The exhange rate is a first order factor affecting at home demand for HDH services..
Tourism in Montreal is down significantly this year. For instance, the Gran Prix was down an estimated 15%, part of which was attributed to the rainy weather. Other businesses that I patronize on a regular basis say their gross is down as much as 40% from the same period last year. I`d say there are a variety of factors including continued fallout from 9/11, the rather anemic US economy resulting in less individual disposible income-something which has had a profound effect on pricing in some US markets, and a cutback in business travel as a result of the down economy. Couple these with that declining exchange rate for the USD and it does translate to the fact that a few of us will be staying home as opposed to footing the expense of holing up in Montreal. On the other hand, the HDH ladies can and do travel to the US. Many of the guys in the Bay Area have never been to Montreal yet have met many of the companions and INdy Network girls. These ladies can compete in local markets at their 300 dollar price point as that is just about upper range of the middle market. If they were local US providers a few could get away with 400 USD per hour rates. Something I`ve noticed about pricing in the sex markets. I could almost call this Samaritano`s law-pricing doesn`t change appreciably for HDH markets even during a economic downturn. Supply in the HDH market may change but the price point will not. The more monied individuals who are likely to take advantage of these services are affected less by the economic downturn. A rising economy will cause that upper range market to grow and will on occassion even drive prices up due to more demand. But once a price point is established at the high end, it tends to remain. I postulated this about Toronto pricing back in 2000 and even said pricing would go higher. The guys on TERB said I was wack. What happenned, pricing went up alright, despite the fact that the local economy was slow. Entirely different dynamics drive the higher end of the market. You`re more likely to see the cost sensitive market segment be more responsive to a downturn. Some ladies at the high end will migrate to the middle market in desperation, some of the more established ladies will remain in business due to the fact they have a high percentage of clients who are financially unfettered by the economy, and yet still others will drop out of the business altogether rather than allow themselves to fall into the middle band and what is an actual or perceived lower quality level of customer.
Fall and winter are off season and actually the best time for us hearty hobbying gringos to go to Montreal. Great hotel room deals, and the availability of ladies is much higher, particularly in the LDL agencies where the girls have less mobility. A few of the more popular HDH ladies take off for warmer climate as soon as school is out after the first week of December. But they don`t relocate and are typically back home in a month or two. The off season affects the LDL agencies as well. With business down there is less money in the local economy and that translates to less demand from the locals. Some of the locals may resort to other even cheaper bottom of the market services from streetwalkers or South Shore agencies. I recall Charlene in February of 2001, then with Maxximum told me she remembered plenty of days when they rode around and the phone literally rang only twice the entire day.
My take on the situation is that those in the US who live within 5 to 6 hours driiving distance and where there is a shortage of talent in the local market, will still continue to journey to Montreal. Expect to see some real aggressive pricing from hotels this coming 2004 season. If the Gran Prix is not in town, they will be practically giving away rooms during the summer. For me the cheaper rooms translate into a savings so that I can easily justify the cost of escorts that will cost me 300USD/hour. The price point at 450/2 in Canada is another bonus as the prices in the US are 300/550 and that is an incall in a downtown hotel. I much rather prefer to entertain in my own room, and incall situations in the states pose additional hazards to the hobbyist given the illegal nature of the entire escort business down here.
Montreal is quite similar to Las Vegas when it comes to the HDH market. The prostitutes that work the Casinos and most of the agencies in Las Vegas proper depend heavily on tourists as the locals can`t and won`t pay the high prices/ripoffs they typically want to charge. The difference would be that most of the women are absolute duds, no matter how good they look. Las Vegas has some of the most boring, over-rated and over-priced sex in the US. It`s a shame that so many tourists, and that would even be folks from Canada, waste their time pursuing sex in that city. The brothels are absolutely horrible. At best they distribute passionless cookie cutter sex. Don`t even think about and kissing, digits, DATY..not hardly. Most if not all of these activities are regulated by the health authorities who forbid uncovered activities in the brothels. Then you have the damn hotels that make escorts run the gauntlet just to get to your room. So if you guys ever think you have it bad up there, I can assure you that the LDL market is nonexistant in Vegas. At least Montrealers still have affordable, mostly scam free sex available from ladies who deliver a good experience.
EBS
