Oasis reunion: Fans accuse UK hotels of rip-off prices near concert venues
Oasis fans say hotels are ripping them off amid a scramble for rooms before the band’s reunion tour.
The band yesterday announced their first run of gigs since 2009, with 14 concerts in London, Manchester, Cardiff, Dublin and Edinburgh next summer.
But those trying to secure a room before tickets for the Oasis Live 25 tour go on sale this Saturday have faced skyrocketing prices and high demand.
The Mail has established 99 per cent of hotels on Booking.com in Cardiff on July 4 and 5, the dates of the band’s first gigs, are already sold out.
There is also intense demand in Manchester, with 98 per cent of hotels booked on the night of the first concert there on July 11.
One of the priciest options is the Townhouse Hotel, where rooms are £1388 (almost $2700). They are £119 (about $231) two weeks later.
The Maldron chain was accused by furious customers of cancelling bookings coinciding with Oasis gigs then reselling the rooms for triple the price.
A number of customers posted screenshots on X of an email appearing to be from Maldron Hotels, stating that “due to a technical error, you have received a confirmation for a booking that was not successfully made”. They were told they will be sent a “cancellation request”.
Manchester City councillor Pat Karney confirmed that trading standards will now investigate.
He told the BBC: “We know prices are going to be high, so long as hotels are fair about it. There’s no justification for ripping off people.”
Oasis are playing in Manchester on July 11, 12, 19 and 20. Maldron Hotels said it had not tried “to resell rooms at inflated prices” and blamed “an overbooking issue due to a technical error”.
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