Oasis fans are taking to social media to complain of their pre-booked hotel rooms being cancelled due to a supposed “technical error”.
In case you’ve been living under a rock and somehow missed it, arguably Manchester‘s most famous band confirmed that, against all odds after decades of feuding, they would be putting their grudges to one side and reuniting for a massive comeback tour next year – playing a run of shows in all four UK capital cities and Dublin too.
Oh, and of course, how could we forget? They’re also playing four major gigs at Heaton Park in July 2025 too, returning to their hometown to show us what we’ve been missing.
Not only is the sheer fact that Oasis are actually reuniting make it a hot ticket, but the tour is also to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band’s debut studio album, Definitely Maybe, so you can see why fans will be travelling from and wide to witness and be a part of a moment in history.
And those travelling fans, despite whether or not they actually manage to get tickets this Saturday morning (31 August) at 9am, are keen to make sure their accommodation is secured ahead of time just in case, and so, have been booking rooms at several of Manchester city centre‘s many hotels in advance so they don’t miss out.
ADVERTISEMENT
Sounds like the perfect plan, right? A ‘Masterplan’, if you will… the only thing is, however, many of these fans have apparently been having their bookings cancelled due to a so-called “technical error”, and then are claiming to have seen the same rooms re-advertised at hiked prices on the same dates.
Some fans have even been contacting Greater Manchester’s Night Time Economy Advisor, Sacha Lord, about the issue with one hotel chain in particular, Maldron Hotels – which has two hotels in Manchester city centre, one near Oxford Road and one near Manchester Cathedral – asking him to address and look into the issue.
I’m being contacted by several people who booked your hotel for the Oasis concert, to say their rooms have just been cancelled and are now back up for three times the price.
I’m sure this is a “computer error”… easy to correct.
“Hey @MaldronHotels. I’m being contacted by several people who booked your hotel for the Oasis concert, to say their rooms have just been cancelled and are now back up for three times the price,” Mr Lord wrote.
“I’m sure this is a “computer error”… easy to correct. Do the right thing.”
ADVERTISEMENT
As well as those who contacted Mr Lord separately, dozens of fans have also been reacting and sharing their own personal accounts of the same thing happening to them, and many have also been sharing screenshots of the cancellation emails they have received from Maldron Hotels.
The cancellation email reads: “We are writing to inform you of an issue with your booking… Due to a technical error, you have received a confirmation for a booking that was not successfully made. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate your booking at this time. We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.
“Our system will send a cancellation request, which we ask you to accept promptly. Please rest assured that no charges will be applied to your payment card.”
At the time of writing, Maldron Hotels does not appear to have responded to Mr Lord’s X statement, or the complaints from fans, either publicly or privately.
The Manc has also contacted Dalata Hotel Group, owner of Maldron Hotels, for a comment.
Featured Image – Maldron Hotels
News
Entertainment union Equity makes £1 bid for Manchester Pride to protect workers from ‘further exploitation’
Emily Sergeant
Performing arts and entertainment trade union Equity has made a £1 bid for Manchester Pride.
You may remember that, back in October last year, Manchester Pride – the charity / organisation that ran the Manchester Pride Festival – entered into voluntary liquidation, and news emerged last week that the assets were being sold off to the highest bidder by liquidators.
By offering a ‘symbolic’ £1 for the assets – which include the Manchester Pride brand name and associated domain names – Equity says its bid has been made to give workers the opportunity to ‘decide the future’ of the event.
The bid is also said to have been made to prevent a repeat of 2025 – which apparently left Equity union members more than £70,000 out-of-pocket in unpaid fees.
Equity’s variety organiser, Nick Keegan, warned that selling the Manchester Pride brand to a commercial buyer risks ‘undermining the values’ of the event and the community that built it.
He worried it could also leave performers and workers ‘vulnerable to further exploitation’.
“Manchester Pride is not just a city-wide party,” Mr Keegan explained. “Its roots in protest are as important today as then.”
He added: “Manchester Pride was built by the LGBTQ+ workers of Canal St and beyond who provide a space and a community for LGBTQ+ people all year round. The event should not be treated as a commodity to be bought and sold off to the highest bidder.
“The cultural workforce are at the heart of Pride, without them, there is no festival.
“After what happened in 2025, with members left tens of thousands of pounds out of pocket, we don’t want to see history repeat itself.”
Equity says that if its bid is successful, the workers will have control over who the ‘asset’ goes to.
“Our bid is about protecting Pride as a community asset, not a commercial one,” the union’s statement continued.
“Allowing the people whose labour was used to build this ‘asset’ to decide how the trademark of Manchester Pride is used in the future will help protect them from further exploitation, as well as preserve the values and the longevity of the event itself.”
Featured Image – Manchester Pride (Supplied)
News
New police hub to be set up in Piccadilly Gardens to help reduce anti-social behaviour
Emily Sergeant
A new police hub is set to be established in Piccadilly Gardens.
In case you missed it, it was announced last week that council tax in Greater Manchester could be increased to help fund improvements to policing, and that a consultation on it has been launched – with local residents urged to have their say.
The police precept helps Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to build on a range of improvements, including the speed of answering 999 and 101 calls, road and transport safety across Manchester city centre, and bringing more sex offenders to justice, among many other things.
Greater Manchester council tax is set to be increased again to help fund improvements to policing, and a consultation is now live. 🏘️🚔📝
But on top of this, Mayor Andy Burnham has also pledged to deliver a new police hub in Piccadilly Gardens as part of a wider drive to improve policing.
GMCA says its ‘top priority’ is to build strong communities where people feel safe, and it is Mayor Andy Burnham and his Deputy Mayors’ responsibility to enable GMP to be an ‘effective and efficient’ police force.
Local leaders say their ambition for 2026 is to maintain a ‘high-performing’ police service by tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, and protecting residents and businesses along the way – and part of this ambition is to increase police visibility in Piccadilly Gardens, which is a much-maligned part of the city centre, by launching a new ‘prominent’ police hub.
The increase in the police precept is also being touted to help increase ‘hot spot policing tactics’ in town centres and other key locations to help drive down theft and other violent retail crimes.
A new police hub is to be set up in Piccadilly Gardens to help reduce anti-social behaviour / Credit: Gerald England (via Geograph) | Rawpixel
“We need GMP to be properly funded if it is to continue to deliver an effective and responsive service for people in Greater Manchester,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham. “The cost of running a modern police force is going up and this is at a time when our city region has become the fastest-growing economy in the UK, with visitor numbers increasing year after year.
“So much is happening here and that includes a number of major and complex incidents over the past year, including a terrorist attack. These incidents added significant pressure to police resources.
“We recognise the ongoing impact of the rising cost of living and do not take the decision to increase the precept lightly. But right now, this increase is our only option to ensure GMP can continue delivering an effective police service that ensures that people feel safe in their own communities.”
Emily Sergeant -
28th August 2024 
