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The World Hockey Championship is approaching, which this year will attract hundreds of thousands of fans from all corners of Europe and overseas to the stadiums in Prague and Ostrava.
The event, which will take place again in the Czech Republic after nine years, is already making a big impact in the field of accommodation services. Hotels report multiplying the number of reservations and increase the price per night.
“The World Cup period is also important for hoteliers. In addition to fans, ordinary tourists will also come and this will of course be reflected in the prices. Hotels act like airlines. If demand is really high, prices usually rise, and vice versa, in periods when demand is very low, hotels offer better prices for customers,” explains Václav Stárek, president of the Association of Hotels and Restaurants of the Czech Republic.
Accommodation capacities are filling up
Specifically in Ostrava, where roughly half of the hockey championship will take place, almost full accommodation capacity can be expected from mid-May, according to him.
“Initially, visitors concentrated on areas around Ostrava, not directly in the city. Behind it was an effort to get the lowest possible accommodation price. Currently, even the hotels in the center are filling up very quickly,” says Václav Stárek.
Hoteliers themselves confirm the high interest in accommodation in the second and third week of May.
“During the World Cup, we are almost full, there are only a few rooms left,” said Pavel Děcký, the operator of the Veronika Hotel, adding that on some days the hotel’s capacity is completely full. “We increased the prices by about 100 percent compared to the usual price list,” he added.
Hotels raise prices and introduce restrictions
The prices for accommodation during the upcoming hockey championship are also several times higher in Sting Hotels apartments. According to their director Markéta Hejlová, due to demand, in addition to price increases, it was also necessary to introduce restrictions.
“The restrictions mean that if a guest wants to make a reservation for the remaining apartments, they must occupy them for at least four nights. If these last capacities are not occupied by the start of the championship, we will open them for sale for individual days,” he says, adding that five of the forty units are currently available.
However, it is not only hotels that register record demand for the May dates. Hockey fans, who are going to watch matches directly in the arena, are also showing interest in offers from private renters.
“From the data we have from the market, it follows that these will certainly be the most interesting dates of the year. For some of the dates, we expect the total occupancy of private accommodation capacities in Prague to be around 90 percent, and it will be no different in Ostrava,” says Matěj Koutný, chairman of the Czech Association of Private Landlords and Accommodation Providers, for SZ Byznys.
A search on the Airbnb platform also shows the more complicated availability of accommodation during the hockey world championship.
Price increases can also be observed in individual offers. An example is an entire apartment unit for rent, which is located approximately a ten-minute walk from the Ostravar Arena, where hockey will be played.
The editorial staff of SZ Byznys communicated with the Airbnb platform. However, due to a lack of data, she did not want to comment on market developments.
The development is also confirmed by search data on the Booking platform, where you can secure the cheapest accommodation for seven hundred crowns per night in the offer the weekend before the start of the championship. Conversely, the first weekend after the start of the world championship, the lowest price per night in Ostrava is more than triple.
A night in the capital is many times more expensive
A similar situation, which is taking place in accommodation facilities in Ostrava, is also taking place in the capital.
“Currently, about three-quarters of the available capacities are already occupied on the most exposed dates in Prague, and the remaining ones are disappearing quickly. It can be expected that in some cases the prices may be even higher than is usual for New Year’s Eve stays,” says Matěj Koutný on behalf of private accommodation providers.
“I would estimate that five times the normal weekend price for certain types of deals would not be unusual for exposed dates. On average, the prices will be estimated to be triple, compared to the normal corresponding term,” he said.
During the dates when the championship will take place in the Czech Republic, the occupancy of Prague’s hotels reaches 100 percent, also in the case of the hotel chain Czech Inn Hotels.
“Prices are also rising, by about 30 percent compared to normal May,” said the network’s sales manager Marek Boura. According to him, given the new trends where the client orders a stay later and later due to the date of stay, strong “last minute” interest from fans can be expected.
The increased demand for hotel accommodation reservations is also observed by Jiří Fontana, director of business strategy of the hotel chain Orea Hotels & Resorts.
“We observe increased demand for the mentioned period, especially on the second weekend in May, when the opening of the World Cup coincides with the Metallica concert,” he said.
