Fans who have yet to book accommodation in the host cities of Ireland's group matches may want to seek an alternative city says Trivago, as prices soar due to limited availability.
The hotel search site found that accommodation in Saint-Denis, Bordeaux and particularly Lille is continuing to rise as the last available rooms are snapped up.
The average room price in Lille, where Ireland will face Italy on 22 June, has increased by 427 per cent to €559. This is due to the extremely limited availability of hotels, now down to 2 per cent.
In Saint-Denis in Paris, availability is still relatively high at 23 per cent for Ireland's match against Sweden on 13 June, and the average is €285. Five days later Ireland square off against Belgium in Bordeaux, where rooms average €312.
Trivago has advised fans who have not booked to search for alternative accommodation in cities adjacent to the hosts. For instance, the average price of a room in Kortrijk in Belgium, a half-hour drive from Lille, is just €121.
In searches, Ireland ranks fifth among all 24 nationalities looking for accommodation during the group phase of the tournament. However, there is a considerable drop-off in searches in the knockout phase, suggesting a low level in confidence in Ireland qualifying.
Denise Bartlett, Trivago communications UK & Ireland said price increases are normal for a high-profile sporting event. "[However,] the price increases in France are relatively moderate, peaking at an increase of 427 per cent in Lille. These events usually demonstrate a clear case of supply and demand; as hotel availability is at just 2 per cent in Lille, hotel prices are also high.
"It is interesting to see that Ireland is one of the most interested nations to visit one of the host cities during the group stage. The proportion of hotel searches to the semi-finals and final was, however, relatively low – which could suggest Irish fans do not have much confidence for their team to proceed past the group stage.”
