Hundreds of Liverpool hotels have sold out after the city was announced as the host of Eurovision 2023, with remaining accommodation advertised for thousands of pounds per night.
On Saturday morning, less than 12 hours after the ruling was revealed, the UK’s biggest hotel booking websites were almost entirely out of accommodation.
Booking.com said 99% of hotels were full on May 13, the night of the final, but presented three city center results for those looking for accommodation for two adults: the Aachen Hotel for £695, the Eleanor Rigby flats on Stanley Street. for £4,500 or Sgt Peppers Mathew Street Apartments for £4,700.
Fans keen to stay a bit further afield have the option of paying £2,750 for a ‘budget triple room’ at the Kensington Guest House, liverpool. Staying in a comparable room this weekend would cost £35, according to Booking.com.
On Airbnb, meanwhile, an upbeat local is offering his home for £15,000 on the night of the final – or £17,600 including cleaning and service charges. The listing says it can accommodate up to 10 people and offers amenities such as a hair dryer, shampoo, shower gel, linens, toilet paper, and extra pillows.
Another property, described as a ‘modern, stylish 3-bedroom house in Anfield’, was advertised on Airbnb yesterday for £11,733 including free parking.
All venues had accommodation available on the night of the final for less than £100 in Manchester and Southport, both around an hour from Liverpool by public transport.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will be held at the Liverpool Arena on Saturday May 13, with the semi-finals and other events taking place at the same venue earlier in the week.
The news that Liverpool beat Glasgow to host the competition was broken on the BBC A show Friday night by Graham Norton. Twenty British towns had initially offered to host before entrants were narrowed down to the final two by the BBC and the European Broadcasting Union, which organizes the competition.
Eurovision is usually hosted in the country of the previous year’s winner, but the 2022 winner, Ukraine, could not accept the offer due to the ongoing war.
UK was chosen instead because Sam Ryder was a finalist with his song space man.
The event is expected to provide a significant boost to Liverpool’s economy, with culture director Claire McColgan saying a projected impact of £30million was an underestimate for the city, where tourism accounts for 47 % economy. She said things had been ‘pretty dark’ for many small businesses, but knowing that Liverpool would be ‘probably packed for a month either side of Eurovision’ was a ‘light at the end of the tunnel”.
Bill Addy, chief executive of the Liverpool Business Improvement District, told the PA news agency that many of the city’s residents were waking up hungover on Saturday after celebrating the news. “It’s such a big boost, not just for downtown but for the whole region,” he said.
The competition will be funded by a combination of local and national public funds, as well as broadcasters. More than 160 million people are expected to watch it on TV.
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