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Luxury for everyone: U.S. travelers can now enjoy a glamorous trip for less

Panama City, Bangkok, Istanbul, Berlin and Athens offer the best-value 5-star hotel per night for U.S. travelers. Riviera Maya and Kyoto were where U.S. travelers paid the most per night for 5-star hotels in 2015. Rio de Janeiro, Rome and Seoul among others experienced price decrease at both the 5-star and 4-star levels due to weaker currencies.

DALLAS – U.S. travelers looking for the perfect way to spend their tax refund now have more options without breaking the budget. With the U.S. dollar going from strong to stronger in 2015, there were plenty of cities amongst the most popular destinations for U.S. travelers. According to the latest Hotels.com Hotel Price Index (HPI), average rates paid for 5-star and 4-star hotel accommodation fell substantially during the year – meaning luxury was available for less.

This year, consumers can:

  • Complete their tax return through H&R Block and load a portion of their return on a Hotels.com gift card + get a bonus 10% in gift card
  • Get a 20% discount on filing taxes with H&R Block online or via software
  • Make their tax refund go even further and receive a special coupon: 10% off bookings made April 15- April 18, and travel by July 31
  • Check out where to spend their tax return.

“More consumers are spending their tax refund on experiences versus tangible items,” said Taylor L. Cole, APR, travel expert for Hotels.com. “By filing your taxes with H&R Block, you have access to additional discounts on Hotels.com. H&R Block cites the average return is $2,800 in the U.S. so we want to help Americans stretch their dollar even further by helping them plan a more affordable summer getaway.”

Top 10 destinations with the best-value 5-star hotels per night for U.S. travelers in 2015

City

Country

2015 Price

Panama City

Panama

$177

Bangkok

Thailand

$178

Istanbul

Turkey

$179

Berlin

Germany

$189

Athens

Greece

$201

Frankfurt

Germany

$205

Beijing

China

$211

Phuket

Thailand

$224

San Antonio, TX

U.S.A.

$228

Melbourne

Australia

$234

Less than $150 a night? There were 19 domestic and international cities with 4-star averages of less than $150 a night in 2015. Bangkok registered the best 4-star average of $93, with Istanbul at $110 and Panama City at $119. Las Vegas came in first for the U.S. at $134 a night.

The star rating that was purchased by U.S. travelers with $150 a night or less on average in 30 popular destinations in 2015

City

Country

$150

Athens

Greece

4

Bali

Indonesia

4

Bangkok

Thailand

4

Beijing

China

4

Berlin

Germany

4

Bogota

Colombia

4

Buenos Aires

Argentina

4

Frankfurt

Germany

4

Istanbul

Turkey

4

Las Vegas, NV

U.S.A.

4

Madrid

Spain

4

Panama City

Panama

4

Phuket

Thailand

4

Don’t want to break the budget? Four Asian destinations had the lowest 3-star rates, ranging from Bangkok at $46 to Beijing at $76, and overall 16 cities had averages under $100 a night. The best value U.S. city was part of this group as Las Vegas recorded an average of $91. For a cheaper trip in Latin America, Buenos Aires came out as the best 2-star rate at $36 while, in Europe, Istanbul earned this distinction at $49. In the U.S, Orlando won the title with $77 a night.

Where prices paid per night by U.S. travelers at top-end hotels fell the most between 2015 and 2014

City

Country

Star Rating

2015

2014

% Change

Rio de Janeiro

Brazil

4

$186

$275

-32%

Rio de Janeiro

Brazil

5

$277

$399

-31%

Sao Paulo

Brazil

4

$136

$188

-28%

Sao Paulo

Brazil

5

$263

$341

-23%

Istanbul

Turkey

4

$110

$138

-20%

Venice

Italy

5

$438

$533

-18%

Paris

France

4

$236

$286

-17%

Seoul

South Korea

4

$128

$155

-17%

Acapulco

Mexico

4

$156

$189

-17%

Bogota

Colombia

4

$126

$151

-16%

*Average prices paid per night include taxes and fees. All prices are in US dollars.

Photo caption: Grand Bretagne Hotel lobby, Athens, Greece.

News Editor - TravelDailyNews Media Network | + Posts

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.

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