Coin-it-in-grad! Room rates ramped up as England fans arrive in Russia for big match
ENGLAND fans joining the last-minute dash to Russia today said they were being fleeced as fierce competition for accommodation sees room rates rocket by up to 15 times.
Locals in Kaliningrad are cashing in on the surge in demand to watch Harry Kane’s heroes’ final Group G clash with Belgium on Thursday night.
Up to 5,000 England fans are now expected to travel to the tiny Russian territory, between Poland and Lithuania, which is only 200 miles nearer to Moscow than it is to London.
While budget flights were available for about £90 yesterday, supporters face being charged about 10 times the going rate for a hotel room, with typical prices rising from £45 to £500.
And with pop-up campsites packed and most hotels and hostels fully booked, there was a 150 per cent surge in Airbnb searches last night.
A one-bedroom flat that usually rents at £28 a night is going for £432 — more expensive than a Superior Queen room at The Ritz. A “tiny house on the lake”, marketed as being away from the “hustle and bustle” — which normally costs £95 a night — is available for £820 for a three-night stay. Guests will sleep on a double mattress and a sofa.
Another studio, which usually costs £37, is £246 for Thursday. The “newly renovated, cosy” apartment can appar- ently sleep five people, despite having just one bedroom. Another simple twobedroom flat in the heart of Kaliningrad, which usually costs just £20 per night, is up for £185.
Views of the stadium are at a premium, with a one-bed flat overlooking the 35,000-seater arena charging £308 for a one-night stay.
Savvy locals are staying with friends or relatives for the duration of the group stages to put their homes up for rent. One owner has billed his “very cosy” two-bedroom flat as a “Fifa World Cup apartment”, at £432 for one night.
Kevin Miles, boss of the Football Supporters’ Federation, said: “I can entirely understand why fans who decided not to travel to Russia now want to get out here. But it’s to be a sad feature of all the big sporting events that attract big crowds where those who rent out places just want to take advantage.
“They’re lining their pockets at the expense of football fans.”
A spokeswoman for the Kaliningrad Regional Tourism Service said prices had increased dramatically to meet the demand for accommodation. She said: “Hotels have become much more expensive: they have been planning for the World Cup for a long time.
“They want to make a lot of money. People are renting out their apartments and staying with friends or family. I think hotels became 30 per cent more expensive as soon as the games were announced and are now much higher.”