Luxury hotel room costs 'on the slide'

Luxury hotel rooms are becoming more affordable as rates tumble, according to a new study.

The average cost of top-end rooms around the world is on the slide, a hotel price index from Hotels.com shows.

There are now ten desirable destinations where £100 per night (or £50 a night each for a couple) will buy a five star room in some of the most prestigious addresses in town.

The list of cities where UK travellers’ cash goes the furthest includes top the European cities of Lisbon, Pisa, Warsaw, Prague and Tallinn as well as further-flung cities including Melbourne, Mexico City, Sao Paolo and Toronto.

The price index, which tracks the real prices paid per hotel room for 78,000 hotels across 13,000 locations around the world, covers prices from January to June, compared to the same period in 2008.

A spokeswoman said: “The best rooms in the world have never been so affordable according to our data and travellers can get far more for their holiday money this year than they have for a long time – the average price of hotel room is back at 2004 levels. With such low prices and some great deals around, travellers can enjoy a night in the lap of luxury for less than ever."

“In cities including Toronto, Sydney, Edinburgh and Copenhagen, Hotels.com found that spending £100 for a room this year bought a full star category higher than the same sum in 2008, which means that for those with an eye for a high-end bargain, now is the time to travel.”

*Twenty cities where £100 per night will buy the best rooms:

1 Lisbon
2 Marrakech
3 Melbourne
4 Mexico City
5 Pisa
6 Sao Paulo
7 Toronto
8 Warsaw
9 Prague
10 Tallinn
11 Cairo
12 Budapest
13 Bali
14 Berlin
15 Bangkok
16 Cape Town
17 Dublin
18 Las Vegas
19 Shanghai
20 Vienna

*Top 10 cities where travellers’ £100 per night has improved the most

Toronto
Sydney
Edinburgh

Copenhagen
Stockholm
Oslo
New York
Amsterdam
London
Chicago

by Phil Davies