Hard luck for cricket fans as Napier hotels turn them away

India's last visit to Napier ended in defeat. Photo / Paul Taylor

Hawke's Bay hotels are having to turn cricket fans away, as many are already fully booked for the summer season.

McLean Park is expected to be near capacity as the Black Caps face India in the 1st ODI of the much-anticipated series on Wednesday.

Although some of the world's best players will be right in our back yard, many are having trouble booking accommodation, with hotels and motels across Napier turning fans away as they're already fully booked.

A spokesperson from Shoreline Motel in Napier said they had managed to squeeze a few cricket fans in, and were still receiving calls from desperate fans attempting to make last minute bookings from the past two days.

"There's been a lot around Hawke's Bay this week in terms of sports and other tourist events, so we've had a real mixture of people.

"We're now fully booked and we can't fit anymore people in."

Quest Hotel spokesperson Ruel Morgate said they had been fully booked since December 25 and bookings weren't looking to loosen up anytime soon.

"We haven't been able to fit anyone in for the cricket as we've been booked out for a while. We don't start to calm down until at least May or June."

The situation was exactly the same at the Crown Hotel in Ahuriri with spokeswoman Michele Cole saying they were fully booked for most of the week.

"It's completely normal for us to be packed at this time of year, we're fully booked right up until Sunday and then we're going to start quietening down.

The match at McLean Park starts at 3pm, Wednesday January 23; tickets can be purchased from EventFinda.