Greedy hotels hike prices by almost 500% for Open
BUDGET hotels usually offer cheap but cheerful rooms to cashconscious visitors.
But golf fans trying to tee up beds for the upcoming Open Championship have hit the rough after low-cost chains increased their prices by hundreds of pounds.
One hotel was quoting £1,620 for a twonight stay – 2,600 per cent more than the £59.40 charge for this weekend.
Another increased prices by 477 per cent – from £53 to £306 – with a third hiking costs from £89 to £409, a rise of 360 per cent.
More than 170,000 people are expected to visit Tayside to see the world’s top golfers play at Carnoustie, Angus, between July 19 and 22. The R&A, which organises the Open, estimates the tourism and economic benefits for the area to be around £80million.
Sport Minister Joe FitzPatrick said: ‘Dundee ordinarily provides such good value and events like this don’t come around often.
‘The Open Championship will be a great boost to the Tayside economy, but a knock-on effect has come at a very real cost.’
The Sleeperz hotel in Dundee, which opened last week, changed its website after two-night stays above the city’s railway station were offered for up to £1,620.
A spokesman said the price was an attempt to deter bookings and that anyone who had paid that price would be refunded.
Hampton by Hilton in Dundee city centre increased prices from £89 to £409. Charges at the Queen’s Hotel on the Nethergate – sold to Compass Hospitality and Seacare Hospitality Singapore last winter – went up from £53 to £306. Hotel Indigo Dundee prices rose 153 per cent from £89 to £225, while the costs at two Premier Inns – in the city centre and Kingsway West – were up from £67 to £199 and £64 to £179, respectively.
Steve Allen, Sleeperz operations director, said the hotel was fully booked but it is understood two rooms were being kept empty in case of unforeseen problems.
He added: ‘Due to a system error in our booking engine this week, our website was displaying artificially high prices. This happens sometimes when the hotel is full, to prevent users of third party websites from booking a room when there aren’t any available.
‘If a guest did complete a booking at those rates, they would be refunded entirely and charged the rate of the day.’
A spokesman for Hilton said: ‘Room rates vary based on a number of different factors.’
A Hotel Indigo spokesman said: ‘Our daily rate has increased due to high demand and reflects other hotel rates in the area.’
Premier Inn was asked to comment but did not respond.