A hotel chain in Manchester has been accused of cancelling a booking after the Oasis reunion was announced – and relisting the room for a higher price.
Sacha Lord, the night-time economy adviser for Greater Manchester, wrote on X last night that he’d been contacted by “several people” who were told their rooms had been cancelled by Maldron Hotels after a “computer error”.
He claimed they were later “back up for three times the price”.
Several users have replied saying they have been affected by the issue.
Oasis fan Mark Slinger, 36, who lives on the Isle of Man, told Sky News he booked a room at the four-star Maldron Hotel in Manchester city centre for 20 July – the final night of Oasis’s run of shows at Heaton Park next year.
He made the £90 reservation through booking.com yesterday morning when the band announced their major reunion tour.
However, he was contacted by the hotel in the evening asking him to cancel the booking.
Oasis drummer: Who played with the band first? And why does everyone want to know?
Oasis reunite: Terry Christian on what made them special
Oasis reunion: Cardiff’s businesses hope for boost as Welsh capital hosts opening dates
The email says: “We are writing to inform you of an issue with your booking at Maldron Hotel Manchester City Centre.
“Due to a technical error, you have received a confirmation for a booking that was not successfully made. Unfortunately we are unable to accommodate your booking at this time.”
Read more:
Cool Britannia: Life in the UK in the ’90s
A timeline of Britpop’s most successful band
Oasis are back – but what has happened behind the scenes?
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
The email added a cancellation request had been sent, which Mark was asked to “accept promptly”.
He told Sky News he hasn’t accepted the request and won’t be doing so. He also doesn’t believe the issue was down to a “technical error”.
“They realised they can cancel and re-sell at four times the price due to the Oasis gig,” he said.
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Sky News has reached out to Maldron Hotels’ Manchester site and the company’s parent firm Dalata Hotel Group.
For now, neither commented or expanded on the “technical error” explanation offered to customers.
Hotels operate dynamic pricing so that rates go up along with demand – so it’s not unusual for prices to increase substantially around big events.
The Manchester hotel is now showing no availability for any of the Heaton Park dates on booking.com or its official site.
Have you been affected by this issue? Let us know via WhatsApp.
