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Worldwide hotel prices squeeze UK consumer
Friday, 19 Apr, 2011
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Brits looking for a cheap hotel break should look to eastern Europe and cross the Middle East off their list, according to Hotels.com’s hotel price index.
The hotel booking site said that UK travellers are discovering room rates are getting more expensive with rises in more than three quarters of popular destinations.
Based on 2010 prices, the index showed that the most expensive destination to book a room is Muscat in Oman where average room rates are £185. The next dearest is Monte Carlo at £170, Doha at £169 and New York at £166.
Despite the fuss over the royal wedding, out of 62 cities London was only the 23nd most expensive, with average room rates at £114 (although that is a 10% rise on 2009). The UK overall is the 33rd most expensive destination out of 44 countries surveyed with the average rate at £83 a night.
The cheapest rooms, however, can be found in Tallinn (£54), Budapest (£65), Prague (£67) and Warsaw (£70). That said, bargain hunters should steer clear of Russia where the average room rate is £132.
For those willing to head further afield, Bangkok is offering good value at £58 and Orlando at £63.
Global communications director at Hotels.com Alison Couper said: “The fact that two cities in the oil-rich Middle East figure in the top three most expensive destinations reflects both the small number of hotel rooms but also the strength of demand for premium accommodation from both business and leisure travellers.
“At the other end of the price spectrum, Britons seeking great value should look at eastern Europe with Tallinn, Warsaw, Prague and Budapest offering tremendous deals.”
Couper added that on top of currency movements, occupancy rates and room capacity, external factors had influenced rates such as the ash cloud in Reykjavik and economic difficulties in Athens and Dublin. Average rates across the those cities fell 6%, 3% and 7% respectively.
She added: “UK travellers saw significant price rises in 2010 in many of their favourite destinations. This could in part be explained by the drop in the value of sterling but it was also due to hoteliers starting to raise rates and curbing the discounting culture that was prevalent in 2009.
“Price changes also seemed to reflect the volatile state of the world economy with cities in struggling western countries seeing falls but fast-developing nations such as Brazil, China and India all witnessing double-digit percentage increases.”
by Dinah Hatch
Dinah
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