London is represented with a plus of 7.35 %, reaching £144.53, in the latest price barometer, and is therefore still very high-priced. Numerous trade fairs and several events resulted in a high demand for rooms and a high revenue for hotel owners.
LONDON – Due to dropping prices for accommodation, low prices for oil, and weak foreign currencies, travelling for a bargain is easier than ever. The price barometer of international booking portal HOTEL INFO shows which destinations cost the least and how accommodation expenses fare within the UK.
According to calculations published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) in the UK has dropped by 0.1% in September 2015. Especially fuel prices have gone down. Prices for accommodation services, however, have increased slightly, according to studies carried out by the international booking portal HOTEL INFO. Thereby, the accommodation price trends vary drastically from town to town, as can be seen in the latest price barometer.
Edinburgh and Coventry decidedly cheaper
London is represented with a plus of 7.35 %, reaching £144.53, in the latest price barometer, and is therefore still very high-priced. Numerous trade fairs and several events resulted in a high demand for rooms and a high revenue for hotel owners.
In Edinburgh, Coventry and Leeds, on the other hand, people could make a bargain. Accommodation costs in the Scottish capital dropped by an average of 16.38 % to £92.54, whereas in the industrial town in the West Midlands they went down by 10.73 % to £74.75, and in Leeds they went down by 7.79 % to £88.91.
The results of the hotel price barometer for selected cities in the UK
(Average rates in GBP per night/room)
| City | September 2015 | September 2014 | Cf. September 2015 to September 2014 in % |
|
| 1. | London | 144.53 | 134.63 | 7.35 |
| 2. | Colnbrook | 112.87 | 113.65 | -0.69 |
| 3. | Manchester | 102.84 | 94.11 | 9.28 |
| 4. | Glasgow | 99.99 | 81.56 | 22.59 |
| 5. | Edinburgh | 92.54 | 110.67 | -16.38 |
| 6. | Leeds | 88.91 | 96.42 | -7.79 |
| 7. | Liverpool | 85.67 | 80.18 | 6.86 |
| 8. | Nottingham | 78.79 | 71.34 | 10.44 |
| 9. | Coventry | 74.75 | 83.73 | -10.73 |
| 10. | Birmingham | 73.66 | 70.72 | 4.16 |
Price turbulences in Europe
“On an international level, various events, currency fluctuations, and the general economic situation are responsible for the development of accommodation costs”, explains Jorg Malang, Chief Product Officer at HOTEL INFO.
London is the number 1 among the European business centres and is also the most expensive capital in Europe. In Stockholm and Warsaw, hotel guests will also have to reach deeper into their pockets. The higher costs in the Swedish capital (plus 2.41 % to £113.40) could be a result of the qualifier for the upcoming European Football Championship taking place in the neighbouring town of Solna. In the Polish capital (plus 3.11 % to £64.95), the high demand for rooms was a result of the Warsaw Marathon, one of the biggest marathons in Europe.
Things are very different in Oslo, Moscow and Rome. In Norway, the low oil price affects the economic mood, and the local currency has lost in value, compared to the previous year. With a drop in room prices of more than 30%, more than half of which is related to currency issues, accommodation prices in Oslo (£82.60) have reached their lowest level in years. Hotel guests in Rome (minus 18.80 % to £67.73) were also able to save money.
The low oil price and economic sanctions due to the Ukraine crisis dimmed the economic mooed in Russia as well. Compared to last year, the rouble is only worth half its value. UK tourists looking for a hotel could therefore get rooms in Moscow for an average of £70. Three years earlier, hotel prices in the Russian metropolis were twice as high, and in the Ukrainian capital they were even three times as high. In Kiev, hotel guests in September 2012 had to pay almost £90 per night, which was partly due to the European Championship, whereas now they are paying a mere £30.09. Kiev is therefore the most affordable capital in Europe.
Results of the hotel price barometer for European capitals
(average prices in GBP per night/room)
| City | September 2015 | September 2014 | Cf. September 2015 to September 2014 in % |
|
| 1. | London | 144.53 | 134.63 | 7.35 |
| 2. | Copenhagen | 120.87 | 123.94 | -2.48 |
| 3. | Stockholm | 113.40 | 110.73 | 2.41 |
| 4. | Paris | 111.87 | 125.44 | -10.81 |
| 5. | Bern | 110.04 | 118.35 | -7.02 |
| 6. | Amsterdam | 108.36 | 113.82 | -4.80 |
| 7. | Helsinki | 100.20 | 108.87 | -7.97 |
| 8. | Oslo | 82.60 | 124.95 | -33.90 |
| 9. | Berlin | 75.32 | 79.10 | -4.79 |
| 10. | Athens | 74.08 | 83.01 | -10.76 |
| 11. | Moscow | 69.90 | 108.64 | -35.66 |
| 12. | Rome | 67.73 | 83.41 | -18.80 |
| 13. | Warsaw | 64.95 | 62.99 | 3.11 |
| 14. | Vienna | 64.55 | 73.29 | -11.93 |
| 15. | Madrid | 57.78 | 68.04 | -15.08 |
Photo caption: Dukes Hotel London.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
