Ok seeing this has made my blood boil angry After all these people had been through they get ripped off like this. What happened to compassion? It's a despicable way to behave with some places raising their prices by as much as 3 times The hotels that did this should be ashamed of themselves

Hotels 'cash in' on bomb attacks

Thousands of commuters chose to walk for hours to reach home
Hundreds of commuters spent Thursday night stranded in London and some have accused hoteliers of cashing in on the bomb attacks.

Prices at a number of London's hotels increased by more than double on Thursday night, the BBC has learned.

Lastminute.com said price rises for hotels featured on its site had been set by hotels themselves.

However, some hotels provided blankets and use of showers for free and other business donated goods to casualties.

The attacks on the Tube network and a double-decker bus killed at least 50 people and injured more than 700.

'£250 room'

A Trading Standards Institute spokesman said hotel profiteering after a bombing attack was reprehensible.

With the transport networks down and no way of returning home, one businessman from Manchester told the BBC he had paid £250 for an £80 room.

Commuters said they were appalled, and thousands chose to walk for hours to reach home rather than stay the night in a hotel.

A spokesman for the British Hospitality Association, which represents hotels, said he was surprised by the increases.

Grant Hearn, the CEO of hotel chain Travelodge, said the price rises were a "disgrace".

"Travelodge is outraged to hear reports of hoteliers taking advantage of the situation to increase rates and deplores the idea that anyone should have had the insensitivity to take advantage of the tragic circumstances," he said.


"That type of behaviour has gone, and was never acceptable in the first place. It makes us all look bad.

"It's outrageous, and I believe the companies doing this should be named and shamed."

The BBC News website received e-mails from readers who said higher than usual prices were charged by some hotels which belonged to the Thistle Group.

A Thistle Group spokeswoman said: "Thistle Group did not raise their prices as a response to yesterday's tragedy, Thistle maintained their usual strategy offering the best rate available based on the fact all London hotels had been fully booked."

Treatment centres

She said customers who had booked rooms but cancelled or did not show up on Thursday were not charged.

London's hotels were 80% full before the blasts, and on Wednesday the UK tourist industry was celebrating the news of London's successful bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games.

But some US tourists have cancelled bookings for the coming week.


The Hilton Metropole, located near the Edgware Road bomb blast, was used as an emergency treatment centre for casualties.

The Marks & Spencer department store on Edgware Road also allowed rescue staff to use it as a treatment unit, gave food and water to rescue teams and casualties, and also provided blankets and clothing.

A spokeswoman said: ""They just did whatever they had to do. The priority was making sure the casualties were OK. That meant giving them blankets and clothing from the shop floor.

"It's what anybody would do in that situation. We are part of the community."
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Did you have to spend the night in a London hotel? If so, did you experience any rise in prices? Send us your comments and experiences using the form below.
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My daughter's firm were putting up some of their staff at a local hotel in Baker Street - the hotel upped their tariffs dramatically - people who take advantage of this sort of horror are totally disgusting and their hotel and owners and/or managers should be named and shamed now. There is absolutely no doubt at all that rip-off Britain will prosper at the 2012 Olympics. Well done to our brave emergency services and our courageous population.
Catherine Pordage, London,

So much for the human spirit, it makes you wonder what goes through peoples minds you have builders walking off building sites, giving blood to help out, and hotel managers thinking how they can make a quick profit. Not only should the government step in to make them pay the money back (it would be great to find out if they can be sued for doing something like this as well). But if these are major hotel chains they should be named and shamed and companies should put them on a black list.
James Mason, London

I was due to spend a weekend in London - my first time in 30 years, the hotel I have dealt with has been exemplary, we have had a full refund. I hasten to add I have not postponed my trip due to fear but due to the logistics of getting in and around the city. I will not allow terrorists to dictate to me whether I visit a city or not, my trip is merely delayed!
Gwenda Mayers, Manchester, UK

Surely the hotels could be happy simply with the money they made from keeping their prices the same?! By raising their price they're only pushing people to other hotels, most likely rivals. So if they had kept their prices the same then they would have inevitably made a similar amount of money. It's disgusting that they're taking advantage of people who are scared and panicked from the recent events in London.
Eve, Birmingham

Hmm, why should the hotelier not raise his prices when it is possible? He is not running a charity and he doesn't owe you a hotel room. Of course, you're entitled to not rent the room. If you do, then by renting it at that price, you proved the hotelier right to charge this money (it's a free market in a free country, remember)
Cinnamon, London

Perhaps the price rises reflect the difficulty of providing a service, the hotel staff and services being affected just like everyone else.
Illi, East London UK

Working in Docklands with little prospect of easily crossing a stricken capital I booked a room quite early on in the day. No problem: £47 room-only. Maybe I was lucky.
Mark Powell, Maidenhead, Berkshire, UK

The hotels caught profiteering on Thursday must be named and shamed in the media, with a list posted at all the major railway stations and airports for all to see. In contrast, we should also acknowledge those hotels and businesses which opened their doors without question to help injured victims and passengers. This is the real spirit of London, not a few greedy hotels, giving the rest of us a bad name.
Mandy Friend, Croydon, Surrey

Let's really name and shame these appalling hoteliers. I remember at the time of the Paddington rail disaster how Sainsbury's automatically assumed a key role of their premises being used as a point for injured people or people caught up in the confusion. Hoteliers should have followed their example and opened their lobby doors - as a minimum - to those who weren't able to pay for a nights' accommodation.
R Sooknanan, Berks

One hotel chain raised their rate for police officers from £85 to £150, despite having a prior arrangement in case of major incident! Disgusting!
Name Withheld, Woking

If it does come to light that some of London's hotels capitalised on yesterday's atrocities, after knowing that London had been attacked by terrorists, then they should be named and shamed, the least they can do is donate the day's takings to the ambulance or emergency services. When the rest of London pulled together and a terrible day they should be ashamed.
Helen, London Bridge, London Bridge

I had to stay in a hotel that cost me £270 when normally the price is £65. Its pathetic that they are cashing in during such bad circumstances.
Matthew Montichinos

Raising prices for rooms in hotels last night is disgusting behaviour and those hotels should be forced to repay the extra. But in the long term the hotels of London will become a victim, they have been suffering reduced business since 9/11 and now this will finish a lot of them off as tourists are already cancelling their stays in London.
Graham, Wallington

Taken from the BBC news website.


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