London hotel rates rise to highest in Europe

According to the latest research from hotel solutions provider HRS, London hotels are now the most expensive in Europe, knocking Zurich off the top spot.

The study, which analysed all hotel bookings made via the HRS hotel portal in 2014, showed that all of the UK and Ireland's major cities recorded an increase in average room rates of at least 9% for the year, compared with 2013. In contrast, average room rates showed significant fluctuation in cities across Europe and woldwide.

London recorded average hotels rates of £126 per night, followed by Zurich with average room rates of £110 per night, and Paris in third place at £106 per night. 

In the UK, Leeds hotels saw the highest price rise, with an average increase of 21.6%. London followed behind with an average increase of 16.1%, while Birmingham saw an average rise of 14.5%.

Edinburgh was the second most expensive UK city, with average rates of £99 a night, while Bristol was third on £87. The city with the cheapest average hotel rate in the UK was Birmingham, at £72 per night, closely followed by Liverpool at £74 per night (up 9% from 2013).

Jon West, managing director of HRS UK & Ireland, commented: "These figures show that UK hoteliers are clearly reaping the rewards from an uplift in demand from both leisure and business travellers. This is great news for hoteliers who are able to charge more on average for their rooms per night, but obviously not so great for guests paying a premium.

"In fact, as rates continue to increase in the UK and Ireland, and fluctuate globally, we really would urge travel and procurement managers to review the effectiveness of their travel programmes on a regular basis to ensure they’re getting the best rates possible to make substantial savings for the long-term."

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