Olympic Games 2012
House of Lords
Lord Pendry (Labour)
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the British Hospitality Association about the cost of hotel rooms in London during the 2012 Olympic Games.
Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat)
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and VisitBritain have held a number of discussions with the British Hospitality Association about hotel room pricing during the London 2012 Games.
The tourism industry recognises the need to provide value for money and there remains good value for those people looking to book accommodation. The "20.12%" discount campaign which has recently been launched by VisitEngland (http://www.visitengland.org/2012offers/index.aspx) is a £5 million domestic marketing campaign offering discounts of at least 20.12% on prices. This includes accommodation in London. A new London visitor charter will see some of the biggest names in the capital's tourism and leisure sectors commit to fair pricing for visitors throughout the 2012 Games. This will help reassure tourists they are getting value for their money during their stay in the capital. This complements the Fair Pricing and Practice Charter http://www.tourism20l2games.org/fair-pricing-practice-charter/ in place around the rest of the country.
We know that London hotel prices would normally increase in the peak summer months, and the Games are being held at a time when London is typically very busy. As hotel prices fluctuate on a daily basis, we cannot be certain what the precise cost of a room will be come July and August. Hotel prices respond to the strength or weakness of demand, meaning that if demand is strong, prices will often reflect this.
Once the Olympics have started, "spot" prices for immediate bookings may be higher in some places; however, this will affect only a small proportion of people attending, as most will have booked well in advance. Consequently we expect that the average hotel room pricing during the Olympics will be very good value for money.