From the Vatican to reggaeton. This coming weekend, the visit of Pope Leo XIV and Bad Bunny’s concerts have skyrocketed hotel demand in the capital and also their prices.
According to the forecasts of the Madrid Hotel Business Association (AEHM) from the end of May, hotel occupancy will be around 82% between Friday, June 5 and Monday, June 9. But many hotels in the center already have the ‘full’ sign hung. The highest occupancy level will be reached on Saturday 6, with 87.18%, followed by Sunday 7, with 85.35%, and on Friday, the figure will remain at 83.3%. These figures may have varied in recent days, but there are no other official data.
Regarding the visitor profile, 58.48% are international and 41.52% of travelers are national. And the main international source markets are the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.
Different traveler profile, same objective
According to the Atrápalo portal, “Madrid is positioned as the top urban tourism destination these days.” At the end of May, the portal had set an average price of 229 euros for this week from June 1 to 7, but it is surprising that in recent days it has fallen to 170 euros/night. The managers themselves are surprised by this decrease and believe that they “inflated” prices a bit at the end of May given the prospect of so many visitors to the city and “now they are launching last-minute offers to fill hotels 100%.”
According to data from the Room Urban Hostel chain, “the first visit of a Pope to Spain in 15 years and Bad Bunny’s residency in the capital have caused an extraordinary compression of accommodation demand, especially in the city center.” In their opinion, “they are different traveler profiles, the Puerto Rican’s followers and national and international visitors linked to religious, cultural, and institutional events, but they have a common need, which is to stay in the city center.” This chain’s hotel located on Gran Vía has seen its rates skyrocket by 73% year-on-year, while in Chueca they have risen by up to 103%. For its CEO, Kiko Requena, “completely different traveler profiles compete to stay in the center of the capital, something that rarely happens with such intensity.”
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Ilunion chain hotels are already close to full for the nights of June 5, 6, and 7, with 94% occupancy, representing a year-on-year increase of two percentage points. It so happens that the Ilunion Pio XII is located on the same avenue as the Apostolic Nunciature in Spain, the residence of Pope Leo XIV, during his stay in the city (Avenida de Pío XII, in Madrid). In fact, much of his entourage will be staying at that hotel.
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Depending on the location, distance, and category of the center, prices may vary. On Atrapalo, the four-star Novotel Madrid Centro hotel, 2.59 kilometers from the center, still offers rooms from 293 euros; the Puerta de América, at 236 euros; while the two-star Ibis on Alcalá street, located 6.96 kilometers from the center, still has rooms at 188 euros per night this weekend with immediate payment for two people. In the high-end range is the Palace, with 5 stars, whose room price starts at 688 euros per night and can reach 2,613 euros for two people in the suite with breakfast.
At the Heritage Madrid Hotel, the average room price is around 430 euros. Its projected occupancy for Friday is 63%, for Saturday, 78%, and for Sunday, 67%. Meanwhile, the Hotel Orfila, from the same Relais & Châteaux group, with an average price of 500 euros, forecasts an occupancy of 87.5% on Friday, 96.9% on Saturday, and 93.8% on Sunday. Ultimately, everything depends on the traveler’s profile and budget.
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