UK hotels hike up prices

Huddersfield Daily Examiner (Huddersfield, England), March 12, 2008

THE UK has the most expensive hotels in Europe, according to a price index out today.

Average costs of UK hotels rose 12% last year compared with 2006, taking a one-night stay to pounds 106, the index compiled by Hotels.com showed.

Bath was the most expensive city (pounds 117 for one night), followed by London (pounds 115), Oxford (pounds 113) and Aberdeen (where the price rose 34% to pounds 109).

Edinburgh (pounds 103 per night) also had hotels above the pounds 100-a-night mark. The cheapest town in which to stay was Coventry (pounds 57 a night).

The index also showed that, of major world cities, London was the fifth most expensive for a one-night hotel stay.

The only cities dearer than the UK capital last year were Moscow (pounds 194 a night), New York (pounds 143), and Dubai and Venice (both pounds 125).