Something on the bingo card of no one in the world (or multiverse, to be fair) was Noel and Liam Gallagher reuniting.
Every band made up of brothers bicker at some point – it’s inevitable – but no sibling rivalry has ever reached the infamous heights of Oasis.
Lead singer Liam and guitarist, songwriter and singer Noel announced a reunion tour after 15 years earlier this week.
The brothers behind Britpop hits like Wonderwall and Live Forever will be touring major cities like London, Manchester and Edinburgh next year.
But people with hotels on the days of the tour say that rooms they booked were abruptly cancelled – only for new rooms to cost four times what they paid.
It’s no secret that events can influence the price of hotels and other types of accommodation, from Christmas and the summer to even emergencies that force people to stay in accommodation, experts say.
By going through the reservation service Booking.com, the gap between reserving a hotel for next week versus the tour dates is wide, to say the least.
So while we’re not sure that most Oasis fans will be eyeing up the Ritz just to see the brothers on stage, here’s a round-up of some of the most expensive hotels across the UK and Ireland and how their prices for some of their cheapest rooms compared when we looked yesterday.
Though, the Gallagher brothers touring through the summer – peak season for most hotels – probably doesn’t help. Making it not too surprising that the costs of some hotels around July and August are eye-watering.
Cardiff is where the Oasis’ Live ’25 tour kicks off, starting on July 4 and 5 at the Principality Stadium.
The Cardiff Marriott Hotel, only 450 yards away, can be yours for £99 next week or nearly £900 when Oasis is in town.
About 0.7 miles away from Principality Stadium is the Mercure Cardiff Holland House Hotel & Spa. The business asks £455 for a twin bed around the time Oasis is in Cardiff versus £98 for the same room next week.
It’s important to remember that hotel prices can change within seconds and vary across booking websites and the hotel webpage. Other factors like location – think proximity to venues, landmarks and airports – can influence how much hotels charge.
Seasonality too. Experts warn that, alas, during times of major demand, hotels do tend to charge more than they do during off times.
Next on the tour list is Manchester. The brothers will be playing at Heaton Park on July 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20 July, according to their website.
Most hotels in the city and the Greater Manchester area are more expensive in July compared to next month. A stay at the OX Hotel Manchester five miles from Heaton Park goes from £44 next week to nearly £1,000 in mid-July.
Holiday Inn Express Leigh charges £67 for a one-night stay at a standard double room next week.
Come July 11, that same room will be about £848, according to Booking.com, a cost that the hotel charges for most of the days Oasis is playing. On July 21, the room goes down to £93.
London having expensive hotels isn’t exactly news to anyone. Oasis will be hitting the capital’s Wembley Stadium for five days: July 25, 26 and 30 as well as August 2 and 3.
This is, however, right bang in the middle of peak times (July and August).
One night in a spacious family room at Twickenham Stadium’s hotel swells from £151 if booked in a week to more than £9,000 if done in July – including on the tour dates.
Treehouse Hotel London charges about £405 for a standard twin room next week, whereas the same time to see Oasis on July 24 would set you back a cool £8,800.
A junior suite at the Ritz goes from £1,400 to £2,135, though this might not be your average Oasis fan’s first choice of accommodation.
Booking a hotel can be a bit of a tall order right now for most of these cities, given that 95% of hotels closest to the venue are fully booked, Booking.com says.
In other words, it can be slim pickings, such as in Edinburgh.
Oasis will be performing at Edinburgh’s Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium for three nights, August 8, 9 and 12.
For £475, you and another can get yourself a Chamber King room at the Virgin Hotels Edinburgh, a sprawling five-star facility in the city’s Old Town that comes with a fitness centre and restaurant next week. In August, this shoots up to £970.
According to Booking.com, one of the cheapest hotels available on August 8 is the Delta Hotels by Marriott at £459.
The final stop in Oasis’ tour is Dublin, Ireland, on August 16 and 17.
Ruby Molly Hotel Dublin is about 1.2 miles from the venue Croke Park. A ‘cosy room’ will set someone back roughly £832 on August 16.
This is £562 more than it would be next week, billed at £270, and drops to £188 on August 18.
There’s a raft of reasons why the price of a room can change seemingly at random, says Lisa Webb, a consumer law expert at the watchdog Which?.
‘Some accommodation providers will charge whatever they can get away with when a major event comes to town, with some hotels implementing eye-watering price rises ahead of the Oasis tour, for example,’ she tells Metro.co.uk.
‘Worryingly, there are even suggestions that some hotels are cancelling existing bookings to resell rooms at a higher rate.’
But there are lots of things not only Oasis fans but anyone who suddenly finds their hotel booking cancelled can do.
‘If your booking is unexpectedly cancelled, only for the room to be relisted at a higher price, it’s worth carefully checking the terms and conditions you booked under to see what is allowed under the cancellation policy and if you can dispute this with the accommodation provider,’ Webb recommends.
‘If you’re looking for accommodation during a peak time, consider options further out of the centre where prices are likely to be more affordable, and where possible, book with a provider that offers free cancellation to allow you greater flexibility.
‘Be sure to cross-check the prices on both your mobile and laptop as these can differ on many accommodation sites, and always contact the property directly as this is often the best way to get the best available rate.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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