Big boost for punters as Jockey Club strike deal to help tackle eye-watering hotel prices during Cheltenham Festival

3 months ago 33

JOCKEY CLUB chiefs have struck a deal with local hotels to help tackle extortionate prices during the Cheltenham Festival in a big boost for punters.

Racing fans have been increasingly priced out of staying in Cheltenham during the four-day ‘Fez’, with some ‘budget’ hotels charging as much as £825 PER NIGHT.

a group of horses are racing on a track in front of a crowd

Cheltenham punters have been ripped off by hotel prices in recent years[/caption]

The rip-off has played a part in impacting Festival attendances, with a record crowd across of 280,000 in 2022 plunging to 230,000 this year.

But at least a dozen hotels so far are understood to have signed up to a new initiative which could help ease the burden on punters pockets.

The Jockey Club has signed a deal with tour operator Venatour and a growing number of hotels in and around Cheltenham and will begin offering package deals at a dramatically reduced rate in 2025.

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Sunracing understands punters will be able to get one night’s accommodation, travel to the track and a ticket for entry from £330 per day, all in.

Hotel and ticket packages outside of Cheltenham, in places like Gloucester and Cirencester, will likely be even cheaper at around the £150 per day mark.

The eye-watering cost of attending major events has been a hot topic over the last couple of years, and thousands of fans recently expressed outrage at being ripped off by ‘dynamic pricing‘ for Oasis’ comeback gigs.

Cheltenham also received criticism this year for the cost of tickets, food and drink – even the state of the car parks after they turned into mud baths following heavy rain.

The track have said they will freeze ticket prices for 2025, and the deal with local hotels is likely to be welcomed as a step in the right direction by racing fans.

The Jockey Club are expected to make the finer details of the new initiative public next week, but Cheltenham chief Ian Renton said: “We are thrilled to announce an exciting new partnership with Venatour.

“Our research has shown us that it is the inconvenience of purchasing all the individual components separately that prevents some racegoers from making a multi-day visit to the Cheltenham Festival.

“Following the 2024 Festival, we held meetings with many of the local hotel and accommodation providers to discuss how we can ensure our racegoers are able to stay and enjoy the local area at the best price, so we are delighted so many of them have decided to come on board.

“We hope that the new service for the Festival will remove that inconvenience, as well as offering value for money.”