An Ibis hotel is the most standard in France. Basic three-star and no surprises: a relatively spacious room, Wi-Fi, a TV, fresh croissants and freshly squeezed juice for breakfast. In Paris, to spend the night in an Ibis, it costs between 80 and 200 euros, with variations depending on the period and the neighborhood.
But during the Paris Olympic Games (JO), from July 26 to August 11, 2024, the prices displayed no longer have any relationship with the service offered. A traveler will have to pay between 400 to 600 euros per night to sleep in an establishment of this brand, and even 700 euros at the Ibis Styles on rue de Crimée, in 19e district, a district that is nevertheless not very attractive for tourists.
Independent hoteliers are following the same trend. A night at the Hôtel du Beaumont, a four-star hotel in Montmartre, is priced at 1,210 euros during the weekend of August 3 to 4, 2024, compared to 220 euros at the beginning of July.
Who will be able to stay in a hotel in Paris during the Olympics? On average, room rates have increased by 314% compared to July 2023, according to the Paris tourist office. All categories of hotels are affected by this outbreak, observes the organization, which wrote to hoteliers in November to call on them to exercise moderation.
The risk: that visitors will find accommodation in other cities, placing even greater demands on the transport network. Or that they are unhappy with the value for money of their stay in Paris, which would damage the image of the hotel, but also that of the capital.
“The City of Paris does not have the power to set prices”
No one knows how things will develop over the coming months. “We observe a reluctance among accommodation providers to make their rooms available for reservation during the Games period, often waiting for better opportunities. Two thirds of hotels have not yet made their rooms available during the period,” notes the tourist office.
During Paris’ bid to host the Games at the start of 2017, hoteliers committed to a certain moderation, so that the offer remained “financially accessible”. “Recognizing the unique opportunity that the Games represent, hoteliers, with the support of public institutions and the main professional organizations, have committed to a reasonable price, defined using a calculation formula”we can read in the phase 3 application file. Maximum prices had been established for each category. For example, 301 dollars (279 euros) for a double room in a “four-star”… A grille that seems to have gone up in smoke.
You have 65% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.