08 March 2010

European hotel prices on the rise

Major UK cities saw only minor fluctuations in hotel accommodation prices over the past month, latest figures show.

The average cost per night increased two percent in London (£126) and rose one per cent in Birmingham (£88), York (£104) and Glasgow (£79).

London remains the most expensive city in the UK, meaning that the capital is the fourth most expensive European city behind Milan (£139), Oslo (£142) and Geneva (£177).

No change was recorded in Nottingham (£73), while costs in Manchester dropped two per cent to £87.

A higher-than-average increase of six per cent was also registered in Edinburgh (£108), and stands in sharp contrast to March 2009, when the average stay cost only £94.

The average overnight price climbed steeply in Dublin to £103 - 18% higher than in February - in anticipation of the RBS Six Nations Championship and several upcoming cultural events and festivals.

The figures come from the latest monthly Hotel Price Index study by hotel price comparison site www.trivago.co.uk.

Prices in 34 of the top 50 European cities dropped in comparison to last year while the average price of hotels in Europe stayed constant at £93 in the past month.

Prices in many tourist capitals have increased over the past month. A hotel room in Rome (£103) costs 13% more than in February; in Vienna (£105), the price has gone up by 19%.

Increases have also occurred in Amsterdam (£106), Athens (£84) and Barcelona (£93), with all three cities seeing increases of nine per cent from February to March.

The opposite is true in Denmark and Sweden, though prices in both countries are still far higher than the European average, according to the study.

Hotel rooms in Copenhagen (£118) and Stockholm (£122) have dropped by six per cent since February.

by Phil Davies

Post your comment

Your Comments (1)

Home swap for your next vacation instead!

The rise of hotel costs is making me hesitate on getting hotel accommodations. I think the best way to travel right now is home swapping. I did one in Paris a few months ago through www.RoofSwap.com. I stayed in a really nice apartment overlooking the Eiffel Tower while a family of four stayed in my UES apartment for a week.

By Judy Dolce, Tuesday, March 9, 2010