I think what's different here is: (1) The surprise factor -- there is plenty of time to plan for a conference and nobody should be surprised by the going rates

I think what's different here is: (1) The surprise factor -- there is plenty of time to plan for a conference and nobody should be surprised by the going rates. (2) The business factor -- attending an investor conference is a business-to-business transaction. So I personally don't see anything indecent here. Charging a high price is not bad by itself, and can actually have a number of good effects. For instance, if prices are high during times of high demand, then people might naturally share rooms. That's more efficient than a family deciding that the price is low, so they might as well get two rooms; leaving another family with no room at all. An innkeeper who sells out all of the rooms at low price and low density isn't really doing any favors to the people who are out in the cold.