Terrible room prices: German hoteliers are scamming Swiss EM fans

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Against Hungary in Cologne on June 15, against Scotland in Cologne on June 19, against Germany in Frankfurt on June 23: this is the game plan of the Swiss national team for the European Football Championship in Germany it seems. No die-hard Swiss football fan wants to miss these treats; especially since the European Championships will once again be held nearby.

However, if you look at general hotel booking sites now, you will see that German hoteliers have already set the offside trap. It is currently difficult to find affordable hotel prices close to match dates in Cologne and Frankfurt.

Cologne makes a big splash

Prices are particularly high in Cologne. Not only the two Switzerland matches are played here, but also two attractive preliminary round matches (England – Slovenia and Belgium – Romania) and the round of 16 matches. Approximately 260 hotels with a capacity of 36,000 beds in Cologne take full advantage of this.

Anyone who wants to both watch Switzerland matches and is staying in Cologne between 14-20 June 2024 will be asked to pay for mid-range hotels. For example, according to Booking.com, a stay for two adults at the three-star Trip Inn Conti hotel costs 2,468 francs, or 411 francs, per night. The four-star Hotel Leonardo Royal am Stadtwald, not far from the Rheinenergie Stadium, costs 2,353 francs, or 392 francs per night, for a 20 square meter room, excluding breakfast and without the right to a refund.

If you were to stay there next weekend the price per night would be 72 francs. Over 500 percent price increase for the same service!

There is almost nothing under 250 francs per night when booking. The closer the hotel is to the city center, the higher the prices: Nightly prices in three-star hotels vary between 683 francs (A&O Köln Dom) and 803 francs (Lint Hotel Köln).

Worth searching carefully

Skyrocketing room prices at large events are due to dynamic pricing systems. Many tour operators also work with dynamic prices rather than annual contracts as before and can do little in terms of price.

Cheap offers are only available further away from the venue or sometimes through private hosts on Airbnb and other platforms. They can’t always take advantage of high-demand data as quickly as hotels.

A detailed search also shows that hotels in higher categories are sometimes cheaper. For example, a double room in Frankfurt’s four-star hotel on Augustinerplatz costs “only” 527 francs in mid-June. So less than the three star hotels listed above. It’s worth comparing!

Another option would be to wait and hope that shortly before the start of the European Championship the demand for hotels became unsatisfactory and cheap hotel beds would be available soon. However, this is unlikely given the huge interest from fans of all participating teams. And so it’s more than risky.

Source :Blick