http://www.van2010rentals.com
• http://www.vancouverrent2010.com

According to VANOC’s latest news release, the website selling tickets is experiencing high volume of visitors as expected and the wait time for customers is comparable to the first sale days of earlier phases of ticketing program.

VANOC said that over 100,000 tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis in the third and final phase of tickets sales.

For the full story, visit http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/15/content_12460383.htm

Tickets for Phase 3 will go on sale at 10am PST on November 14th, 2009. These tickets are only available to Canadian residents, regardless of citizenship, and can cost as little as $15.
More than 100,000 tickets are going to be sold, for the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics and for sport events in Vancouver venues.

Tickets for Olympic events in Whistler won’t be on sale during Phase 3.

For the full story, visit http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/281778.

Whistler, BC is one of the end points in the British Columbia Hydrogen Highway system. When complete, visitors will be able to travel from Whistler to Squamish to Surrey to Vancouver to Richmond and then to Victoria and back. The 2010 Winter Olympics will take place in Vancouver, BC.

The other 19 hydrogen fuel cell buses will arrive in Whistler before the end of December where they will undergo commissioning and servicing. So far, tests of the fuel cell buses have proven that they can be in service for 22 hours straight and hold up under temperatures of -20C, which may come into play when the 2010 Winter Olympics start in February 2010.

For the full article, visit http://www.hydrogencarsnow.com/blog2/index.php/hydrogen-vehicles/hydrogen-buses-arriving-for-2010-vancouver-winter-olympics/

Read the full story from the Canadian Press about the royal couple’s visit to Vancouver.

There will be a total of 100,000 tickets – including tickets for the hockey and curling finals, and the opening and closing ceremonies. Tickets for popular Paralympic events will also be on sale.

So, if you haven’t scored your tickets to the Games yet, get ready! You can buy tickets online from the VANOC site starting at 10 am (PST), November 7th and it’s on a first-come, first-serve basis. The tickets are available to Canadian residents only. To save valuable time, try to register your ticket account on the VANOC site ahead of time. Although, the last I checked the site was closed off in preparation for the ticket release.

Here are more details on how to buy tickets for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games.

For the past few days, the relay has taken the torch far up north into the Yukon and Northwest Territories. It has been inspiring to see communities from all corners of Canada gather and celebrate as the torch begins its long journey across the country. The Olympic 2010 Torch Relay will be the longest in history to take part within the Host Country.

Some other interesting facts about the torch relay were published recently on the Vancouver Sun website.

- Over 100 days in length.

- Over 1,000 communities and places of interest where torchbearers will carry the Olympic Flame.

- Nearly 200 celebrations hosted by communities in every province and territory.

- Approximately 90 per cent of Canada’s population will be within a one-hour drive of experiencing the Olympic Flame.

- Over 45,000 kilometres will be travelled.

- Extensive tour of the North including a planned visit to Alert, Nunavut, the northernmost permanently inhabited community in the world.

- 12,000 people will have the honour of being an Olympic Torchbearer and will help carry the flame to Vancouver, a majority of whom will be selected through public programs.

- Presenting partners Coca-Cola and RBC are leading the public torchbearer application process and invite Canadians to share stories about how they are building healthier individuals and create a stronger Canada. The RBC’s contest closed July 15, 2009 and the Coca-Cola’s contest closed August 17, 2009.

The 2010 Olympic Torch Relay will begin in Canada on October 30, 2009 and conclude at the Opening Ceremony signaling the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games on February 12, 2010.

Vancouver 2010 City Walks is the perfect mobile companion for the Olympic & Paralympics Winter Games in Vancouver.  It will take you on memorable walking tours in Vancouver’s finest neighborhoods, get you to all of the Winter games festivities, and even show you the best restaurants and shopping in the city.

To sum it up, Vancouver 2010 City Walks will help you make the most out of your visit to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

Vancouver 2010 City Walks is designed to work perfectly without Internet connection, saving you money on expensive data roaming charges. Forget about carrying and flipping through clumsy guidebooks. With Vancouver 2010 City Walks, everything you need to fully experience Vancouver and the 2010 Olympic Winter Games is on your iPhone.