Volgograd hotel jacks prices 20 times for World Cup

Volgograd, Dec 16 (IANS) Russias consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor has initiated an administrative case in regard to a hotel in Volgograd for inflating prices by over 20 times for the period of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Yevgeny Reznikov, a deputy head of the agencys regional branch, said.

According to Reznikov on Friday, the administration of the Gallery Park Volgograd Hotel rolled out a price tag of 130,000 rubles (over $2,200) for a daily stay at the presidential suite during the 2018 World Cup, which will be held in 11 Russian cities between June 14 and July 15, reports Tass news agency.

Volgograd will be hosting four group stage matches: Tunisia-England on June 18, Nigeria-Iceland on June 22, Saudi Arabia-Egypt on June 25 and Japan-Poland on June 28.

"An administrative case was opened against the Gallery Park Volgograd Hotel on the count of illegally overstating administered prices," Reznikov said. "The cost of stay for a single person in the presidential suite of this hotel for the duration of the 2018 FIFA World Cup stands at 130,250 rubles ($2,217) per day. Today the price for this room stands at 5,990 rubles ($102)."

The official said prices were hiked as well for rooms of other categories in this hotel and, for instance, the standard category room's current price of 1,600 rubles ($27) skyrockets to 55,000 ($936) rubles during the international football championship.

"People simply cannot understand where such prices come from," Reznikov said adding that hotels are subjected to a fine of 50,000 rubles ($850) in case of unreasoned hike in prices.

The Gallery Park Volgograd Hotel, Reznikov continued, is not the only hotel in the city with violations regarding the inflated prices for the period of the football championship and Rospotrebnadzor will be closely monitoring the situation.

Volgograd, formerly known as Stalingrad, is a city of over one million population stretching alongside the Volga River. The city and the surrounding areas were the scene of the heaviest battles of World War II and the Battle of Stalingrad is considered to be the turning point in the war.

An area of over 20 hectares (almost 50 acres) was allocated for the construction of the new stadium and parking sites almost in the heart of the city, while the Pobeda Arena itself will be occupying an area of some 124,000 square meters (30.6 acres).

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