After the bad news of the excessive increase in the metro ticket, here is another one that is causing concern around the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: hotel managers in Châteauroux have received an email from the organizing committee of the games informing them of the cancellation of thousands of reservations.
The managers and owners of hotels in the municipality of Châteauroux are expressing their anger. They are doubly annoyed by the recent actions of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organizing Committee (COJO). They did not appreciate the content or the tone of the message they received on the 14th and 15th of December from the committee.
The committee, which had previously made thousands of room reservations in hotels in the department of Indre in the Centre-Val de Loire region, has now informed its providers of the mass cancellations of a significant percentage of its reservations. The municipality is supposed to host the shooting events.
Anger and indignation among the hotel managers
The decision was communicated to the establishments via email, which is already seen as a lack of consideration by the committee. “My colleague opened it (the email) and was shocked. We couldn’t believe it!” said Philippe Labrosse, the owner of the Relais Saint-Jacques (a 4-star hotel-restaurant) and vice president of the Union of Hotel and Restaurant Industries (UMIH) in Indre, as quoted by France Bleu. “They just announced to us that they are cancelling 80 to 85% of the nights planned for the period of the Games! I take it very badly!” he added.
The Relais Saint-Jacques is not the only one in this situation, as several other establishments have received the same notification, without any compensation from the committee. This has further irritated the managers of the affected establishments, especially those who have spent thousands of euros renovating their hotels. Régis Tellier, the owner of the Élysée establishment in the same municipality, revealed to the same media that “the entire hotel reservation (650 nights) for the period of the Olympic Games, from July 12th to August 22nd, has been cancelled.” During this period, the complainants claim to have cancelled several reservation requests since making the commitment with COJO.
The reaction of the Olympic Games organizing committee does not calm anything!
Reacting to the issue, Tony Estanguet, the top official of Paris 2024, cited by L’Équipe, explained during a press briefing: “With a more precise knowledge of this information, we have indeed released the rooms that we, as the organizing committee, no longer need. This will also create new opportunities for spectators, athletes’ families, and the providers working on the organization who are looking for housing solutions.” But this does not seem to satisfy the establishment managers who are especially distressed by the way the cancellations were communicated. The situation also presents a negative aspect for a sporting event meant to showcase Paris.
