Hotel owners are preparing for a bumper January next week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Delegates who haven't yet arranged for lodging should expect to spend more than $350 for a hotel room, as a simple search on one of the major travel websites show (Eg: Travelocity or Expedia – I boycott Orbitz because they are inaccurate, consistently showing low rates that upon booking turn out to be sold out).

The 3.5-star Hilton, conveniently located next to the Las Vegas Convention Centre where CES will be headquartered, charges a hefty $499 for a Thursday night stay. The 2-star Howard Johnson outbids them with $534. Most other hotels are simply sold out.

The secret is planning. Most hotels started selling out in November. If you were planning on dropping by and don't have a room, the law of supply and demand will do their work.

Las Vegas Boulevard, aka: The Strip

photo: Savan Thongvanh

Tags: CES, hotel, expedia, Travelocity, orbitz