Fans who booked hotels for the rescheduled Stereophonics gigs in Cardiff next summer have been left angry after their reservations were cancelled due to a "system error" which overbooked rooms online.
Several ticket-holders planning to attend the massive outdoor concerts in the Principality Stadium, which were due to be held this December but have been pushed back to June 2022, said they booked rooms at the Radisson hotel in Cardiff city centre, only for the hotel to cancel their bookings a day later.
The gigs, which will see sets from Stereophonics, Tom Jones and Catfish and the Bottlemen, were originally scheduled to take place on December 17 and 18 this year. However, last week they were postponed until June 17 and 18, 2022 due to fears over the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
Read more: What the coronavirus rules at Christmas are likely to be in Wales
The stadium and promoters said they believed the gigs would not be able to be compliant with Covid restrictions if they went ahead this month.
Alun Roderick bought tickets for the original dates earlier this year and had planned to travel to Bridgend and back on the night with his wife as they had plans the following day.
But after the gigs were rescheduled they decided to book a hotel.
"I booked a hotel for June 18 as I’d had a notification that my Stereophonics ticket date had moved to that date and my wife suggested we make a weekend of it," he said.
"I usually use Booking.com and looked for hotels and found the Radisson Blu for £153 and booked it. I had a confirmation email from both Booking.com and Radisson themselves."
But the evening after, Alun said he received an email saying their reservation had been cancelled. He was later contacted by Radisson who said a "system error" on December 8 - the day the gigs were rescheduled - had resulted in overbooking, which was why his room had been cancelled.
He said he is very disappointed as he had booked "in good faith", accepting the prices that were advertised.
"The rates are a tad higher than their normal Saturday prices so we assumed that the gig was taken into account - I see it’s around £90 for winter/spring and £110-130 for summer," he said.
Alun said he suspects the hotel is choosing to honour more expensive bookings as prices had increased after the gigs were moved.
"I honestly believe that when you look at other hotel prices in Cardiff on June 18, 2022 - Novotel and Marriott £479, Jury’s £399," he said.
"I appreciate they had had a very difficult time with Covid and lack of income but this kind of practise will not do their image much good. I’ve asked them how did they choose who to cancel? Those who booked last or those who paid the least?
"Reality is that I live in Bridgend so it’s not the end of the world but it’s the principle. I’ve got future bookings with them and will now reconsider."
Another customer, Neil Buckman, booked four double rooms at the Radisson Blue on the day the gigs were rescheduled last week.
"When the Stereophonics gig was rearranged I immediately went into Booking.com and booked four double rooms for our group," he said.
"I pre-booked to pay on arrival, it was around £130 each room. Shortly after, I had an email from Radisson confirming the booking.
"Then on Thursday, December 9, I had an email from Radisson via Booking.com to cancel the rooms 'due to overbooking and connectivity issues with our platform'."
Neil said he was "extremely frustrated" as his party had been left with nowhere to stay for the gigs.
"We’ve gone from being relieved that we had something sorted and could look forward to, a night out next year, to realising that at least a couple of our group will need to drive, as there’s no realistic prospect of alternative accommodation."
As of Monday, December 13, many of Cardiff's most popular hotels were booked out online for the concert dates. Some of the rooms that are still available are charging high prices (the Marriott Hotel about £415 per night, Novotel £479 a night and the Future Inn is £409 per night), according to Booking.com.
There are currently just two hotels in the city available on June 18 for under £170 per night on that site.
Ticket-holder Steven Rogers from Swansea said he also had his Radisson Blu Cardiff reservation cancelled after he booked it.
"I booked to go to the gig in December and could see the hotel prices tripling, quadrupling, so I decided I wouldn't stay," he said.
"But when it was moved I instantly went on Booking.com and booked the Radisson Blu for £145.
"I know prices go up when there's an event on, and I didn't grumble the first time, because I was just too slow."
But Steven, 30, later got an email telling him his booking had been cancelled due to a system error.
And he feels the hotel is opting to keep its more expensive bookings.
"I jokingly said to my partner when I booked that it wouldn't surprise me if they tried to cancel because of the demand. But I really didn't expect it to happen."
Steven said the hotel offered him a stay in the Holiday Inn instead for £162 through Booking.com, but he wasn't happy with this arrangement.
"I told them that was more than I'd be paying for the Radisson. They told me the Radisson would cover the price difference, but I said I was not happy and that I expected to be staying at the Radisson in June. I've not heard back since.
"I'm not one to kick off naturally but offering me a downgrade for more money wasn't good enough."
A spokesperson from Radisson Blu, Cardiff said: "A system error on December 8 led to an overbooking of rooms on 17 and 18 June, 2022.
"We are investigating the cause of the error and apologise for any inconvenience caused."
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