Airbnb prices in Qatar average nearly $73,000 per month for 2022 World Cup – Doha News

The average monthly price for Airbnb rentals offered in Qatar for a stay during the World Cup reached $72,396.

After evicting tenants and raising rents on short notice, landlords in Qatar are listing their properties on Airbnb and Booking.com with prices well over QAR four million.

The average monthly rental price in the country for the month of September is $34,106, compared to $72,396 during the tournament, an increase of 112%.

The owners are keen to reap the benefits of Qatar hosting the region’s first-ever World Cup. During the tournament, most one-bedroom apartments in the Pearl currently cost over $1,000 per night on Airbnb. According ValuStratthese apartments rent for an average of 9,500 riyals ($2,580) per month, up from 8,000 riyals in the fourth quarter.

[Screenshot/Airbnb]

California-based company Airbnb is an online marketplace for accommodations, primarily homestays for vacation rentals and tourism activities.

Residents of working-class neighborhoods in Qatar say they are being forced to accept rent increases of up to 40% as well as two-year contracts. Some say they have been forced to move after years of renting due to rents they can no longer afford.

First-quarter rents rose 3.3%, helped by a recent surge in demand, while average prices on Pearl Island rose 19%, according to ValuStrat Statistics. Housing was the second largest contributor to the 5.4% inflation rate in June in Qatar, where prices are now rising faster than in any other Gulf Arab country due to hosting the World Cup.

During the last FIFA World Cup, roommate giant Airbnb welcomed more than 277,000 guests to homes in Russia, four times more than the same period in 2017, with 76% of its guests coming from abroad, mainly from the United States, Mexico and Colombia. , Argentina, Brazil, Australia, United Kingdom, France, Germany and Peru.

According to a statement per Airbnb in 2018, the price for each reservation, which is normally three to four nights, averaged $55.27 per person for a single night.

Despite this, fans at the time expressed dissatisfaction with the high prices.

Today, FIFA has secured thousands of hotel rooms and attached apartments for players, staff and other officials in Qatar. Local organizers have also struck deals with landlords to reserve more than 60,000 residences for fans.

“As the prices go up, we see the game playing out like a domino effect, one after the other. We have tried to advise our hosts to lower the prices. But in the end it is not under our control to tell our guests how much their place costs,” said Ramy Morsy, co-founder of BaytTravels.

Like Airbnb, his company is an online platform offering vacation home rentals in Qatar.

“Based on how we see the market evolving, we believe the peak of the World Cup accommodation market will be mid-September when prices are at their highest and most businesses private will publish the accommodations. From there, prices will start to drop or stay the same, but subtly,” he added.

Regarding the possibility of offering real estate for rent outside the accommodation booking portal during the World Cup, which was announced by the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the committee explained that fans of outside of Qatar can book their accommodation through the official host country. Platform.

However, they can also book through other means outside the framework of the host country platform, such as rental sites.

Accommodation options for World Cup fans in Qatar range from 3, 4 and 5 star hotels, luxury apartments and villas, floating hotels, fan villages, chalets, holiday homes or accommodation with relatives and friends.

In an interview with Qatar News Agency, Qatar 2022 World Cup CEO Nasser Al-Khater said that accommodation has been provided to all World Cup fans at prices suitable for all. groups, and that there was a periodic price update, noting that there are new apartments starting at just $80 a night.

Decision No. 46 of 2021 of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry fixed the maximum prices for the rental of hotel rooms and similar places during the organization by Qatar of the FIFA World Cup, Qatar 2022, according to what was published in the Official Gazette published by the Ministry of Justice in its number 12.

The decision set the maximum salaries for hotel rooms and similar premises, during the period from November 1, 2022 to December 21, 2022, which is the period of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, as follows:

“Rental prices start from 464 QAR and up to 2801 QAR, where the maximum limit is for standard hotel apartments 464 QAR, standard luxury hotel apartments 537 QAR, special luxury hotel apartments 1222 QAR riyals, two-star and one-star hotels were at QAR 296, and regular 4-star hotels should be at QAR 482.

“Special 4 star hotels are QAR 886, standard 5 star hotels QAR 911, special 5 star hotels QAR 1488, luxury 5 star hotels QAR 2133 and 5 star independent resorts QAR 2801.”

However, with prices skyrocketing beyond that, it’s unclear what legal implications owners will face, if any.

Comments are closed.