Olympics Greed - Greedy Hoteliers Get Their Fingers Burned

In August last year I wrote the following:

"How "refreshing" to read that, despite the ever worsening global financial situation, the hoteliers of London intend to screw every last penny from visitors to London next year during the Olympics.

The Telegraph reports that London hotels intend to treat tourist as prostrate milch cows eg:

- A double room at the Sheraton Park Tower, in Knightsbridge, this month costs £209 a night. The price quoted for a stay in August next year is £605.

- A night at the West London, in Leicester Square, costs around £290 this August. The same room during the Games will cost just under £540.

- The Berjaya Hotel in Kensington, goes for broke and intends to increase some of its room rates by a factor of 10. Rates typically range from £89 to £199. For every day of the Olympics, the price is £999 a night.

As noted many time before on this site, the Olympics are not about sport but are in fact about money.

Given the ongoing financial turmoil, it is to be hoped that these greedy hoteliers get their fingers well and truly burned for their naked opportunism."

I am therefore very amused to see that those hotel operators who thought that they would make a quick buck out of the London Olympics have had their fingers well and truly burned.

Locog have had to publicly humiliate themselves (not for the first time) by admitting that they had overestimated the number of rooms needed by officials, media, sponsors and assorted freeloaders for the coming games.

By how much did they overestimate the demand?

By a staggering 20%!

Locog have had to hand back 120,000 of the total 600,000 nights booked for the Olympics.

Needless to say this 20% reduction in bookings has given the greedy hotel industry a well deserved kick in the goolies.


Tour operators are now panicking and have warned that the newly available rooms will not boost visitor numbers.

For why?

- the vacancies have come too late
- tourists have been put off by the naked greed of the hotel operators
- tourists have been put off by the transport/travel chaos expected in London during the games

It is estimated that up to one million beds will go unsold over the Olympic period, costing the tourism industry around £3.5BN.

Now who was it who said that the Olympics would be a boon to tourism?

Oh yes, Locog!

My advice to any tourist brave enough to endure the chaos of London during the Olympics is to negotiate hard with the hotels (who are desperate for business), don't let the greedy bastards get away with overcharging you for a shoddy room and lousy service!


Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com

www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Boris Says "Go By Tube"

I am amused to read that Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, is urging Olympic chiefs to take the Tube during London 2012

Quote:

"To all members of the International Olympic Committee, I urge them to do the right thing - get on the Jubilee Line because they'll love it."

There is even a new website showing hotspots on London's underground system.

Great!

One small problem, has Boris not heard that Comrade Crow has rejected the £500 bribe offered to Tube workers for doing their normal job?

 Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com

www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Tube Workers Reject £500 - The Olympics Gravytrain

It seems that our downtrodden and hard working Tube drivers feel a tad hard done by wrt the offer made by London Underground of a £500 bonus for shift working during the Olympics.

The RMT has rejected the £500 bonus, saying that the money was not an adequate reward for being on duty during the event.

RMT general secretary comrade Bob Crow is quoted by the BBC:

"It is well-documented that transport will be the biggest logistical challenge throughout the Olympics period.

All we are calling for is a fair deal for all the staff involved in delivering the colossal transport challenge that we will be facing this summer and the negotiations to achieve that are ongoing."

Given that the Tube drivers do not feel up to the job of doing what they are paid to do, the solution to this problem is simple; install driverless trains and remove the drivers altogether.

Problem solved!


Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com

www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

The Isles of Wonder

It has been announced that the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics, on 27th July, will be called "Isles of Wonder".

The ceremony's artistic director, Danny Boyle, said it would be about a land that has been poisoned by industrial legacy and the recovery of that land.

I find the theme to be somewhat limited:

- Did these islands not have a history before industrialisation?

- Not all of the British Isles were "poisoned" by industrialisation.

Apparently the largest ringing bell in Europe, which will hang at one end of the stadium, will sound at the opening of the Games.

It will be inscribed with a quote by Caliban from Shakespeare's The Tempest:

"Be not afeard, the isle is full of noises".

Caliban is forced into servitude on an island ruled by Prospero, because Caliban attempted to rape Propsero's daughter.

The pre opening ceremony will start at 20:12 BST, and last until 21:00 when the bell tolls.

Approximately 20,000 performers will be used for the opening and closing ceremonies of both the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com

www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Lord Coe Gets His Figures Wrong

 Lord Coe is quoted on Bettor speaking about the Olympics "budget":

"We will maintain a balanced budget to the completion of the project and the infrastructure will be delivered within the budget that has already been agreed by government. 

Occasionally some things are slightly more than you expect. On a lot of occasions they’re slightly less than you expect, but overall those changes have taken place within that £9.3bn envelope.”

Aside from the fact that the original "budget" when the UK tendered for this leviathan was under £3BN, Lord Coe is mistaken about the current "budget" for the games.

When the running costs of over £2BN are included, the actual cost of the games will be £12BN.

I wonder why Locog et al keep "forgetting" to mention these running costs?

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com

www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

Mascot Problems

Locog are investigating allegations that soft toy versions of the London 2012 mascots (Wenlock and Mandeville) are being made by poorly paid workers in a Chinese factory.

Golden Bear, based in Telford, has a licence to produce them. However, an inquiry has been launched after media reports about the pay and conditions of the workers making the toys at a factory in China.

AFP reports that Golden Bear and the London organisers, LOCOG, said they were taking "seriously" the allegations that workers making the mascots were working for more than 11 hours a day for as little as 26 pence an hour.

Locog are quoted:

"We have asked our independent monitor to carry out a comprehensive investigation and review of these allegations.

The outcome of this investigation will be made public as soon as it is concluded.

We have contacted all of our licensees to reiterate to them the importance we place on the sustainable sourcing code they have each signed up to."

Golden Bear said it was also conducting an immediate investigation, but confirmed that the factory in question had passed inspections by the International Council of Toy Industries (ICTI).

Golden Bear are quoted:

"Golden Bear is extremely concerned about recent reports that a factory involved in a small amount of the production of the company's Olympic product could be in breach of workers' rights.

We are a family-run business that takes these issues very seriously indeed and has in place certificates of compliance at all factories used to produce our products.

We are therefore in the process of conducting an immediate investigation and will be able to comment on these findings as soon as they are known to us."

In March 2010 I wrote the following:

"Olympic chiefs are keen to emphasise the legacy of the London Olympics 2012.

What they haven't specified until now is exactly which country's legacy they mean.

This question has now been answered, it is China's economic legacy that is being underpinned by the London Olympics.

That at least is the conclusion to be drawn from the announcement that a Chinese company has been picked to make special lapel pins for the 2012 games, British companies claim that they were denied the chance to even bid."

It is a pity that Locog did not heed this warning, had it done so it might have saved itself some embarrassment.

Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com

www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"

The Olympics Home Guard

Burger van workers and other licensed mobile traders are being offered free counter-terrorism training to help them spot suspects who might be reconnoitring potential targets in the months leading up the London 2012 Olympics.

The courses are being offered by the Metropolitan police and Westminster council.


Olympic Medals won during the Beijing 2008 Olympics

Don't forget to visit www.olympicswarehouse.com

www.olympicsdiary.com brought to you by www.kenfrost.com "The Living Brand"