Hotels.com reveals which cities to visit to make pounds go further

Released on: April 20, 2009, 2:48 am
Author: Hotels.com
Industry: Travel

Hotels.com has revealed that, despite the pound being relatively weak against the Euro, British travellers seeking some sunshine this summer could find their pounds go much further than they might expect in a number of European destinations, with a trip to the continent potentially costing less than a UK break.

The Hotels.com Hotel Price Index* found that travellers who choose the Spanish party city of Barcelona (where the average cost of a room for the night is £93) over the historic British city of Bath (at around £119 per night) will save an average of £26 per night; adding up to a saving of £182 on a one-week holiday. This means that travellers could save significantly more than the cost of their flights by choosing the right European destination**.

In fact, British travellers who visit many of the most popular destinations on the continent will find the cost of a bed for the night is significantly lower than the cost of a hotel room at home.

Swapping a week at one of the many London hotels (average £111 per night) for the Portuguese capital of Lisbon (£89 per night) would save £308 on a two-week holiday, more than enough to cover flights to Lisbon with money to spare for sightseeing or a meal out.

At £87 per room per night, the Greek capital of Athens is significantly better value for British travellers than the Scottish city of Aberdeen (£104 per night on average). This saving of £17 per night would add up to a huge saving of £238 on a two-week holiday.

Alison Couper, Director of Communications for Hotels.com commented: "While the relatively poor exchange rate may be putting people off, we've found that that there are still plenty of great deals to be found in the Eurozone.

"Hotels make up a bigger proportion of the cost of a break, so by shopping around for the best deal, travellers can make significant savings, even when the price of flights is taken into consideration.

"Furthermore, hoteliers in the major European capitals want to attract UK city breakers and are therefore offering some very attractive discounts. There are savings of up to 50% on hotels in many European destinations on Hotels.com."

Notes to Editors:
* The Hotels.com Hotel Price Index (HPI) tracks the real prices paid per hotel room rather than advertised rates for 68,000 hotels across 12,500 locations around the world. The latest HPI was based on real prices paid by travellers during the period October-December 2008.

** A return flight from London Heathrow to Barcelona in April starts from £103 pp including taxes and fees at www.expedia.co.uk

About Hotels.com:
As part of the Expedia group which operates in all major markets with dedicated staff, Hotels.com offers more than 99,000 quality hotels worldwide, including Rome hotels, Paris hotels and Edinburgh hotels. If a customer can find the same deal for less on a prepaid hotel, Hotels.com will match it. Hotels.com benefits from one of the largest hotel contracting teams in the industry negotiating the best rates for its users, plus user-contributed reviews of its properties.

Hotels.com PR contact:
Cordy Griffiths
PR Manager
Hotels.com
42 Earlham St
Covent Garden
London
WC2H 9LA
020 7019 2360
www.hotels.co.uk