London hotels net a 70% rise in bookings for the Champions League final

London hotels have seen bookings jump by almost 70 per cent as thousands of football fans prepare to descend on Wembley for the Uefa Champions League final next month.

With Manchester United still to play Germany's Schalke and Barcelona to face Real Madrid in the semi-finals, the identities of the finalists on May 28 are not yet known.

However, the capital's hotels have recorded a 67.8 per cent increase in room reservations on the same date last year with group bookings for 10 people or more almost doubling in number.

Andy Storey, of market research company Rubicon, said: "It seems the football fans are making the most of their trip to London by arriving on the Friday evening and staying through to the Sunday after the final as the rise in committed hotel occupancy is up over the entire weekend.

"London hoteliers are reaping the benefits of having the major sporting final in their city. This should give them an idea of what they might expect at next year's Olympics."

The two finalists will be allocated 25,000 tickets each, to be distributed by the clubs with face value prices going up to £300.

About 11,000 general sale tickets have already been allocated with the rest of the seats in the 90,000-capacity stadium going to sponsors and for Uefa hospitality. There was an outcry over the cost of tickets when it was announced in February with prices for the public starting at £150 plus a £26 booking fee. Mr Storey added: "Hotels across London, not just those near Wembley, will benefit from the influx of visitors."

It will be the first time the final has been staged at the new Wembley, which opened in 2007.

The old stadium hosted the match on five occasions. The last Champions League final held in England was in 2003 when AC Milan beat Juventus at Old Trafford.