Hotels.com Reports UK Hotel Prices Fall By 16%
Released
on: September 16, 2009, 5:43 am
Author: Hotels.com
Industry: Travel
Hotels.com
has reported that hotel prices in the UK fell by 16% in the first
half of the year, as global hotel prices plummeted to their lowest
level for five years.
The
average price of a hotel room in the UK was down by 16% between
January and June 2009 compared to the same period in 2008, according
to the latest Hotels.com Hotel Price Index (HPI). An average hotel
room across the country now costs just £83 per night, down
from £99 per night last year, making it a great time to
holiday at home.
For
a week's break in the UK, a couple would save an average of £112
on hotel rooms this year compared to 2008, with the levels of
savings even more dramatic in many major cities.
For
overseas visitors to the UK, the news was even better; the weakness
of the pound coupled with hoteliers lowering their rates to stimulate
business meant that the average prices paid by travellers from
Europe or the US were down by as much as 39% in some UK cities.
The
Hotels.com Hotel Price Index tracks the real prices paid per hotel
room (rather than advertised rates) for 78,000 hotels across 13,000
locations around the world. The latest HPI looks at prices from
January to June 2009, compared to the same period in 2008.
For
the first time since the HPI was first published four years ago,
prices paid were down in every major UK destination, making it
a great time to plan a 'staycation'.
Southampton
(where prices were down 33% to £57 per room per night),
Belfast (down 29% to £68) and Aberdeen (down 25% to £83)
experienced the steepest price falls for UK travellers. Similarly,
London
hotels became more affordable for those planning a visit to
the capital, with prices down 12% on 2008, to £101 per night
on average.
Despite
the fact that prices fell by 6% between 2008 and 2009, Bath, with
its relatively low number of hotel rooms and predominance in the
luxury sector, remained the UK's most expensive destination. A
hotel room in the Georgian city cost travellers £111 per
night on average.
Sharp
price falls for US and European travellers to Britain in the first
half of the year made the UK one of the more affordable destinations
for overseas travellers. Hotel prices across the country fell
by 28% for US travellers and by 22% for European visitors between
June 2009 and the previous year
David
Roche, President, Hotels.com Worldwide, said: "We were expecting
2009 to be a year of dramatic price reductions and, so far, it
has been. The UK is no exception to this and is now a more affordable
and attractive destination than ever.
"For
UK travellers, it is a great time to stay closer to home and explore
the British Isles, while for visitors from overseas, there has
never been a better chance to come and enjoy the UK at 2004 prices."
-Ends-
About
Hotels.com
As part of the Expedia group which operates in all major markets,
Hotels.com offers more than 100,000 quality hotels, B&Bs and
serviced apartments worldwide including hotels
in New York, Edinburgh
hotels and hotels
in Dublin. 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 customers, plus there are 1.3m
reviews from users who have actually stayed in the hotels to ensure
customers make an informed choice when booking. Hotels.com won
the Gold Award for best hotel booking site in Webuser magazine
in February 2009.
PR Contact:
Cordy Griffiths
Hotels.com
42 Earlham St
Covent Garden
London
WC2H 9LA
020 7019 2268
www.hotels.co.uk