Ryder Cup sees Scottish hotel prices soar

The golf competition will run at Gleneagles Hotel from 26 to 28 September. Accommodation nearby is sparse and visitors are expected to choose nearby cities to stay in, with Perth and Stirling being the closest choices.

This has meant that hotel prices for the nights the competition is on have more than doubled. The average price for a night’s stay in Perth will be£254 while the completion is on, which is a 155 per cent increase on normal prices. The average price for a night’s stay in Stirling will be £233, a 127 per cent increase from usual.

Prices are most expensive on match days, though they have also seen an increase while the practice days are happening.

Other cities​

While Perth and Stirling are closest to the Ryder Cup competition, hotels in other cities in Scotland are also upping their prices for the time of great demand. Average prices in Edinburgh have risen by 37 per cent to £172. In Glasgow prices have risen by 40 per cent to £138, and in Dundee prices have risen by 60 per cent to £140.

Denise Bartlett from Trivago’s UK Public Relations team said:“Edinburgh and Glasgow have been in the news recently for their hotel price hikes during the Fringe Festival (36 per cent increase) and the Commonwealth Games (158 per cent increase).  Despite the criticism, hoteliers in Perth and Stirling appear to be persisting with the price rises, with costs increasing to over double the amount of the preceding weekend. With the Ryder Cup taking place in a relatively isolated location, it is not often that Perth and Stirling experience this volume of visitors.

“Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee hoteliers should be commended for raising their prices significantly less than Perth and Stirling, perhaps because they are located slightly further away. Our top tip for accommodation is Glasgow, where prices are approximately £100 less than Perth and Stirling and Gleneagles Hotel is just 50 minutes’ drive away.”