Dundee hotels have hiked up prices ahead of BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend return to the city.
Some hotel stays for the weekend of May 26 to 28 when the event returns to Camperdown Park are more than twice the price of the weekend before.
The station has yet to make an official announcement but is expected to confirm the news on Monday.
While in previous years the majority of tickets have been reserved for people in the host city, there are likely to be some on general sale.
Music fans will flock from far and wide to see their favourite artists.
But hotels across the city have already ramped up their prices.
What are the Dundee hotel price rises for Big Weekend?
During our investigation, we analysed the price of a two-night stay at eight Dundee hotels.
We compared prices for the dates of Radio 1’s Big Weekend with the weekends before and after.
Each stay was based on two people sharing a twin room and without any added fees, such as breakfast or cancellation.
And our results found that two hotels – Malmaison and Sleeperz Hotel – are already charging more than £500.
That is a huge rise from their usual prices, and before tickets for the Big Weekend go on sale.
Meanwhile, staying in the Travelodge at West Marketgait will set you back more than £450.
That is more than three times the price of a comparable booking the weekend before. A two-night stay over the weekend of May 19 to 21 would set you back just £172.
It is a similar story at the city’s Malmaison Hotel, where prices have already topped £550.
Another three hotels showed as having no availability, though The Courier was told rooms remain available at Invercarse Hotel.
The least significant increase among the hotels we analysed was at the Apex City Quay, which has only increased its prices by £50.
However, a stay there will still set you back £199 for the Big Weekend.
What the Dundee hotels say on price rises
The hotel firms have defended their price hikes.
A Premier Inn spokeswoman said the firm operated “dynamic pricing”.
She said that was common not only in the hotel industry.
“This is totally standard industry practice – most hotel and travel companies adopt it and it helps protect year-round value for guests,” she said.
“As people would rightly expect of the UK’s best loved budget hotel brand our prices are always extremely competitive.”
Meanwhile a spokesperson for Travelodge said the firm offers offered “competitive” prices across its hotels.
“Our mission is to always offer the most competitive price within the marketplace.
“We do this by daily checking all UK hotel room prices and competitively pricing our rates to ensure we are offering the best value to consumers.
“We are confident that we are offering consumers the best value prices for a branded hotel chain within the area.”
The spokesperson added: “We do operate in a demand-led industry.”
Meanwhile a staff member at Invercarse Hotel said it has been booked for “quite some time”.
Guests at the Perth Road premises are believed to include crew for the event.
The other hotel operators listed did not respond to The Courier’s request for comment.
It is predicted the event could bring a multi-million-pound boost to the local economy.
Ahead of its scheduled return to Dundee in 2020, Alison Henderson, chief executive of Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce said it could be a real boost for the city.
She said: “We have got to keep building on the attractions we have put in place in Dundee.
“Big events like this and other activities will bring people to the city.”
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