Concerts are back in full swing this year and Eurovision is set to take centre stage in May. But even once you have secured your ticket – accommodation costs may be higher than expected.
Hotel prices aren’t only increasing for Eurovision, huge artists like Coldplay, Beyoncé and Harry Styles are kicking off their tours this year. Carrington Dean research shows that ticket prices are only a small part of the overall costs.
Putting purchases like hotels or transport costs on a credit card might feel like an easy transaction at the time, but doing this regularly may prove risky and could lead to long-term debt if you’re unable to repay.
To work out exactly which artists will have the most expensive accommodation, Carrington Dean looked at some of the top musicians who are touring this year to find out which hotels are increasing prices around the time artists are touring.
Eurovision topped the chart with hotels in Liverpool tripling the price, the average cost of a night during the event costs £1,019 – whereas the week before for the same dates it was only £270.
The average hotel inflation for some of the world’s biggest stars
| Artists | Average price of a hotel stay on nights of the event | Off-event Price a week earlier | % difference | Location with the biggest rise in inflation |
| 1. Coldplay | £379 | £121 | 227.53% | Cardiff |
| 2. Bruce Springsteen | £370 | £171 | 135.10% | Birmingham |
| 3. P!nk | £333 | £154 | 132.70% | Sunderland |
| 4. Beyoncé | £324 | £157 | 122.84% | Cardiff |
| 5. Harry Styles | £419 | £212 | 112.92% | London (Wembley) |
| 6. Red Hot Chili Peppers | £226 | £118 | 107.89% | Glasgow |
| 7. Arctic Monkeys | £202 | £110 | 99.70% | Sheffield |
| 8. The Weeknd | £340 | £170 | 99.21% | London |
| 9. Stormzy | £205 | £132 | 62.23% | London |
| 10. Madonna | £332 | £225 | 61.56% | London |
| 11. Blink 182 | £224 | £140 | 59.17% | Manchester |
| 12. Elton John | £195 | £127 | 57.13% | Leeds |
| 13. Paramore | £187 | £127 | 44.44% | London |
| 14. Sam Smith | £183 | £133 | 42.37% | Sheffield |
| 15. Lizzo | £166 | £126 | 37.33% | Glasgow |
| 16. Tom Jones | £211 | £151 | 35.77% | Belfast |
| 17. Olly Murs | £139 | £111 | 28.04% | Margate |
| 18. Dermot Kennedy | £138 | £112 | 26.21% | Glasgow |
| 19. John Legend | £342 | £286 | 18.76% | London |
| 20. Shania Twain | £167 | £145 | 14.98% | London |
Scottish gigs see soaring hotel prices
Red Hot Chili Peppers fans will be faced with a 107.89% increase in hotel costs when it comes to the time of their tour. With the average price per night usually charged at £118 for the night, fans could be expected to pay up to £226. Hotels in Glasgow saw the highest increase compared to the rest of their tour dates.
“The Special Tour” announced by Lizzo has seen hotel prices rise overall by 37.33% with Glasgow taking the top spot for seeing hotels boost prices the most during her tour. Normally priced at £126, room prices are now £166 which is still a modest increase compared to the rest.
British rock band, Coldplay, took the top spot as hotels have doubled in price ahead of the tour, which starts in May. Hotels have increased by 227.53% as the average hotel costs £379 for the night – £258 higher than the previous week.
After having to add extra concert dates for her ‘Renaissance’ tour, Beyoncé took fourth place. Popular tour dates like Edinburgh saw a 122.84% price increase. For those travelling to see her concert in the Scottish capital, it might end up costing nearly £400.
Coming to the bottom of the table are Tom Jones, Olly Murs, John Legend and Dermot Kennedy. When he performs in Glasgow, the average price to book a hotel room for Dermot Kennedy has increased from £112 to £138.
Increasing numbers using buy now, pay later for tickets
Affording all these events could be costly and lead to potential debt, especially with the option to use buy now, pay later with ticket retailers.
Around 15 million people in the UK regularly use buy now, pay later services with more than 50% of 18-34 years olds using it to pay for purchases.
If you’re facing debts and feeling overwhelmed, a Trust Deed or the Debt Arrangement Scheme could help to support you with this by reducing unaffordable debt down to one single monthly repayment.
With the cost of living crisis and the rising bills, it can be daunting and can be easier to fall into debt. Get in touch with the team Carrington Dean where we can discuss the options available to take back control.
METHODOLOGY
Using Ticketmaster we found 20 artists touring this year and all of their tour dates in the UK. We used Booking.com to find out the price of hotels during the concert dates in each location and compared them to the same hotel a week earlier. Calculating the average we listed the artists in numerological order to identify which hotels have increased prices around the time artists are touring.
Data correct as of March 2023.
