Occupancy on the rise
Hoteliers in London saw a 1.6% drop in the cost of a room in October and November 2009, according to hotel consultants PKF.
The average room rate in London was £121.61 in October and November 2008, falling to £119.66 for the same period in 2009.
Occupancy figures, however, showed a 5.9% increase in October and November, up from an occupancy of 82% in 2008 to 86.9% in 2009.
Overall the revenue per available room (revPAR) in London was down 11.1% year on year.
Outside of London, both room rates and occupancy were down, by 7.2% and 5.8% respectively.
Some cities achieved a rise however, including Edinburgh. The Scottish capital saw a 3.3% rise in October and November, from 76% in 2008 to 78.5% in 2009.
Liverpool and Birmingham did not perform so well, with revPAR falling 22.1% and 13.7% respectively.
Robert Barnard, partner for Hotel Consultancy Services at PKF, said: "This year has been a difficult one for the leisure and hotel industry.
"This is not surprising given the current recessionary climate and average achieved room rate has been the main contributory factor.
"On a positive note, occupancy remains strong in certain cities and hoteliers should take heart from this."
PKF hotel trends survey takes information from a range of hotels across the UK, mainly three and four star chain operated properties.
www.pkf.co.uk