Taylor Swift Edinburgh: Fans forced to travel from Glasgow as Edinburgh hotel prices soar

The average one-night-stay in Edinburgh on June 6 comes in at an eye-watering £686.67

With Swifties set to flock to Edinburgh for the pop culture event of the summer, Glasgow is experiencing its own Taylor-bounce as hotel bosses report a “sharp rise in demand” for the city’s rooms. 

Hundreds of thousands of Taylor Swift fans from across Scotland and beyond will make the trip to the capital for the Eras Tour shows, with the ‘Cruel Summer’ singer expected to break all records for Scotland’s biggest stadium show ever when she performs at Murrayfield Stadium on June 7, 8, and 9. You can view available hotels in Glasgow for those dates here.

Recently, Edinburgh council granted organisers permission to increase the stadium’s capacity from 67,130 to 72,990. The subsequent spike in demand means many fans who have already paid up to £660 for a ticket have been priced out of stays in the city. 

Taylor Swift during the first European Eras Tour show in Paris, France. Image: Getty

Analysis of the advertised online rates at Airbnb, Booking.com and Expedia by marketing firm Searchbloom found Edinburgh’s most expensive stay was the night of the American singer-songwriter’s opening performance, with rooms on the evening of Saturday’s show averaging just £3 less. The average one-night-stay in Edinburgh on Friday, June 7 comes in at an eye-watering £686.67. While there are double rooms in Glasgow on that date currently available from just £161 online.

Bosses at one of Glasgow’s top hotels, the new AC Hotel by Marriott Glasgow, say Swifties finding nothing but ‘blank space’ in the capital are looking to the nation’s largest city instead. Demand in Glasgow over the three dates already is showing signs of outstripping supply – with rates trending 25 per cent higher than would normally be expected. 

The hotel is situated just a few minutes walk from Glasgow Queen Street station where regular direct trains to Haymarket, the closest station to Murrayfield Stadium, take less than an hour. A search on trainline.com found return tickets for only £16, with the last train leaving from Haymarket at 11.50pm. 

Rooms on Friday night at the 4-star AC Hotel by Marriott Glasgow currently come in at £209, which despite being higher than normal, pale in comparison to hotels on the other end of the M8. Other Edinburgh hotels, which are typically priced similarly, are currently selling rooms for nearly four times the price at £786 .

The view from one of the rooms at the 4-star AC Hotel by Marriott Glasgow. Photo supplied by Story Shop.

Craig Munro, general manager at the four star AC Hotel by Marriott Glasgow, says the Swift weekender is already the hotel’s most popular date since it opened in Glasgow’s new £100 million Love Loan development in November last year. 

He said: “Demand for rooms is far exceeding supply. We closely monitor rates across the city and they are already around 25 per cent higher than normal — but that’s nothing compared to Edinburgh.

“There has been a knock-on effect which has triggered a sharp rise in demand in Glasgow. I reckon the city will be completely full on Friday and Saturday. 

“Given our proximity to Queen Street station, we’re seeing the direct benefit of tourists staying in Glasgow and commuting to Edinburgh, not only for Taylor Swift but for other popular events like the Edinburgh Marathon, and during the Fringe too. 

“Scotland’s two major cities being so close together is extremely attractive to tourists. I think Edinburgh also benefits from the amazing events that come to Glasgow. It’s undoubtedly a new ‘era’ for Glasgow – it’s becoming increasingly popular as a tourist destination.”