Go For Gold - Plan your 2012 Olympics Accommodation Now

March 22, 2011 - PRLog -- According to Hugh Robertson, the British Minister for the Olympics “now is the time for everybody to start planning their [Olympic] games” and with the first wave of tickets going on sale on the 15th of March he is right. With 8.8 million tickets available hopefully you will not be left disappointed, but there are other things to take into consideration to make your Olympic experience as enjoyable as possible.

With the promise of an improved transport network providing links to and from Olympic venues, travelling around London should be easy. Your ticket to the games entitles you to free travel within London on the day of the event you are watching.  For those events taking place further afield, there will be shuttle buses in place to transport you from the station to the venue door.

If you are hoping to stay in London or nearby for the duration of the Olympics, expect costs to mount up. There are plenty of accommodation options available, ranging from camping to luxury five star hotels or apartments. It should be possible to find something suitable for everyone, although taking Robertson’s advice and booking early is a good idea.

Normally, a family of four can expect to pay $1,972 (£1,225) for a weeks stay in July for two standard double rooms in a three star hotel in London. Hotel price lists for the weeks of the Olympics are not yet available, but based on the more than 250% mark-up experienced during the 2004 Athens Olympics, these same rooms could cost more than $4,800 (£3,000) for 7 nights.

There are many websites advertising homes to rent during the days of sporting action, both in central London and in surrounding towns: www.rentduringthegames.com offers comprehensive listings of properties available for rental during the games, as does www.accommodationforthegames.com. Our same family of four can expect to pay $4,830 (£3,000) per week for a two bedroom flat close to the main stadium in Stratford. These prices are comparable with those in Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics, where a family of four would pay approx $3,500 (£2,135) for a one week rental.

If these prices make you want to stay at home and watch the coverage without moving a muscle – or paying a dime – then there are cheaper options out there.  Halls of residence and other student accommodation will provide a further 30,000 beds for those on a tighter budget.

If student-digs don’t appeal there is the option of home exchange. This means no accommodation costs and no sacrifice to standard, as you are staying in somebody else’s home: www.homes-club.com lists homes for exchange within the UK as well as worldwide.

More than 2.2 million people signed up to receive information regarding ticket sales before they go on sale on 15th March. So avoid disappointment and find out where you will be staying: London is the place to be next summer.

For up to date information visit http://www.london2012.com/index.php.

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Homes-Club International is a home exchange network which helps current and past parents, pupils, staff and governors of independent schools to exchange their main or second home with like-minded people around the world.