Language lessons, soaring hotel prices in Kazan for World Cup

Restaurant staff are taking crash language courses and landlords are jacking up prices as the predominantly Muslim capital of Russia's Olympic dreams prepares to host the World Cup. For the 1.2 million inhabitants of Kazan, a city some 700 kilometres (450 miles) east of Moscow with its own Kremlin and one of Russia's largest mosques, the tournament is a chance to show itself off to the world. "Hospitality is in our blood," said Daria Sannikova, who heads the Kazan tourism committee. Kazan Arena will host four group-stage matches, including Australia v France on June 16 and South Korea v Germany on June 27, as well as a Round of 16 game and a quarter-final game. The futuristic stadium was built for the 2013 Summer Universiade university games and is a linchpin in President Vladimir Putin's quest to restore Russia to the sporting superpower status of its Soviet past. Locals are revelling in the attention and enormously eager to please, with subways and buses planning to announce stops in English and hotel and restaurant staff undergoing intensive language training. Some, like 35-year-old taxi driver Marat, are ahead of the game. "I learned (French) in school. I don't have much practice but I hope they are okay with it," he said on his way to the airport, which -- along with much of the city -- was rebuilt for the Universiade. But all the preparations have left one problem familiar to past international competitions: mind-boggling prices for an airless, claustrophobic room with a creaky bed. - 'Price madness' - =================== The World Cup "has seen real estate prices soar," the local Business Online news website said, adding that all hotel rooms had been already booked for the six matches in Kazan. It quoted one unassuming flat near the stadium renting for 2,000 euros (USD 2,400) a night -- about the price of a luxurious room available in June in Moscow's lush Savoy Hotel. A search through international booking agencies showed one with narrow metal beds squeezed into three dark rooms not much larger than a walk-in closet -- it was 1,000 euros. None of the hotels accredited with the world football governing body FIFA were available through its official website. "I've heard about the huge rental prices," the tourism committee's Sannikova said. "We will try to resolve this and not allow prices to get too out of hand. There will be no price madness," she added. - Government checks - ===================== The problem is affecting not only Kazan but also smaller cities undergoing their first major post-Soviet upgrades and facing the threat of an accommodation shortage. Sannikova said prices were peaking and likely to drop because national team delegations and FIFA had overbooked in advance just in case. Yet the sums demanded by some have caught the attention of Russia's Rosturism state tourism agency, which is publishing monthly lists of booking agencies overcharging for hotels. It showed some room prices rising six-fold, with rates at one in Kaliningrad, near Poland, reaching $2,300 -- a hike of 5,283 percent. Hotel rates will be regulated by the government and the consumer rights watchdog has already fined more than two dozen establishments nearly 1,000 euros each for price gouging. But it is unclear how the government will act if prices stay this high. - Olympic dreams - ================== Stretching along the lazy banks of the Volga River, the minarets of Muslim mosques mingle peacefully with the onion domes of Kazan's Orthodox churches. Sannikova calls the city "ambitious". "We always aspire to win the right to organise important events," Sannikova said. In fact a flurry of them have come to Kazan, including the 2015 world swimming championships and the 2016 European judo championships, turning Kazan into a Russian sporting mecca that Putin visits regularly. The next step? "We dream, of course, of organising the Olympic Games," said Sannikova. And Putin, of course, is behind the plan - he said last May it would be "nice" if Russia could host the summer event in a city such as Kazan, completing the double after the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.