Hotel rates soar in UK & Ireland

The latest research from HRS revealed that 2014 Tour de France host Leeds enjoyed the biggest increase in hotel rates, up 21.6 per cent year on year, while London rates soared by 16.1 per cent and Birmingham rates increased by 14.5 per cent.

London was the most expensive city for a hotel in the UK and Ireland, and the only to break the £100 barrier, with average room rates of £126 per night. Edinburgh was the second most expensive city at £99 and Bristol came in third at £87.

The cheapest average room rates were found in Birmingham (£74) and Liverpool (£74).

Jon West, managing director of HRS UK & Ireland, said: “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.”

Europe and worldwide​

While UK hotel rates showed 9 per cent year-on-year growth in 2014, HRS said average rates fluctuated ‘significantly’ in cities across Europe and worldwide

London beat Zurich into second place in the European rankings, with average rates in the Swiss city at £110 a night. Paris came in third at £106.

New York was the world’s most expensive city, with average room rate of £157 per night, while Washington came in second at £130 and Rio de Janeiro third at £128.

Capital costs​

In June 2014, London overtook Sydney, Paris, New York, Stockholm, Zurich and Oslo to claim the title of most expensive city break destination in the world​​.

TripAdvisor’s TripIndex Cities cost comparison found that the average cost of an evening out and stay in a four star hotel in the capital was £311.80 – nearly £40 more expensive than in Oslo, which previously held the title of most expensive city break destination.