By Skift Take
Buckle in for a bustling summer of bookings across France. You could (partially) blame that on the soccer frenzy.
Online travel booking sites report higher hotel rates in Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games, but Paris isn’t alone. Some Olympic events will take place beyond the city limits, and there were increases in hotel rates for these other destinations, as well.
Let’s look at France’s hot spots for this summer’s Olympics, broken down by some online travel agencies:
Priceline
According to Priceline, average daily rates have increased in Roissy-en-France by 83%, Marseille by 46%, and Bordeaux by 24% compared with the same time in 2023. Roissy-en-France is home to an Olympic entry point: Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Marseille and Bordeaux will host soccer, while Marseille will also host sailing.
Paris is also experiencing higher hotel rates on Priceline, up 114%. Other sites see a similar trend.
Christina Bennett, a Priceline spokesperson, said Créteil, just 13 kilometers (roughly eight miles) from Paris, is one cheaper alternative to staying in the city. Créteil’s average daily rate on Priceline is $317, compared to the $498 rate in Paris.
“Similar to most major events, travelers can find significantly more affordable options in suburbs and surrounding areas,” Bennett said in a statement.
Trivago and Expedia Group
Germany-based Trivago — which operates under Expedia Group — saw “a slight overall decrease in demand” for Paris and Nice during the Olympics, a spokesperson said. Paris had a 4% decrease in demand on Trivago compared to 2023, indicating fewer searches for Paris as users researched other cities more often. Despite the decrease, Paris and Nice were still the most searched-for cities in France. Paris had a 56% increase in hotel prices.
While the Olympics is a major event, the World Travel & Tourism Council already considers Paris one of the world’s biggest tourism powerhouses, with a travel and tourism sector of nearly $36 billion in 2022.
“We’re seeing (an) increase in length of stay for the period around July through August. For Paris, we’re seeing a huge increase in travelers searching for Paris at this point in time,” said Expedia Group’s Senior VP Rob Torres, speaking about Expedia Group more broadly.
Trivago confirmed that Bordeaux, Marseille, Lyon, and Magny-le-Hongre — bordering Disneyland Paris — saw major upticks in interest for this upcoming summer. Lyon, which also contains soccer venues, had the greatest boost in interest out of these cities on Trivago, with a 56% increase from 2023.
Hostelworld
Hostelworld CEO Gary Morrison told Skift that occupancy and bookings for the Paris Olympics are up for hostel dwellers. Occupancy is at roughly 50 to 55% as of now versus the normal 40%.
“We are seeing people looking at the Olympics and booking ahead to make sure they’ve got their seat,” Morrison said.
