Most expensive cities for hotels revealed
London remained the most expensive city in Europe in the first quarter of this year, with visitors paying an average of £116 a night, up 15% over last year.
Zurich is the next most costly destination at £110 a night, also a rise of 15% year on year, according to data from hotels solutions provider HRS.
HRS speculated that the rising cost of accommodation in the UK, combined with the cheaper euro, could prompt event organisers to save money by booking abroad instead.
"HRS’s latest data is certainly pointing to the Continent as a region offering far more competitively priced accommodation than the UK due to the weak Euro."
HRS’ data showed that including the cost of the hotel room people spend an average of £129 in Europe compared with £202 in the UK. However, this doesn’t include the cost of flights or other transport, which could make a trip to Europe significantly more expensive than staying in the UK.
Jon West, managing mirector of HRS in the UK and Ireland, said "It’s interesting to see how much more business travellers are paying for a night away in the UK compared to in Europe.
"Our annual 2014 Price Radar study showed that room rates for a night in London had become the highest in Europe, and on average, hotel rates in the UK soared by an average of 9%last year.
"Looking at Q1 2015 data, whilst the average price for a room in London is currently £116, those looking for a more modest night away on business in the UK can currently find the cheapest average room rates in Edinburgh (£76) and Birmingham (£77).
"Whilst Europe might look cheaper on paper, it’s important to remember that other costs such as transfers and flights, as well as time spent travelling quickly mounts up, so keeping business trips within the UK could actually be cheaper for a business in the long-term."
Just under half of business travellers choose to stay in four star hotels in the UK and nearly 40% pick a three star.
"Four star hotels have traditionally always proved particularly popular with business travellers as there is a perceived mark of quality that comes with this rating," said West. "However, independent hotels are certainly worth considering as they’ll typically be 15% cheaper than chain hotels and could have great facilities and user reviews."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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