UK: English rock band Oasis is reuniting for its first UK shows in 16 years in the summer of 2025, and if Taylor Swift’s recent global tour is anything to go by, we can expect a significant boost for the hospitality sector in and around the cities hosting the concerts next year.
On 27 August, Oasis announced it would play 14 stadium shows in London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Dublin next summer, and due to early “unprecedented” demand, the group has since laid on a further three dates in London, Manchester and Edinburgh for eager fans.
Pre-sale tickets then went on sale on 30 August via a registration ballot, before tickets for the 2025 tour went on general sale the following morning [31 August].
Now that fans have started to get their hands on tickets, attention is turning to how they can book accommodation, with many opting to search via online travel agencies [OTAs], such as Booking.com, Vrbo or Airbnb.
Early claims suggest that the upcoming Oasis tour could boost the UK’s economy by around £350-400 million, taking into account accommodation bookings, merchandise, travel, tickets and shopping. To put that into some context, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour was set to be worth an estimated £1 billion to the UK economy, according to a report by Barclays.
Concert goers looking to reserve accommodation have been warned about potential scams when making payments or submitting any personal information when booking online, including extortion, where a host may attempt to use direct or indirect threats to coerce a review or get extra money out of a booker, which is illegal.
Elsewhere, a number of booking platforms and hotel chains have been accused of trying to capitalise on the Oasis shows by allegedly cancelling existing bookings that were made before the reunion tour was announced.
Maldron Hotels, which has two hotels in Manchester – the Maldron Hotel Manchester City and Maldron Hotel Cathedral Quarter, was alleged to have cancelled several existing bookings. However, the company has since told the BBC that the cancellations were due to “a technical error” and “an overbooking issue” at two of its locations, denying that it was an attempt to “resell rooms at inflated prices” and clarifying that it will honour all reservations made before 26 August.
The Hazeldean Hotel in Salford was also accused of telling one customer, Dan from Hull, that he must pay for his booking in full by Friday 30 August, the day before Oasis tickets went on sale, despite the hotel offering free cancellation ahead of the tour announcement.
The prices for some other hotels in Manchester more than doubled in recent days due to the hype for the concerts.
Oasis are due to play at Heaton Park in Manchester on 11, 12, 19 and 20 July.
In Cardiff, Frank Southall, from Worcester, booked a room at an Easyhotel via Booking.com, but 12 hours after receiving a confirmation email, the platform reportedly cancelled his reservation due to a “technical error” and said that it could “no longer guarantee” a room. A spokesperson for Booking.com told the BBC that action would be taken if it were aware of “practices that break our terms and conditions”, and that it has strict guidelines and codes of conduct when working with accommodation partners.
In Edinburgh, two Oasis superfans, who have seen the band play live 55 times, tried to book an Airbnb listing in the city, only to have their booking declined before they saw the listing reappear the next day at a higher price. In response, Airbnb reportedly said that a host could choose to accept or decline a booking, since the guest “never had a confirmed booking”, nor had they paid for a reservation already.
There is a mix of excitement and anxiety in the city, however, given Oasis’ tour will coincide with the city’s annual Edinburgh Fringe Festival [1-25 August 2025]. Since the city strengthened short-term rental regulations last October, accommodation supply has become more squeezed and hotel room prices have surged around major events.
While the Scottish capital is set to bring in a tourist tax from 2026, the economic benefits generated by Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in the summer are clear to see – the three nights that Swift played in Edinburgh are estimated to have been worth around £100 million to the Scottish economy alone.
Oasis are due to play at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on 8,9 and 12 August.
Anna Morris, managing director and owner of The Edinburgh Address, said: “It’s exciting to see the tour coinciding with the Edinburgh Fringe next year, and it’s likely to have a noticeable impact on the market. Given the unique dynamics of both events, I expect we’ll see a significant increase in demand for short-term accommodation, especially in central locations. However, Edinburgh’s current regulations on short-term lets could limit the supply somewhat, potentially driving up prices.
“One prediction I would make is based on what we’ve observed during this year’s festivals—many properties were being advertised on social media platforms without the proper licences or required health and safety certificates. This could be due to the complexity of the current regulations, which may lead some hosts to bypass the legal process altogether. If this trend continues, it could create further complications for both visitors and regulators during such a busy period,” she added.
James Kinnersly, sales director at AirDNA, said: “We’re still awaiting pacing data following ticket sales, but we do expect a significant increase in bookings and revenue, potentially similar to the £12 million boost for hosts from Taylor Swift’s UK tour. The Oasis reunion is shaping up to be a legendary event, offering UK hosts a unique opportunity to adjust their rates and welcome more fans.
“Without short-term rentals and their flexible availability, many fans could be forced to overpay for hotels or miss out on their dream experience. UK hosts are essential in making these special moments accessible to more people and boosting the local economy,” he added.
Ruth Whitehead, COO at eviivo, said: “Blockbuster events like the recently announced Oasis reunion concerts can create a Champagne Supernova effect in the hospitality industry – but not always in ways that shine.
“Consider the recent Olympics, where we have seen many hotels and rental operators get caught off guard by a huge surge in supply. The market saw a flood of opportunistic entrants hoping to cash in from the Games. This meant that despite an uplift in bookings on a yearly basis, the sheer volume of new short-term rentals has led to lower-than expected occupancy overall.
“What is clear from these landmark occasions is that professional property managers and operators must be properly equipped to handle the ebb and flow of demand. It would be a mistake to assume a guaranteed windfall from mega events without grounding decisions in real-time market data.
“Operators and managers should also anticipate changes in guest behaviour, like shorter booking windows or last-minute bookings, as these could happen when there’s an influx of supply in the market. All these factors affect pricing and ultimately revenue.
“This is where automation, especially in dynamic pricing, becomes invaluable. By using these tools, operators can optimise their rates, ensuring they maximise revenue while appealing to the broadest customers possible.
“When it comes to capitalising on high-profile moments, it’s not just about filling rooms – it’s about filling them at the right price and time,” she added.
By Sunday evening, all of the dates announced by Oasis in the UK and Ireland had sold out, although ticketless fans took to social media to criticise the booking process through ticketing websites such as Ticketmaster, saying that they had given up queuing or been kicked out of the queue altogether while waiting. Others also complained about escalating ticket prices, with some paying hundreds of pounds above the listed prices due to dynamic pricing, where prices rise in line with surges in demand.
While dynamic – or surge – pricing is an important tool for owners and operators when tracking demand, the practice is now likely to come under further government scrutiny in the UK. A consultation into ticket resale websites had already been announced for the autumn, even before the tour was confirmed and fans complained about the “depressing” and “vastly inflated” cost of tickets.
