The cost of securing a hotel room in London for the Olympics is continuing to rise at the risk of putting visitors to the capital off over the summer months. Many hotels seem to be waiting until the last minute to give rooms to tour operators in the hope that they make more money out of later bookings, said VisitBritain’s Sandie Dawe.
However, the situation changed recently after the Olympic organising committee gave back 120,000 bed nights it had originally booked but now no longer needs. VisitBritain said that it expected around the same number of visitors who came to the capital from abroad as last year, although the tourism body did admit that some may be put off by the Games.
When Sydney and Athens hosted the Olympics in 2000 and 2004, many visitors stayed away from the cities. Tourism minister John Penrose said that visitors from at home and abroad who are not particularly interested in sport tended to avoid any country which is hosting an Olympic tournament.
The apparent rise of costs in London is also deterring potential visitors according to the European Tour Operators’ Association. Chief executive Tom Jenkins said that there could potentially be damage to the economy in London if travellers are scared off by the high price of hotel rooms.
David Leslie from VisitBritain admitted that some establishments appear to have hiked their prices, but that most were charging what they usually would at peak times.

