Homeowners cash in on Champions League final
FOOTBALL fans face sky-high prices to stay in Cardiff for the Champions League final – up to £16,000 to rent a house for just two days or £5,000 for a one-bed flat.
Hotel rooms are sold out in the Welsh capital because of the demand to see European soccer’s big showpiece cup final watched by millions.
So homeowners and landlords are cashing in by renting out houses and flats for eye-watering fees.
One luxury house in Llandaff is up for rent at £16,000 for Friday and Saturday night on the weekend of the June 3 Champions League final.
It is two and a half miles from the Principality Stadium – which, for the final, will temporarily be renamed the National Stadium of Wales for rights reasons – but boasts five bedrooms sleeping up to 12 fans. There is also a barbecue and a flat-screen TV for fans to watch the highlights.
But even a one-bedroom apartment less than a mile from the stadium is up for rent for £5,000 for the two nights – compared to just £275 for any other weekend.
The apartment called Sofia Court in Pontcanna offers free WiFi and boasts it is within a 15-minute walk from Principality Stadium.
It can have up to four people to share – but for £5,000 two of the guests will have to sleep on a sofa bed in the living room.
Even singer Charlotte Church’s family are cashing in on the massive demand for the final, which many Welsh fans hope will feature homegrown star Gareth Bale for Real Madrid, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.
Her mother Maria owns the Dexby Townhouse in nearby Pontcanna which is charging £2,500 for the twonight stay for two people, compared to £200 for any other normal weekend.
Manager of Dexby’s, Leanne Lloyd, said: “We are quite competitive and we have raised our prices but not as high as everyone else.
“We feel bad charging what we are charging but we do take into account that some fans will be coming back from games in quite a state and there may be some damage.
“It’s not all about getting more money but we do have to be competitive.”
The Dexby – named after Charlotte’s two children Dexter and Ruby – still has three bed and breakfast rooms for the final as fans clamour for beds for the night.
Referring to the price hikes across the city, one fan said: “It is absolutely crazy money – and this is even before we know who is going to be in the final. As soon as the fans of the big teams from Spain, Germany, Monaco or even Leicester know the prices then there will be a real scramble.
“I was just fancying a weekend soaking up the atmosphere – but there is no way any ordinary soccer fans can pay those sort of prices.”
The Welsh capital has an estimated 4,500 hotel rooms. But all were snapped up within weeks of the final being announced.
And the accommodation crisis is so extreme that a campsite featuring up to 2,000 pre-pitched tents, linen, hot showers, bars and even HD TV is being built in the shadow of Cardiff Castle for supporters.
The temporary accommodation in Pontcanna Fields offers visitors to the city a bed for the night after almost every hotel room in the capital was snapped up ahead of the huge event.
The campsite, run by private firm Campingninja and backed by Cardiff council, will be in place between May 31 and June 5.
Both Swansea and Bristol – an hour’s drive away from Cardiff – are also seeing big rises in hotel prices for the big final with a room at the Holiday Inn Bristol Airport starting at £400 for the Saturday night.
One hotel worker said: “Sorry but we’ve been sold out for months. We could easily charge £1,000 a night – a lot of rooms were booked by officials even before the final was announced here.”