Hotels.com reports that UK hotel prices fall for the first time
in four years
Released
on: January 5, 2009, 4:44 am
Press
Release Author: Cordy Griffiths
Industry:
Travel
Press
Release Summary: Hotels.com has reported that sharp price falls
in Scottish cities have fuelled a 4% price drop for UK hotels
Press
Release Body: The Hotels.com Hotels Price Index (HPI)
has revealed that the prices paid for hotel rooms in the UK have
fallen for the first time in four years. Prices dropped 4% in
the third quarter of 2008 to £97 per room per night, compared
to £101 being paid during the same period a year earlier.
Prices
fell across many of the major UK cities in the third quarter of
2008 as hoteliers - particularly those in Scotland - looked to
ensure that occupancy levels were maximised.
Leading
the falls in Scotland was Inverness, where prices fell 15% to
an average of £94. Inverness was closely followed by Aberdeen,
where prices fell by 11% to £96 on average. In England,
Birmingham was the city most affected by price falls, experiencing
a 13% drop in prices from £75 to £66 per room per
night.
However,
a notable exception to the national picture was in the UK's most
expensive city, Bath. Prices here were up by some 13% in the third
quarter of 2008 compared to the same time in 2007, to an average
of £142 per night.
London
hotels also saw prices fall by 3% year on year to average
£116 per room per night in quarter three of 2008. Despite
the price drop, hotels
in London are still the second most expensive in the UK.
The
HPI from Hotels.com also revealed that Edinburgh
was the third most expensive city for hotels in the UK at £106
per room per night, despite experiencing a 5% drop in prices.
David
Roche, President of Hotels.com Worldwide, commented,
"Price falls across the UK means that there are currently
great deals to be had, as more affordable accommodation is on
offer. In cities such as Inverness, Aberdeen and Birmingham, steep
falls in the prices being paid for hotel rooms reflects the need
for hoteliers to keep occupancy levels at a maximum and consequently
luxury accommodation is now more affordable.
"On
the other hand, Bath's combination of high visitor levels and
luxury hotels means that it retains its place as the most expensive
city in the UK by a considerable margin.
"Demand
for rooms in the capital has kept London as the UK's second most
expensive city even though prices are down 3% on this time last
year. All this is good news for travellers in and to the UK."
About
Hotels.com
Hotels.com is the world’s most visited hotels bookings site*
and the global hotels specialist. Operating in all major markets
with dedicated staff, Hotels.com offers 80,000 quality hotels
worldwide, including New
York hotels and Paris
hotels. If a customer can find the same deal for less on a
prepaid hotel, Hotels.com will match it. Hotels.com also has one
of the largest hotel contracting teams in the industry negotiating
the best rates for its users, plus user-contributed reviews of
its properties.
Web
Site: http://www.hotels.co.uk/
Contact
Details: Cordy Griffiths
PR Manager
Hotels.com
42 Earlham St
Covent Garden
London
WC2H 9LA
020 7019 2268