JUST LOOKING FOR A ROOM?
HOTELS in Cardiff have been accused of hiking up their rates for the night of the Stereophonics’ Christmas gig in December – with one hotel charging a whopping seven times its price for another night.
The festive concert, set to take place in the Principality Stadium on December 18, will be the first time Stereophonics have played in the capital since Wales went into lockdown in 2020.
Tickets went on sale at 9am on September 10 and have already sold out, but the band has just announced a second show date on Friday, December 17.
The chart-topping rockers are bringing along Sir Tom Jones and Llandudno indie outfit Catfish And The Bottlemen for both dates.
The popularity of the gig has seen several hotels nearby all booked up, with only a handful of properties in the capital still available for guests to stay in from December 18 to December 19 on Booking.com.
But many of those which are still offering rooms on that night are charging higher rates that are considerably more than their prices for the nights before and after the concert.
Annette Pearce from Porthcawl, who bought a ticket and is “so excited” for the concert, told Wales on Sunday she had planned to stay in a hotel in the capital for the night of the gig with her friend who is also going. But she got an unexpected shock when she visited travel agency websites, searching for one room for two adult guests, and has been forced to alter her plans.
“Just looking online from Airbnb to everything, I couldn’t believe how much they put the prices up. It was ridiculous,” said the retired social worker. “It’s not a new thing: it happens with the rugby, it happens when the boxing is on.”
But citing the financial hardship many people have faced because of the pandemic, she believes the price hikes don’t “feel right” in “these times, when you have a band trying to give people a bit of hope and light”.
“You’ve had people who have been made redundant. All sorts of things have been happening,” she said.
“It’s totally wiped out so many people, including myself. I can’t afford it. If I looked at accommodation, the price of the ticket, getting there – even without food and drinks and stuff – you’re looking at coming up to £500. Somewhere that I would have usually been able to reasonably and comfortably afford is even out of my reach.”
Annette said she believes legislation should ensure hotels can only increase their prices reasonably.
Budget and more expensive hotels appear to have increased prices.
Citrus Hotel Cardiff by Compass Hospitality, which was previously known as The Big Sleep Hotel, is charging £566 on the gig night for a standard double room on Booking. com. However, for the night before, the hotel is charging £221 for the same room, and for the night after it’s only charging £79 – the latter being about seven times less.
Compass Hospitality has been approached for comment.
Also on Booking.com, the Copthorne Hotel Cardiff in Culverhouse Cross is charging £368 for a standard double room December 18 to December 19. However, the night before it is charging £99, and the following night it is charging £63 – almost six times less than the night of the gig.
The Copthorne Hotel Cardiff declined to comment on the prices.
Similarly, again on Booking.com, the five-star voco St David’s Cardiff hotel in Cardiff Bay is charging £569 for a room with a double bed for the night of the gig. It has the same price for the previous night (December 17 to December 18). But from December 16 to December 17, and the night after the gig (December 19 to 20), it is charging considerably less at £119. voco St David’s Cardiff has been approached for comment.
Lastminute.com revealed similar price hikes.
The Royal Hotel on St Mary Street is charging £149 for two adults in one room for the night of December 17 to December 18, and £99 for a stay from December 19 until 20.
But for the night of the gig in between, its price for the same room has increased more than four times to £414.
The Royal Hotel declined to comment on the increase.
A stay at Future Inn Cardiff Bay for two adults in one room on the night of the gig will set you back £391, a stark contrast to the prices listed for the same room the night before (£134) and the night after (£66 – almost six times cheaper).
Future Inns Hotels has been approached for comment.
The hotel price hikes come after tickets for the gig were being sold at six times the original price before the box office had officially opened.