Budapest Offering Collegiate Olympic Experience

(ATR) To add to the amount of available lodging for an Olympics, Budapest is renovating collegiate dormitories.

Budapest lawmakers approved a $6.75 million package to upgrade college dormitories around the city, with the intent of using them for lodging during the 2024 Olympics. According to local reports, Budapest 2024 chairman Balázs Fürjes helped negotiate the package.

The reports added that Budapest 2024 was looking at dormitories since the city does not have enough hotels to satisfy requirements set by the IOC. A spokesperson for the Budapest 2024 bid confirmed the report to Around the Rings. The spokesperson added that dorms were just one type of accommodation that would be provided during a potential Budapest Olympics.

Budapest is one of three cities in the running to host the IOC’s flagship Games along with Los Angeles and Paris. Of the three cities Budapest is the smallest, which explains the lower number of potential hotel rooms available.

"We are planning to have a wide range of diverse and affordable accommodation available to meet the different needs of Olympic visitors, from dormitory style accommodation to five star hotels," Ivan Rozsa, Budapest 2024 head of international communications, told ATR. "[This] is customary for most Olympic cities."

To offset demand for hotel rooms, cities have employed different temporary lodging plans. Past Olympic cities have docked cruise ships to increase the number of available rooms, while Rio de Janeiro signed a sponsorship agreement with Airbnb allowing Cariocas to rent out their apartments to tourists coming to the Games.

Written by Aaron Bauer

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