By Clayton Barnes
A city guesthouse owner says that signing up with Match, Fifa's hospitality service provider for the World Cup, is a rip-off and will make small accommodation establishments seem too expensive.
This comes after tourism roleplayers this week warned hoteliers to sign up or run the risk of losing out.
But Chris von Ulmenstein, the owner of Whale Cottage Guest House Portfolio, says establishments are more likely to lose out by signing a contract with "greedy" Match.
She said Match Hospitality was ripping off the industry by taking 30 percent commission from signed establishments.
"It is Match that has been greedy, in originally dictating to accommodation establishments that we should use the 2007 rate and add a 16 percent inflation factor to get to the 2010 rate," explained Von Ulmenstein.
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"Match then would take a preposterous 30 percent commission on this rate.
"However, with inflation in 2008 at about 13 percent, this rate dictate was not acceptable to most establishments, and that is why the number of rooms offered to Match has been so low."
Von Ulmenstein said that she, along with many other small establishments, would be able to sell rooms directly to soccer fans.
"None of us are short-sighted enough nor that dishonourable to rip off World Cup tourists," she said.
"Many of us will use the 2009/2010 summer rate for June/July 2010, instead of discounting our rates to winter levels, as many of us usually do."
Von Ulmenstein said her guesthouse in Camps Bay was already half booked for the World Cup.
She said most of the tourists who had already booked were from the US and the UK.
"A lot of foreigners haven't started booking yet because of the whole ticketing process taking place in phases," she said.
"Most tourists are waiting to get their tickets before they book accommodation."
Fifa spokesperson Delia Fischer denied that Match was taking commission fees from small establishments, but said the company would use their communicated room rates as net payable.
She said Match would not be stipulating any prices for their rooms but recommended that the rates should be linked to their usual charge with an increase for next year as per usual business practice.
"There are no charges for those small tourism entities," said Fischer.
"This is important to allow us to integrate all various establishments in the 2010 accommodation solution."
Fischer said it was common practice for hotel rates to be subject to discounts and commissions for an agent, in this case Match, with 30 percent.
"This is not specific to the 2010 World Cup," she explained.
"For Fifa it is important that accommodation is contracted at fair prices with reasonable rates ensuring that all visitors who come to South Africa during the World Cup will have access to fair rates.
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