UK Ferry Tickets

The increasing demand for short breaks is pushing up hotel prices in the UK and the rest of the world.

Several years ago we were content to have just one main holiday and maybe a mini-break somewhere if we were lucky.

Nowadays, we think nothing of taking several breaks in a year, sometimes in the UK and often abroad, courtesy of a no-frills flight that costs less than the price of a decent meal.

In the fourth quarter of last year, hotel prices rose by 17 per cent in Britain and 15 per cent worldwide, compared with the same period last year.

Often travel companies who sell hotels are powerless to do anything about it because they don’t own the properties and have little control over hoteliers’ pricing policies.

Which do you think is the most expensive city in England? Most people would say London, but in fact it is Bath, when you look at the average across all star-rated properties. The reason is because there is a shortage of budget accommodation in Bath.

In the city, average room rates rose six per cent to £114, while London prices jumped 22 per cent to £107. Edinburgh was the third most expensive city in the UK, with average rates of £95 per night. The costliest continental European city was Rome at £94, followed by Copenhagen and Amsterdam, both averaging £93.

Surprisingly, Moscow was the most expensive city in the world, with an average room rate of £172, while in the luxury hotel bracket, New York was the most expensive destination. The average cost of a stay in a five-star hotel in the big Apple in the fourth quarter of last year was £343 per room per night.

Which city do you think offers great value for money?

Guest Article by Jeremy Skidmore

Monday, April 9th, 2007