Four star hotels almost full for Eurovision

4 star units are the most sought after. But renting rooms and apartments via online platforms has also increased significantly.

The Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon has a "big impact" on hotels, especially the final, with reservations indicating that four-star hotels will be the most sought-after with 90% occupancy.

"As always, strict data only after the closed event. However, we have a high occupancy rate forecast between 8 and 12 May, but especially on days 11 and 12. More than 75% of these units say they will have an occupation from 74% to more than 80%, "said Cristina Siza Vieira, president of the Executive Management of the Association of Hoteliers of Portugal (AHP), in statements to Lusa.

She added that "those who sign higher occupancy rates are the four-star units," with three-quarters of the sample presenting occupancy rates of 90% or more on day 12, the day of the Eurovision final.

The data indicated by the "Future Monitor" of the AHP concerns the time period from April to May, in Lisbon, and the sample counts with 80 hotels from different segments. It is a tool that makes the forecasts taking into account pre-reservations and effective reservations.

"The four-star [hotels] are, in fact, the most sought-after, and even better at the weekend. There is a great impact forecast for this event," says Cristina Siza Vieira, stressing that "May is traditionally a very strong month "for the hotel industry in the capital. According to the AHP, in 2014 the sector registered an occupancy rate of 89%, in 2015 of 90% and in 2016 and 2017 of 89%. "May has a lot of events and business in Lisbon. What is different is that now it is more leisure than before," he explained.

Asked if, like other events, average prices are going to rise this month, given the high demand, Cristina Siza Vieira says that "it is natural that this year should be the same rise [of 2017]", and that "it is not a very big jump ".The average price per room sold in 2014 was 96 euros, in 2015 94 euros, 2016 euros 104 euros and in 2017 rose to 117 euros.

The Airbnb platform also reports that the search for accommodation in Lisbon for the week of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 increased by 42% over the same period of 2017.

"The high demand for accommodation through Airbnb for the week between 8 and 13 May makes only 15% of the accommodation in Lisbon advertised on the platform available, with average prices of 63 euros per night for a private room and 150 euros per night for a two-bedroom apartment with exclusive use. During the weekend of the festival's end, availability will be even lower - only 10% of all accommodations advertised on the platform are available for reservation, "says Airbnb.

Although a new report from eDreams, "Europe's largest online travel agency," indicates that from 7 to 13 May, Lisbon will receive an additional 37% of international visitors in comparison to the same period of the previous year.

For the 63rd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest, organized by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) in partnership with RTP in Lisbon, more than two thousand professionals are expected to be involved in the initiative and 1,500 journalists, as well as 30,000 fans and visitors.

Altice Arena, in Parque das Nações, will be the stage of the semifinals (May 8 and 10) and the final of the contest, on May 12, played for by 43 countries.

According to RTP, "tickets for three shows of the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2018 are already sold out."