London, the No1 business centre in Europe, is also the most expensive capital city in respect of overnight costs. Paris with an increase of 2.27 % to £125.44 and Oslo with 0,57 % to £124.95 were in second and third places. In Copenhagen guests also had to spend almost 7 % more at £124 than in the year before.
LONDON – Generally consumer prices in the UK and throughout the EU have risen slightly in comparison with the previous year. In London und Glasgow overnight costs have decreased quite considerably – just as in several international major cities.
Generally consumer prices have only risen slightly year on year by 0.4% in September throughout the European Union according to the European Office for Statistics, Eurostat (ESTAT). In the UK the rate of inflation was 1.2 %.* However hotels in the cities of London and especially Glasgow are kind to your travel budget. This is shown by the current Hotel Price Barometer of the free hotel booking portal hotel.info based on approximately 2 million bookings annually in 250,000 hotels. The results are shown for cities in Europe and in selected major business centres.
Birmingham shows a price increase
London with an average hotel rate of £134.63 per room/night was still very expensive. But in comparison with the same month a year ago the prices decreased by 3.29% in September. Travellers could also make savings in Glasgow. On average rooms cost £81.56 – about 13 % less. On the other hand Birmingham was much more expensive with an almost 10 % increase to £70.72.
Results of the hotel price barometer for the United Kingdom (average prices in GBP per night/room)
| City | September 2014 | September 2013 | Comparison September 2014 with September 2013 in % | |
| 1. | London | 134.63 | 139.21 | -3.29 |
| 2. | Manchester | 94.11 | 90.66 | 3.80 |
| 3. | Glasgow | 81.56 | 93.74 | -12.99 |
| 4. | Birmingham | 70.72 | 64.31 | 9.97 |
Business centres in Europe with considerable price increases
London, the number 1 business centre in Europe, is also the most expensive capital city in respect of overnight costs. Paris with an increase of 2.27 % to £125.44 and Oslo with 0,57 % to £124.95 were in second and third places. In Copenhagen guests also had to spend almost 7 % more at £124 than in the year before.
On the other hand booking customers could save money in the Russian capital, Moscow, which was amongst the most expensive big cities for years. A lower demand and the falling value of the Ruble caused by the crisis in Ukraine had an effect on the hotel prices in Moscow (£108,64).
Whoever is planning a city trip at the moment would be well advised to especially consider Prague and Budapest. Apart from the fantastic flair of these two major cities they offer excellent hotel value with considerable price reductions of 12 % to £59 (Prague) and almost 17 % to £55.23 (Budapest) and thus offer the most advantageous hotel rates in any of the European capital cities.
Results of the hotel price barometer for European capital cities (average prices in GBP per night/room)**
| City | September 2014 | September 2013 | Comparison September 2014 with September 2013 in % | |
| 1. | London | 134.63 | 139.21 | -3.29 |
| 2. | Paris | 125.44 | 122.65 | 2.27 |
| 3. | Oslo | 124.95 | 124.25 | 0.57 |
| 4. | Copenhagen | 123.94 | 116.28 | 6.58 |
| 5. | Berne | 118.35 | 117.33 | 0.87 |
| 6. | Amsterdam | 113.82 | 125.42 | -9.26 |
| 7. | Stockholm | 110.73 | 132.79 | -16.61 |
| 8. | Helsinki | 108.87 | 115.48 | -5.72 |
| 9. | Moscow | 108.64 | 129.03 | -15.80 |
| 10. | Rome | 83.41 | 94.11 | -11.37 |
| 11. | Berlin | 79.10 | 75.77 | 4.39 |
| 12. | Vienna | 73.29 | 78.31 | -6.41 |
| 13. | Madrid | 68.04 | 55.54 | 22.51 |
| 14. | Warsaw | 62.99 | 72.39 | -12.99 |
| 15. | Sofia | 59.16 | 59.88 | -1.20 |
Hotel prices in Brazil still at World Cup levels
New York is again the most expensive major city in the world at £186. In the Big Apple hotel guests are still able to save 3.72 % on overnight costs in comparison with the previous year. The situation is quite different in the major cities in Brazil. Here the hoteliers still seem to celebrate the World Cup as the hotel prices are still at the same high level as during the competition last summer. In Rio the increase is about 30 % to £119.62, while in Sao Paulo it is just less than 11 % to £104 in comparison with the previous year. In Sydney, Australia and Buenos Aires, Argentina, the prices have also risen noticeably.
“In some major cities the overnight costs have risen appreciably“, said Ralf Priemer, Managing Director of hotel.info. “Early booking can help you make savings on your travel costs, especially when the time of the trip coincides with major events.“ Above all booking portals such as hotel.info have a comprehensive hotel offer and a high degree of transparency which enables realistic and quick comparisons to be made. Business travellers in particular can make additional savings of as much as 30 % with hotel.info.
Results of the hotel price barometer for selected international major cities (average prices in GBP per night/room)**
| City | September 2014 | September 2013 | Comparison September 2014 with September 2013 in % | |
| 1. | New York | 186.13 | 193.33 | -3.72 |
| 2. | Sydney | 133.88 | 118.60 | 12.88 |
| 3. | Zurich | 128.43 | 129.36 | -0.72 |
| 4. | Singapore | 124.91 | 127.50 | -2.03 |
| 5. | Rio de Janeiro | 119.62 | 92.36 | 29.52 |
| 6. | Hong Kong | 115.37 | 117.77 | -2.04 |
| 7. | Tokyo | 106.43 | 106.68 | -0.24 |
| 8. | São Paulo | 103.94 | 93.73 | 10.90 |
| 9. | Buenos Aires | 82.72 | 73.87 | 11.98 |
| 10. | Istanbul | 69.94 | 73.76 | -5.18 |
* Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HVPI)
** Currency conversions are based on the average rates for the relevant month.
Photo caption: The Egerton House Hotel.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
