Gold Coast hotels far from booked out ahead of Commonwealth Games

Vacancy levels in Gold Coast hotels are matching normal April figures, with 30 percent of rooms still available just two weeks out from the Commonwealth Games.

Tourism bosses can't explain why hotel bookings are sluggish but deny its due to price gouging.

A late surge in bookings is expected - largely made up of spectators who live within driving distance and will opt for accommodation, rather than battling the traffic.

Hotel groups insist they won't drop their prices as the clock runs down to the Games starting, in order to avoid angering customers who booked early.

There are exceptions, Mantra claims all 23 of its Gold Coast hotels are near capacity.

"Some people do assume there will be a high rate attached for accomodation, that can have an impact on where they choose to book and for how long for," hotel manager Rachael Irvine said.

But it's not just hotel rooms available - there's still 190,000 event tickets for sale. Games organisers released 40,000 last night, claiming they're seats freed up by sponsors and broadcasters, but no one can explain why so many were reserved and exactly how many are available for each sport.