London hotels persist with Olympian price hikes The findings come after the London mayor's office accused hoteliers of spoiling the city's image as an affordable destination by increasing their rates. Kit Malthouse, the deputy mayor, warned that overpricing could cause long-term damage to visitor numbers, and cited the example of Atlanta, which witnessed a sharp fall in foreign arrivals after the 1996 Games. This week JacTravel, which provides wholesale accommodation for inbound tour operators, said its London bookings were down by 35 per cent during July and 30 per cent during August, compared with the same months last year. By contrast, it said that bookings for summer holidays to Barcelona and Berlin had grown by more than 100 per cent. JacTravel found that some four-star London hotels were charging up to £415 per night for stays during the Games, nearly four times more than usual. A second hotel booking website, Hotels.com, found that the average price for a room during the Olympics had fallen slightly by five per cent since March, to £202. However, this is still 93 per cent more expensive than the same period last year. A spokesman for Hotels.com said that some cheaper rooms could still be found if travellers were willing to look to outlying districts.