Magic Round accommodation: Room prices surge as occupancy hits 80 per cent

Hotel occupancy will spike to 80 per cent this weekend as thousands descend on Brisbane for a blockbuster NRL Magic Round, with room prices rising as visitors flock to the city.

Brisbane hotel occupancy has soared past 80 per cent ahead of the NRL Magic Round, so if you are frantically trying to find a place to stay, you might be forking out a bit more than usual.

The drawcard event, which officially sold out of tickets on Wednesday, will see hundreds of thousands descend on the River City to watch a blockbuster four days of footy.

This year’s festival kicks off with game one of the Ampol Women’s State of Origin Series on Thursday at Suncorp Stadium.

With more than 150,000 seats sold, there is no doubt about the nation’s love for the iconic rugby weekend, with hotel and accommodation bookings in Brisbane City and surrounding suburbs quickly being snapped up.

CoStar accommodation performance data, which collects and reports future occupancy, noted that as of Wednesday, Brisbane’s hotel occupancy was already expected to soar past 80 per cent from May 1 through to May 3.

On the accommodation site Booking.com, you would be hard pressed to find a three-night stay in the city, South Brisbane, or Fortitude Valley for less than $1100. Some rooms, for a one-person stay across three days, were even going for more than $3000.

Visitors will be flocking to Brisbane over the weekend for the woman’s Origin opener and Magic Round. Picture: Tourism and Events Queensland

The last Airbnb and Stayz bookings in the city were for three nights and ranged between $1500 and $2000. One-person rooms were available for more than $500 a night.

Environment and Tourism Minister Andrew Powell said the NRL Magic Round was a huge drawcard for tourism in Queensland, with hotel capacity already soaring.

“Last year, the NRL Magic Round injected over $47m into the local economy. We are expecting the incredibly popular event to exceed that this year, which is just fantastic,” he said.

“Magic Round attracted more than 150,000 attendees across the weekend last year, so with the Women’s State of Origin kicking things off on Thursday night, we are anticipating that the 2025 Magic Round Festival will be a sellout.”

Brisbane City Council Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said the NRL Magic Round was one of the biggest sports celebrations of the year and would deliver a major boost for Brisbane’s economy.

“From today, Brisbane will once again become the centre of the rugby league universe in one of the biggest sports celebrations of the year,” he said.

“While the games themselves will be a thrill, there’s so much to see and do off the pitch right here in the sports and lifestyle capital of Australia.”

Originally published as Magic Round accommodation: Room prices surge as occupancy hits 80 per cent