Hotels.com reports UK hotel prices fall by 16%

Hotels.com has reported that hotel prices in the UK fell by 16% in the first half of the year, as global hotel prices plummeted to their lowest level for five years.

The average price of a hotel room in the UK was down by 16% between January and June 2009 compared to the same period in 2008, according to the latest Hotels.com Hotel Price Index (HPI). An average hotel room across the country now costs just £83 per night, down from £99 per night last year, making it a great time to holiday at home.

For a week's break in the UK, a couple would save an average of £112 on hotel rooms this year compared to 2008, with the levels of savings even more dramatic in many major cities.

For overseas visitors to the UK, the news was even better; the weakness of the pound coupled with hoteliers lowering their rates to stimulate business meant that the average prices paid by travellers from Europe or the US were down by as much as 39% in some UK cities.

The Hotels.com Hotel Price Index tracks the real prices paid per hotel room (rather than advertised rates) for 78,000 hotels across 13,000 locations around the world. The latest HPI looks at prices from January to June 2009, compared to the same period in 2008.

For the first time since the HPI was first published four years ago, prices paid were down in every major UK destination, making it a great time to plan a 'staycation'.

Southampton (where prices were down 33% to £57 per room per night), Belfast (down 29% to £68) and Aberdeen (down 25% to £83) experienced the steepest price falls for UK travellers. Similarly, London hotels became more affordable for those planning a visit to the capital, with prices down 12% on 2008, to £101 per night on average.

Despite the fact that prices fell by 6% between 2008 and 2009, Bath, with its relatively low number of hotel rooms and predominance in the luxury sector, remained the UK's most expensive destination. A hotel room in the Georgian city cost travellers £111 per night on average.

Sharp price falls for US and European travellers to Britain in the first half of the year made the UK one of the more affordable destinations for overseas travellers. Hotel prices across the country fell by 28% for US travellers and by 22% for European visitors between June 2009 and the previous year

David Roche, President, Hotels.com Worldwide, said: "We were expecting 2009 to be a year of dramatic price reductions and, so far, it has been. The UK is no exception to this and is now a more affordable and attractive destination than ever.

"For UK travellers, it is a great time to stay closer to home and explore the British Isles, while for visitors from overseas, there has never been a better chance to come and enjoy the UK at 2004 prices."

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About Hotels.com
As part of the Expedia group which operates in all major markets, Hotels.com offers more than 100,000 quality hotels, B&Bs and serviced apartments worldwide including hotels in New York, Edinburgh hotels and hotels in Dublin. If a customer can find the same deal for less on a prepaid hotel, Hotels.com will match it. Hotels.com benefits from one of the largest hotel contracting teams in the industry negotiating the best rates for its customers, plus there are 1.3m reviews from users who have actually stayed in the hotels to ensure customers make an informed choice when booking. Hotels.com won the Gold Award for best hotel booking site in Webuser magazine in February 2009.

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