We'll have enough hotels, Russian World Cup organisers say

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will have no problems providing accommodation for the 2018 World Cup despite moves to cut costs by reducing the number of hotels, the head of the organising committee said on Thursday. "The number of hotel rooms available will be sufficient to welcome our guests in a comfortable environment," Russia 2018 Chief Executive Alexey Sorokin wrote in emailed comments to Reuters. Planners initially promised to provide 100,000 rooms for the championship but have had to rein in spending as Russia's economy battles against a collapse in global oil prices and Western sanctions over Moscow's role in the Ukraine crisis. The government in April axed plans for 25 hotels to save 27 billion roubles ($475 million) and last month reduced its limit on total spending on the tournament to 631.5 billion roubles, saving 30 billion roubles on accommodation. Sorokin said a wide variety of accommodation would be available for fans, including university dormitories, camping facilities and boats. That would create "an international atmosphere that is becoming more and more popular, especially among younger football fans," he said. (Reporting by Jack Stubbs; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)