New research by HRS, The Hotel Solutions Provider, has revealed that London has become Europe’s most expensive capital to stay in, seeing an increase of more than 13% compared to Q1 2013.
With average room rates in London reaching nearly £116, this places the UK’s capital ahead of Zurich and Moscow which both have average room rates of £111 per room (€135).
Whilst London also remains the most expensive UK city for its average room rate per night, Edinburgh is the second most expensive in the UK (£89), with the city seeing a significant increase of almost 12% in average room rates against Q1 2013. Interestingly, Dublin has increased its average room rate by over 14%.
For those after a bargain, the cheapest room can be found in Liverpool which saw a decrease in room rates of nearly 5% compared to Q1 2013, with average room rates totalling an average of £69 per night.
Overall, UK hotel rates increased in the past year, alongside forecasts remaining upbeat for the UK economy which suggests that 2014 can once again be met with similar optimism for the UK’s hotel industry.
London, Zurich and Moscow are the most expensive top destinations in Europe
In Europe, with an increase of more than 13% London has stolen the top spot from Zurich which now is on a par with Moscow, both averaging €135 per room per night. Figures showed that Moscow’s average room rate dropped by 7% and Zurich dropped by nearly 2% against Q1 2013.
City travellers found the most inexpensive room rates in Budapest – finding room rates averaging just €66. Research also showed that visitors to Prague, Warsaw and Lisbon can also take advantage of more moderate room rates and maximise travel expenditure.
Istanbul, Moscow and Oslo also had slightly less expensive room rates than a year before, where the room rates decreased by around seven per cent in these cities. After London, the largest increase in room rates was seen in Athens (€81), Warsaw (€76) and Milan (€108), where the room rates increased by 14% for the Greek capital, and around 11 per cent for the other two capitals.
