Footy fans face hefty hotel bills for finals in Brisbane

Rooms that are available for $300 just a week later are being listed for a staggering $2200 for Saturday night as footy finals fever takes hold of Brisbane, costing out-of-town fans big time.

Footy fans looking to stay in Brisbane might have to cough up for it. Pictured are Broncos fans Braeden Morris, Calaya Rillie and Chelsea Morris after the team’s training in Brisbane on Monday. (Image/Josh Woning)

Footy fans looking for a last-minute overstay in Brisbane for the weekend’s historic double header are being hit with accommodation prices of up to $2000 a night.

With the Broncos and Lions home preliminary finals predicted to be played in front of 85,000 fans, accommodation prices have gone through the roof.

The AFL on Monday declared the Gabba officially a sellout while the only single seat tickets remain up for grabs for Suncorp Stadium’s clash.

Thousands of punters are also expected to be thrown into the mix for Saturday’s Listen Out music festival at the RNA Showgrounds headlined by Skrillex, Ice Spice and Mallrat.

Accommodation within walking distance of Suncorp Stadium starts from as low as $100 a night in a 20-bed backpacker dorm, according to searches on booking.com.

The Westin in Mary Street. Pics Tara Croser.

Punthill Brisbane at Spring Hill.

However on the luxury end, a club king room with city views at The Westin Brisbane for one night’s stay in an “extra-large” double bed was priced from $1599.

Similar rooms are available at The Westin Brisbane on Saturday, September 30 for about $325.

Punthill Spring Hill also had a studio apartment listed on booking.com from $2223 for this Saturday, while a similar room following weekend is available for about $300, a decrease of 640 per cent.

Searches on popular bookings website Airbnb days out from the prelims showed limited availability for two-night stays.

A one-bedroom studio apartment at Spring Hill was available for more than $2000 a night, while a three-bedroom apartment along Petrie Terrace was listed for $1800 a night.

It comes after Qantas launched a 24-hour sale on Tuesday on flights to help footy fans secure airfares to Sydney and Melbourne for the grand final weekend.

Diehard fans daring to dream a week early were being offered one-way flights from Brisbane to Sydney from $139 and Brisbane to Melbourne from $175.

Not to be outdone, Virgin Australia launched a sale on flights to Melbourne starting from $159 out of Brisbane.