Exclusive:Commonwealth Games and no athletes village pushes Glasgow hotel prices up 150 per cent
The Central Belt is braced for ‘exceptional lodging pressure’ as the Commonwealth Games gets underway and festival events in Edinburgh start to unfold
Glasgow’s hotel prices have more than doubled over the Commonwealth Games period, data has revealed, with the average price for a night in Scotland’s biggest city standing at £334 during the event.
Tourism experts warned the lack of an athlete's village at the Commonwealth Games 2026, which open next Thursday, has driven accommodation prices even higher than usual across the central belt as Edinburgh's festival season also gets underway, putting extra pressure on the accommodation market.
Marc Crothall, chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, said that athletes, officials and coaching staff staying in private accommodation rather than a dedicated athlete’s village, which was available last time Glasgow hosted the Games in 2014 before being given over to housing, had put pressure on hotel and self catering prices in the city.
Meanwhile, Chris Greenwood, senior research fellow at the Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism at Glasgow Caledonian University said his analysis of three hotel data sites - MyLighthouse, HotelMonitor and Airdna - found the average room cost in Glasgow has risen by 2.5 times the usual price. In Edinburgh, by comparison, the seasonal rise was between 70 and 90 per cent on key nights in the events calendar.
A snapshot taken by The Scotsman of hotel prices in Glasgow over the Commonwealth Games period found some hotels have tripled their prices during the Games compared to the previous week before the Games begins.
Mr Greenwood said: “During the Commonwealth Games window, Glasgow’s advertised hotel prices are running at around £334 per night versus £138 for the same dates in 2025, a 153 per cent uplift that effectively turns formerly affordable midweek nights into some of the most expensive in the calendar.”
He warned many mid range and upscale hotel chains were using the rise in demand as an opportunity to “reset” pricing, rather than utilise occasional peaks. The average daily rate charged for a room in Glasgow has broken the £100 barrier for the first time this year.
A room in the Yotel on Argyle Street is advertised on Booking.com for 23 July, the night of the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, for £229. The same room for one night a week earlier is just £79.
At the five star Kimpton Blythswood Square Hotel and Spa, a twin room for the opening ceremony night costs £552, while the same room a week earlier is £244.
At the weekend, a room for Saturday 25 July costs £535 at the House of Gods in the city centre. Two weeks later, one night on Saturday, 8 August is just £314 - despite it being the opening weekend for the Edinburgh festivals just 60 miles away.
Earlier this week, Fiona Alexander, executive producer of the Edinburgh Jazz Festival, which begins this weekend, warned that prices in Edinburgh shocked international bookers and warned dynamic pricing, which sees prices change according to demand, had pushed hotel prices higher in recent years.
Mr Greenwood said: “Scotland’s Central Belt is heading into a summer of exceptional lodging pressure, driven by the twin forces of Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games and Edinburgh’s Fringe‑season build‑up. Glasgow has already broken through a £100 baseline average daily rate (ADR) in 2026 and will see a pronounced event‑driven spike.”
He added: “With over 500,000 tickets sold, no Athletes’ Village, and athletes/officials housed in hotels and university residences, the city is relying more on conventional inventory than on a surge of informal lets.”
Mr Crothall said: "As is typical around the world, what drives accommodation rates up are major events and festivals plus conventions that take place in the destinations – each in turn bringing huge economic benefits for the communities they are hosted in. In addition to the many fantastic annual events that take place in Scotland this year, we also have the 2026 Commonwealth Games taking place in Glasgow 23 July to 2 August, the event dates overlapping with the Jazz and Blues festival 17 to 26 July.
"Unlike 2014 when Glasgow last hosted the Commonwealth Games where the athletes stayed in a purpose-built Athletes village- this year the 74 competing teams, Games officials etc are staying in hotels and other types of accommodation across the city.
“As such the demand for accommodation across the central belt driven by those attending the games, many being family of competing athletes, but also those looking to visit Scotland for a holiday or to attend or take part in other festivals and events is high.”
However, Natalia Soler, owner of Pass the Keys Glasgow, said that her 55 self catering properties had not experienced the “mega-event premium” pricing they saw during climate change summit COP26 five years ago - however said rates are higher than a usual July.
She said: “Currently, we are at almost 100 per cent occupancy for the Games fortnight, which aligns with July tracking to finish around £200k in net booking value. To put that in perspective, that’s roughly £55,000 more than we saw in the same period last year.
“It’s certainly a different dynamic compared to major events like COP26, especially since obtaining extra short-term rental licenses for the event isn't easy, so supply is limited. Nonetheless, since June, we’re at almost full occupancy for the dates of the Games; however, the week before looks quieter than usual. This could be related to higher market pricing in the run-up, meaning we rely on last-minute offer pricing to fill these dates.
She said the introduction of short term letting regulations had put pressure on supply in the city. Festival organisers in Edinburgh have long claimed the legislation has seen accommodation prices in the capital sky rocket due to a lack of supply.
A spokesperson for Booking.com said all room rates were decided by individual properties.
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