If you plan to stay in one of London’s hotels during the 2012 Olympic Games, you could end up paying hundreds of pounds more per night. How much would you pay to stay in a hotel during the Olympics?
With just five months to go until the Opening Ceremony of London Olympics, you may be one of the many millions of visitors to the capital who are wondering where you’re going to sleep while you’re there.
I don’t have that worry – although I live in London, I wasn’t able to get tickets for any of the Olympic events. However, I have started to receive emails and calls from friends and family around the globe asking whether my spare room happens to be free.
I’m not surprised either, as the price of hotel rooms in London between 27 July and 12 August have soared.
Olympics send London hotel prices soaring
Even without the Olympics taking place, staying in London can prove to be expensive. I checked this morning, and a double room in the Best Western hotel on Shaftesbury Avenue for Saturday 7 July costs £279. Fast forward to Saturday 4 August, the day of the men’s 10,000m final, and that same room jumps up £191 to £470.
A room at the Crown Plaza Shoreditch hotel for Friday 27 July – the day of the Opening Ceremony – is available to book today for £401.50. That’s a substantial amount of money to fork out just for a night’s accommodation – is this really what people are expecting to pay?
Which? Travel has been tracking prices at four UK hotel chains most visited by our members – Best Western, Holiday Inn, Premier Inn and Travelodge – since July 2011.
Searching online today, Premier Inn has more reasonably priced rooms on offer, but it’s still going to cost you £199 to stay in their Barking premises on Friday 27 July. The room is available for £86 on Saturday 7 July. Travelodge’s King’s Cross Royal Scot hotel will set you back £196 on Saturday 11 August, but on Saturday 18 August, when the flame will have gone out, a room is going for more reasonable £75.95.
Where will you stay, and what will you pay?
If you really want to save on your Olympic accommodation, you may prefer to pitch your tent. The Camping at the Games website, powered by Campingninja, is working with community sports clubs to provide camping facilities during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
And it’s also been announced that The Queen has agreed to almost 300 pitches being made available to accommodate up to 1,000 people within the former private hunting ground of Windsor Great Park. Apparently tents, caravans and motor homes will be made welcome at the site for £40 a night, as long as you stay for a minimum of three nights. It certainly seems to make financial sense – just pray it doesn’t rain!
So, if you’re off to the Olympics this summer, will you be avoiding hotels due to the cost? How much would you be willing to cough up for one night in London?
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