Travel buyers have been urged to review their travel policies as new research shows hotel rates in each of the UK’s top destinations have increased in 2014 compared to last year.
A study from hotel booking firm HRS has found London to be Europe’s most expensive capital city to stay in for the last three quarters of 2014, with an increase of 17 per cent from the same period last year - Average room rates are now reaching nearly £134 a night.
This is followed by Edinburgh and Cardiff which both saw room rates jump 18 per cent from 2013. Leeds had the biggest growth with a 27 per cent rise compared to Q3 last year.
HRS said while this is good news for hoteliers buyers should review policies to get the best rates.
“The UK is on track to be the fasting growing G7 economy this year and this could be reflected in the price increase of hotel rooms across the nation,” said HRS managing director Jon West.
“While this spells good news for hoteliers, it reinforces the fact that now’s the time for those responsible for buying travel to review the effectiveness of their hotel programmes to ensure that their companies really optimise their hotel procurement and make substantial savings.”
He added: “Leveraging a single platform to tackle the entire procurement chain drives greater efficiencies, improved visibility and ultimately greater savings. With our Intelligent Sourcing offering, we are well placed to provide above-average response quotes thanks to our extensive global network.”
European rates
After London, the most expensive capitals in Europe are Zurich (€152) and Copenhagen (€142). The largest increase in room rates was seen in Madrid (€92), Lisbon (€92), and Berlin (€90), with increases of 19, 11 and six per cent respectively.
However, the overall outlook for room rates on the continent was considerably less positive than the UK, the HRS study found. The average room rate development across the top 21 destinations in Europe was just two per cent, compared to 17 per cent in the UK.
West said: “While low, the development in room rates shows a glimmer of hope for growth in the European economy – hopefully this will improve as we move into 2015.”
City travellers found the cheapest deals in Prague – averaging just €69 per night. Research also showed that visitors to Warsaw and Budapest can take advantage of moderate room rates and maximise business travel expenditures at just €71 per night.