Going to Germany? Bring your life’s savings

December 17th, 2005 | by: WC Bob | Comments Off

Forget Brazil, England and Argentina. The real winners of this summer’s World Cup will be German hotel owners.

With the World Cup being played in the heart of Europe and worldwide interest in the tournament greater than ever before, German hotels are set to gouge world football fans at a level usually reserved for multinational oil companies.

For example, the five-star Kempinski Hotel at Munich Airport advertises standard rooms for $US135 in February but is charging $US1590 for the same room in mid-June. In Frankfurt, average hotel rates have risen 134%.

So what is a budget conscious traveler to do? Take a deep breath and wait.

Alison Couper, spokesperson for Hotels.com comments: “Given the huge increases in demand for rooms, hotels are benefiting from the influx of fans. However, there are plenty of rooms still available. Based on past experience, we are likely to see a surge in demand for rooms as tickets are allocated for the group matches following the draw. However, it is also likely that prices will fall back nearer to the event and that hotels will seek to fill capacity with lower prices as June draws near.”

If you are headed to Germany, let us know about your plans and if you have any accommodation advice for those who don’t want to mortgage their house to spend a week in Munich.