Fringe success sparks race for 2008 accommodation

Edinburgh festival success sparks race for 2008 hotel bookings

[ClickPress, Thu Sep 06 2007] The record breaking success of this year’s Edinburgh fringe festival has prompted a clamour for hotel bookings ahead of next year’s event.

Despite doom and gloom predictions that the Edinburgh festivals were getting too big to cope with demand hoteliers have reported a surge in guests reserving their rooms up to 12 months in advance for fear of missing out next year.

While pre-booking for hotels across the city rose by 2 per cent on last year to 82 per cent occupancy The Osbourne, Edinburgh’s leading independent budget hotel, achieved more than 92 per cent and their best August ever.

This year even more foreign visitors poured into the city as a result of new direct flights to Edinburgh from Toronto, Madrid, Munich and Milan.

It is estimated that the Edinburgh festivals are worth more than £100million to the city and £140million nationwide as they bring in over 800,000 visitors.

This year the Edinburgh Festival Fringe smashed all previous records by selling £1.7 million tickets while the arts festival saw an increase in ticket sales of more than 10% compared to 2006.

The festivals, which boasted an array of stars and attractions from the Lady Boys of Bangkok to Argentinian theatre group Fuerzabruta and celebrities such as comedian Ricky Gervais to actress Samantha Morton, saw an estimated 18,626 performers taking part in 31,000 performances at over 2,000 shows.

“The festival has been great this year, It has been our busiest August ever. It has surpassed all previous years in the number of guests,” said Shahid Chaudhry, director of The Osbourne Hotel in York Place, Edinburgh.

”We have been full almost every night for the whole month.
We have already had quite a number of bookings for next year already, especially for our biggest room. A lot of people want to book it.”

The Osbourne is famous for having possibly the world’s largest hotel room capable of sleeping up to eight adults in comfort.

The Osbourne in central Edinburgh designed the custom-made suite, which includes two luxury bathrooms, to cater for large family groups and the city’s booming number of stag and hen parties which flock to the city every weekend from across Europe.

“The only place you can have that kind of room is in a youth hostel but that means sharing with strangers,” said Mr Chaudhry.

”We have even had suggestions that next year we should offer the room as a venue for a fringe performance. Bed, breakfast and show could take on a whole new meaning – our guests could enjoy all three without even leaving their room.”

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