Despite not yet knowing who the two finalists will be, the UEFA Champions League final at Wembley Stadium in May has already caused a surge in hotel bookings for the capital. Group occupancy levels for the night of the game are already up a staggering 93.7% year-over-year.
Europe’s footballing elite have battled it out this season in a bid to play in the final of the continent’s premier club competition on 28 May. London hotels are revelling in the honour of being the host city for the 2011 final and have already seen the benefits with bookings for 27 May, the night before the final, showing a rise in committed occupancy of 67.8% compared to last year.
“It seems the football fans are making the most of their trip to London by arriving on the Friday evening and staying through to the Sunday after the final as the rise in committed hotel occupancy is up over the entire weekend,” explained Andy Storey, vice president of enterprise solutions for Rubicon, a Travelclick company, “London hoteliers are reaping the benefits of having the major sporting final in their city with rates up 30.1% on the same time last year. This should give them an idea of what they might expect ahead of next year’s Olympics.”
Committed occupancy over the weekend is showing an increase in both the Friday and Saturday nights with rises of 67.8% and 40.2% respectively. As expected, occupancy is highest for the night of the final itself, at 69.8% and this is certain to increase further as the date draws closer and the finalists are revealed.