MOSCOW, March 15 (R-Sport) – The Russian government is preventing Sochi hotels from profiteering at next year's Winter Games by banning minimum periods of stay during the Olympics.
Officials fear high costs at the already hard-to-reach Black Sea resort will hit attendances for the extravaganza.
In December the government capped five-star rates at $450 per night, and now Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has signed an order forbidding hotels from forcing visitors to stay for more than one night.
"The executor in a contract on rendering hotel services is not entitled to set a minimum period of stay in a hotel or other accommodation area in the territory of the resort city of Sochi during the XXII Winter Olympic Games and XI Winter Paralympic Games," a government statement said.
Authorities are hoping 42,000 rooms will be ready by Games time, more than half of which will come from newly built hotels.
The first Russian Winter Olympics will be held from February 7 through 23 next year; the Paralympics run March 7-16.
