Euro 2016: late-booking fans face hotel rates only a footballer could afford

WITH #Euro2016 kicking off on Friday 10 June, British fans looking to get their hands on a last-minute ticket could be paying through the roof for a room, as local hotels hike prices by up to 165%.

According to research by travel money specialists No.1 Currency, hotel rooms are now few and far between for most of the games in the group stages of Euro 2016, that involve England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Those rooms that are still available are being sold at highly inflated prices.

Wales’ opener against Slovakia on June 11 will be their first match in a major championship in nearly 60 years. Welsh fans hoping to pick up a last-minute ticket for the match will have to pay on average £153 for a 3-star hotel on the day of the match. That’s a 135% hike on normal season rates.

In Marseille, where England play their first match against Russia on June 11, 94% of all hotel rooms are already booked. Of those 3-star hotels that still have availability, the average price for a double room on that day is £127. That compares with average 3-star rates of £74 a night for a typical Saturday stay in the summer in Marseille – a mark-up of 72%.

It’s the same in Lens, where England take on Wales in the crunch match of the group. Again, 94% of all hotel rooms have already been filled, and the last remaining 3-star hotels with availability have inflated their prices by an average of 125%. Expect to pay £176 a night – more than double the normal room rate of £85.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

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