Why Oasis fans are furious at Manchester hotel chain

A hotel chain is facing accusations of attempting to profit from Oasis concerts next year by canceling pre-existing bookings made before the band's reunion tour was announced.

Lily Stroud from Newcastle explained that she "took a risk" by reserving rooms for two weekends at the Maldron Hotel in Manchester in July 2025, amid speculation about the band's comeback. However, after the tour's announcement, the hotel canceled her reservations, citing a "technical error," and the rooms were no longer available for booking.

A spokesperson for the Maldron Hotel attributed the cancellations to "an overbooking issue" rather than an effort to "resell rooms at inflated prices," assuring that all reservations made before August 26 would be honored.

Oasis revealed on Tuesday their plans to reunite for a 2025 tour, with the Gallagher brothers announcing dates in London, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Dublin. The announcement followed a teaser posted on social media a day earlier, which hinted at the reunion with a date "27.08.24."

The band is scheduled to perform at Heaton Park in Manchester on July 11, 12, 19, and 20. According to the hotel, a technical glitch with bookings on Monday and Tuesday led to "substantially more rooms booked" than were actually available during the concert dates. This error also permitted a "small number of customers" to book rooms at higher rates later on Tuesday, and those reservations will also be canceled.

The hotel has issued an apology and is halting new reservations while investigating the issue. This development follows calls from Greater Manchester's night-time economy adviser, Sacha Lord, urging the hotel to "do the right thing" after numerous complaints were received. Mr. Lord noted that several customers had contacted him on X (formerly Twitter), reporting that their bookings had been canceled and then listed again at significantly higher prices.

George Snape, whose bookings for a wedding in Manchester next year were canceled, expressed feeling "quite angry and really disappointed," suspecting the hotel was "just putting up the prices for Oasis."

Manchester City Councillor Pat Karney stated that trading standards staff would investigate the situation, commenting, "If this is the case then they have let themselves down and they've let Manchester down... There’s no justification for ripping off people."