A leading hotel chain is handing out ten pairs of tickets to randomly selected guests for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, including at its York hotel.

Holiday Inn said the “golden ticket giveaway” was part of its commitment to supporting next year’s events and follows news that hundreds of thousands of people have missed out on trying to buy tickets.

The firm said it would give the tickets to guests checking into selected Holiday Inn or Holiday Inn Express hotels across the UK for the most sought-after events, such as the men’s athletics 200 and 800 metres finals.