UEFA Champions League final boosts London hotel bookings
The UEFA Champions League final has caused a surge of early bookings for London hotels, according to research by market intelligence company Rubicon.
Group occupancy levels for the night of the game on 28 May are already up 93.7% year-on-year, despite the two finalists being undecided.
Bookings for the night before the final at Wembley Stadium, show a rise in committed occupancy of 67.8% compared with last year.
Andy Storey, vice-president of enterprise solutions for Rubicon, said: "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.
"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. Occupancy is highest for the night of the final itself, at 69.8% and this is expected to increase further as the date draws closer and the finalists are revealed.
The four semi-finalists fighting for places in the Champions Leagues final are: Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Schalke.
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By Gemma Rowbotham
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