France will carry out 10,000 checks at restaurants, hotels before Paris Games to avoid price hikes

PARIS (AP) — French authorities will carry out checks at 10,000 hotels and restaurants across France ahead of the Paris Olympics next year in order to limit expected massive price hikes during the Games.

Tourism minister Olivia Gregoire said Wednesday that all 1,600 hotels located in the French capital city will be inspected by the French fraud control agency by the summer.

The 2024 Paris Games will run from July 26-Aug. 11. The Paralympics will then take place from Aug. 28-Sept. 8.

French media reported last month that the Paris tourism office had seen a sharp increase of 314% in hotel rates during the dates of the Olympics and Paralympics, with the average price of a one-night stay in the Paris region rising from 169 euros ($182) in July 2023 to 699 euros ($755) a year later.

In France, hotel rates are set freely and won’t be capped during the Games but French authorities hope inspections will keep prices in check.

Speaking to Sud Radio, Gregoire said that business owners could be “heavily sanctioned” if they are found in breach of regulations. She said prices of rooms will have to be properly displayed, and that the prices paid by consumers could not exceed those advertised.

“There is an arsenal of extremely heavy fines and sanctions,” she said. “It’s essential that tourists, whether French or coming from abroad, get their money’s worth.”

The city’s tourism office predicts that up to 15.9 million people could visit the Paris region during the July-September period.

In a separate statement, the fraud control agency said the controls will target hotels, furnished rentals, campsites, restaurants, cafes and food trucks.

The agency said over 1,700 hotels and vacation resorts — including 600 in Paris — have already been inspected in 2023.

“As a result of these targeted inspections, 70% of the establishments inspected presented at least one anomaly,” it said, including the failure to display prices or inaccurate ratings.

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AP coverage of the Paris Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games