Soaring prices during the Olympics: 10,000 hotels will be controlled in France between now and the Games, announces Olivia Grégoire

How can we combat hotel abuses that threaten to tarnish the Olympic Games? While many hotels are already preparing to considerably increase their prices at the time of the competition, the Minister for Tourism Olivia Grégoire declared this Wednesday on Sud Radio that 10,000 of them will be controlled by the Repression of hotel fraud. here in 2024.

Controlling prices, the minister reminded, is not on the agenda. “Neither in London, Rio, or even Beijing, has there been any supervision or regulation of prices within the framework of the Olympic Games. We are not in an administered economy. I have an effective way to do this, which is to considerably increase the controls.” The minister indicates that 600 hotels in Île-de-France have already been checked in 2023. These include those being the subject of reports (via the SignalConso site or through the prefectures) or already known to the services. “In total, 1,600 hotels in the Ile-de-France region will be inspected before the Games,” she promised. Across France, 10,000 establishments will be screened before the competition. “We are going to more than double the controls,” assures the minister.

Also read Paris 2024: towards an unlimited surge in rental and hotel prices during the Olympics?

Olivia Grégoire warns hoteliers and other restaurateurs: the government will not turn a blind eye to criminal practices. “If the prices are not displayed, it is possibly an error and it is reprehensible. If the prices displayed are not those paid, the consumer can complain and the hotelier will then be exposed to an arsenal of fines and sanctions. Consumers must be informed about the prices they have to pay.” Beware of establishment managers who have fun “giving false information”. “900 Fraud Repression agents will be mobilized for checks,” announced the Minister Delegate, or “a third of the staff of the Fraud Repression Department.”

In a press release published this Wednesday, the DGCCRF specifies the terms of these controls. They will focus on “the loyalty of accommodation and catering services” in hotels and restaurants, but also rentals of furnished accommodation, campsites, cafes, etc. “These controls will take place in establishments, on professional websites and on platforms online reservation. Furthermore, Fraud Repression “invites consumers, French and foreign, to report any problem they encounter with a professional on the SignalConso site and application”.

A call for vigilance corroborated by Olivia Grégoire this Wednesday. “I call on everyone to be responsible,” she said. “It’s great that we are hosting the Games, but it is essential that tourists, French or international, get value for their money, if this is not the case we will be heavily sanctioned.” Tourism professionals are warned...