HOTELIERS on the South Coast will not be going for Olympic Gold next summer with record price hikes, unlike some of their London counterparts.

That’s the pledge from tourism chief Andy Woodland following revelations that some hotels in the capital could be charging more than four times their usual rates during the Games.

A single room at the four-star Best Western Shaftesbury, Piccadilly, in August could set you back £425, compared with £199 this year. Three-star hotels want around £350 a night.

An estimated 320,000 Olympics spectators are expected to come from abroad and London mayor Boris Johnson has criticised hotels for taking advantage, adding: “Hiking up prices in 2012 is just wrong.”

Andy Woodland, chairman of Bournemouth Area Hospitality Association, and manager of the four-star Menzies Carlton hotel on the resort’s East Cliff said: “Hotels here won’t be charging excessive rates for accommodation.

“But due to demand, at what is normally a very busy period for us, there won’t be any special deals available.”

He added: “Bournemouth is ideally placed for those people who want to get out of London during the Olympics and also for the sailing events in Dorset.

“We have received bookings for the torch event and inquiries from teams who will be based in Weymouth but want their families to be nearby. Most hoteliers will reserve a number of rooms for their regular customers.”

Mr Woodland said bookings for this summer were up on last year, adding: “We have got to be positive that the sun will shine; the signs are that ‘staycations’ are here to stay, with many families opting to holiday in the UK this year.”