I voted for $250. This is still Montreal, after all, where you can still see a quality sp for $150 and up. We're still coming out of a recession, and until things get back to where they were 4 years or so ago, i won't vote for anything more than the amount i voted for.
I saw many true HDH ladies when i first began hobbying, which was in the beginning of the millenium. I mostly would see ladies from the top two HDH agencies at the time, Allissa Mtl & Montreal Girlfriends. There was also an agency called "Exxxclusive", but i never saw any of their ladies. Most or all of the ladies employed by Allissa were 'true' HDH material. Most of the Mtl Girlfriends ladies were, but there were a few exceptions. Today, those 'exceptions' would be found working for $160-180, and many ladies in the $180-200 range today would be considerably superior to them.
Back in those days, i thought the hot-looking girls who offered great services only worked for those two agencies. My guess is that i didn't know better & girls as hot were working for the lower end agencies. The internet was still fairly new at the time, and i'd regularly go through Le Journal de Montreal looking for those yet undiscovered gems. I started hearing through back channels that i should see so-and-so and on many occasions, their agencies would only advertise in the newspaper. I'm thinking of Les Filles de M. Jacques, Fantasme, XXXtreme & Maximum, among others. I can't recall if First Time advertised in the newspaper or not. Let we not forget Asservissante, which had been in operation for a year or two before i finally decided to give them a try. Once i got a taste of the lower priced agencies, i rarely came back to the HDH side. I was hooked! Not only could i see hot young women (and not as pretentious as many of the HDH ladies) who offered top-end services, i could see two or more for the price of a single HDH lady! Heck, there was a time i'd do duos for $200 a shot.....for both girls!
Back in those days, there were quite a few quality independents. I did see a few, and i wouldn't hesitate to pay $400 or 450 for two hours again....they were worth every penny! I could name at least five or six top independents that were worth whatever you paid for in order to see them. The indy market was thriving, and there was a time many agency ladies were considering going the indy route since there was a lot of $$ to be made with the money going directly to them instead of sharing it with a third party. I can't say that the indy market is thriving today, but i'm sure there are a few who's phone doesn't stop ringing.
Times have indeed changed. The internet has become the norm for many agencies/indys in the business today. Few sps from the past are still active today, and it could also be said that many of the known 'johns' from the internet in those days have went on to better & bigger things, or are simply flying under the radar. The state of the economy in both the US & Canada has also had a considerable effect on the business (including tourism), and i'm sure there are many other factors which have caused the changes in the industry.
However, one thing hasn't changed. Montreal is still the top place to hobby in North America. No other city on this continent comes close. And that's one of the main reasons why many of us still visit Montreal & have fallen in love with the city.