Russia "capped hotel prices for the upcoming World Cup 2018," set to take place between June 14 and July 15 across 12 stadiums in 11 different Russian cities, according to Damien Sharkov of NEWSWEEK. Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev "signed a decree to introduce maximum rates for accommodation in each city to prevent hoteliers hiking up prices ahead of the tournament." The caps "are still quite generous though, especially in some of the country’s more luxurious hotels." A single room in a one-star hotel in Moscow during the World Cup can go up to $126 a night, though if the hotel has no stars, "the capped price is almost two-thirds lower" at $45. Russia’s imperial capital, St. Petersburg, "has an even higher cap on its tourist accommodation," where the most top-of-the-line accommodation at a five-star hotel will have a limit of $9,000 per night, while the cheapest option at a one-star hotel could still set you back $93 for a single room. The rest of Russia’s host cities "are considerably cheaper, with the lowest cap for a single night’s accommodation in the country during the tournament being in Kaliningrad and Rostov." In both, a single room in a one-star hotel "cannot cost more" than than $31 per night (NEWSWEEK, 2/15).
