Survey

Hotel Rates in Russia for World Cup 2018

Updated: April 11, 2018

England fans who were thinking of heading to Russia this summer to watch their country compete in the World Cup may already be having second thoughts in light of recent events – and now they have soaring hotel rates to weigh on their mind, too.

According to a recent survey by Cheaprooms.co.uk, a sizeable number of hotels are increasing their rates by more than 1000% for the early stages of the competition, when fixtures are already known

England were drawn to play in Group G and all three of their group stage fixtures will be in different cities – Volgograd, Kaliningrad and Nizhny Novgorod. In each of these cities there remain virtually no hotel rooms left, and the few that are still available have taken advantage of demand by hiking their rates by often eye-popping margins.

However, while these figures will come as little surprise to most, the survey also reveals that these rate hikes are not quite as heavy as we have come to expect. In recent years it was often impossible to find a room in Central London on New Year’s Eve for below £200.

As an example, Hotel Gallery Park in Volgograd is, at time of writing, charging £1,202 for a 2-night stay for England’s game with Tunisia on 18 June. By comparison, you can usually find a room here for just £150. An even more expensive option is Anna Boutique Hotel in Kaliningrad, which is asking for £1,745 for two nights for England’s clash with Belgium on 28 June – representing a more than 1000% increase on the property’s standard rates.

For the most affordable room in a hotel rated at least 3 stars, visitors will have to cough up around £800 for 2 nights for England’s games against Tunisia and Belgium. Those keen to attend England’s second fixture against Panama in Novgorod on 24 June, meanwhile, can expect to find slightly cheaper options, with rooms currently available for around £400.

Thankfully, prices start to cool down a little for the tournament’s second stage and beyond. For a potential Last 16 game in Rostov-on-Don or a quarter final in Kazan, rates currently start at around £100 per night. In fact, each of the 10 most expensive dates for hotels are all for early group fixtures (see table below).

However, where supply better meets demand, prices are substantially lower. In large cities such as Moscow and St Petersburg, both of which have extremely large numbers of hotels, rate hikes are not so extreme. For example, for the World Cup final in Moscow on 15 July, fans are likely to find a room in the city centre from around £300 for a 2-night stay – a more palatable 300% increase on a regular Sunday stay.

The priciest date for hotels in St Petersburg is for the Brazil vs Costa Rica match on 22 June, when you’ll need to dig in your pockets for around £160 for a 2-night stay – a hike of around 100% compared with regular city hotel rates.

The table below shows the 10 games for which accommodation rates are most expensive. Rates displayed are based on 2 nights in a hotel rated 3 stars or more. All prices were established on 17 March.

Game Date City Rate (2 nights)
Brazil vs Switzerland June 17 Rostov-on-Don £826
England vs Belgium June 28 Kaliningrad £812
England vs Tunisia June 18 Volgograd £778
Japan vs Poland June 28 Volgograd £754
Nigeria vs Iceland June 22 Volgograd £616
South Korea vs Mexico June 23 Rostov-on-Don £487
Argentinia vs Croatia June 21 Nizhny Novgorod £412
England vs Panama June 24 Nizhny Novgorod £412
South Korea vs Germany June 27 Kazan £371
France vs Peru June 21 Yekaterinenburg £345


Press Contact
Paul Joseph, press@cheaprooms.co.uk, Phone: 00447977499670