Hotel prices soar by a fifth abroad but Britain gets cheaper

Published on Monday 23 March 2009 21:05

UK HOTEL room prices fell sharply at the end of last year but British tourists had to pay more for rooms at many popular overseas destinations.

Average UK room prices dipped 12 per cent to 93 per night in the last three months of 2008 compared with the same period in 2007, according to Hotels.com.

But one night in a Swiss hotel rose, on average, to 120 – a 22 per cent increase. Other countries included Greece (up 15 per cent), Holland (up 14 per cent) and France (up 11 per cent).

Figures for individual cities showed average London hotel room rates dipping 12 per cent from 126 per night at the end of 2007 to 111 at the end of 2008.

Edinburgh prices fell from 99 to 95 and Belfast room rates dipped 17 per cent to 83. But Cardiff average prices rose slightly from 87 at the end of 2007 to 93 at the end of last year.

The most expensive city at the end of 2008 was Moscow with rooms costing an average of 207 a night, although this was a fall on the 220 figure at the end of 2007.

The biggest increase was in Rio de Janeiro where room rates rose 63 per cent to 164 at the end of last year.

Britons travelling abroad had to contend with rising prices in a number of destinations, with Geneva up 34 per cent to 136, Zurich up 20 per cent to 119, Washington DC up 18 per cent to 115 per night, Paris rising 13 per cent to 112 and Munich up 10 per cent to 93.

The least expensive major city at the end of last year was the Latvian capital Riga where average rooms cost just 50 a night.