Hotel rates up around the world

Global room rates rose by an average of 4% in 2011, the survey by Hotels.com showed.

There were increases in 69 of the 88 city or resort locations surveyed, with Asia the only region to see a dip in price.The average price of hotels in the UK dropped 1% to £82, although London rates rose 1% to £115 on average.

Looking at this year, Hotels.com said hotel prices in London during the Olympics were set for a 102% year-on-year increase.The average figure for a hotel room in London during the period of the Games is £213 a night.

European cities popular with Britons saw some big rises, with Amsterdam hotel rates increasing 9% and Venice and Barcelona rooms going up by an average of 8%. Greece’s economic woes led to a dip of 10% in Athens hotel rates, but Dublin rates increased 7% to £73, helped in part by visits by the Queen and President Obama. Baltic states’ rates rose, with Lithuania up 14%, Estonia up 11% and Latvia up 8%.

Britons found US hotel rates going up by an average of 3% in 2011, but the rise was steeper in some American cities, with San Francisco up 14% and Las Vegas rising 11%.

Average prices rose 13% in Australia last year and there was a 12% increase in new Zealand, fuelled by high demand during the Rugby World Cup. Earthquake-hit Christchurch saw a 41% rise – the highest increase in the survey.

The Japanese earthquake this time last year saw prices dip in some cities in the region. Asian destinations offered the lowest rates worldwide, dropping 2% on average compared with 2010.

Source - expressandstar