Cape Town, Tokyo, Madrid become more affordable for travelers

The quarterly Hotel Price Radar by HRS, the hotel portal, has identified a levelling of global hotel prices.

The quarterly Hotel Price Radar by HRS, the hotel portal, has identified a levelling of global hotel prices. Whilst most rates increased in Q1 2011, Q2 has seen many prices decrease, especially in Cape Town which has seen a dramatic decrease of 28% compared to the same time last year when it hosted the World Cup.

HRS compared hotel room prices in a total of 50 cities across the world to reveal that guests in Zurich and Sydney found the biggest rise in prices over the same quarter last year. Average prices for hotel rooms in both these cities rose by more than 20% โ€“ to more than โ‚ฌ160 in Zurich and just below โ‚ฌ143 in Sydney.

In most European cities room prices rose in Q2 2011 compared to the same quarter last year. For Istanbul, Warsaw and Zurich this was a double-digit rise. Zurich saw prices rise by 24.6% to more than โ‚ฌ160, knocking Moscow off the top spot. However, the Russian capital also reported higher prices โ€“ up by 5.63% to โ‚ฌ148.44. Other relatively expensive cities are Amsterdam, Oslo and Paris, with prices above โ‚ฌ130 per room.

Hoteliers in Madrid have been hit particularly hard by demand and the inevitable price war. With guest numbers low, room prices have fallen by more than 15% to less than โ‚ฌ88. One year after the Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo, the Norwegian capital has been unable to maintain the high price levels of the previous year. Hotels in Oslo charged just under โ‚ฌ132 per room per night in Q2 2011, 5.65% less than in the same period last year. HRS found prices had fallen by a similar amount in Athens. However, down by 1.62% to โ‚ฌ80.49, the decline has been a modest one.

The Eastern European cities Prague and Budapest are among the more reasonably priced at less than โ‚ฌ70. Other very popular cities such as Istanbul, Lisbon, Madrid, Warsaw and Vienna join Athens in the mid-range with prices ranging from โ‚ฌ80 to โ‚ฌ100.

Outside Europe, prices varied widely. In 13 of the 20 cities reviewed prices have fallen, mostly by a few percentage points. Cape Town, Tokyo and Las Vegas have seen a stronger decline of more than 15%. In Cape Town room prices have fallen one year after the football World Cup by 28%, the most significant HRS found in this survey. The average price paid by guests to the South African city in Q2 2011 was โ‚ฌ84.42; in the same quarter last year it was still over โ‚ฌ117. The prices have fallen to 2009 levels, the year before the World Cup.

With the fall in demand for hotel rooms associated with the environmental and atomic catastrophe in March 2011 in Japan, prices in Tokyo are also significantly down โ€“ by just under 24% to โ‚ฌ86.79.

Driven by the strong Australian dollar, the prices in Australia have increased disproportionately. In Sydney hotel guests paid an average of โ‚ฌ142.95 per room, 20.2% more than in Q2 2010. In Brazil, prices also rose in the wake of a strengthening currency. Travellers in Rio de Janeiro paid โ‚ฌ130.18, up 17.34% on the previous year. Overall, the most expensive city is New York; taking over from Sydney is Q1 of 2011. It leads the world with an average price of just under โ‚ฌ180.

Top Destinations:

in Europe
ร† Price for Q2 2011 in โ‚ฌ
ร† Price for Q2 2010 in โ‚ฌ
Price change in %

Amsterdam
138.50
127.25
8.84

Athens
80.49
81.81
-1.62

Barcelona
116.14
108.70
6.84

Budapest
69.26
70.26
-1.43

Helsinki
114.31
109.00
4.87

Istanbul
88.18
79.66
10.70

Copenhagen
121.25
114.15
6.22

Lisbon
82.84
79.94
3.62

London
126.88
118.83
6.78

Madrid
87.92
104.01
-15.47

Milan
108.45
102.82
5.48

Moscow
148.44
140.53
5.63

Oslo
131.74
139.63
-5.65

Paris
131.78
119.96
9.85

Prague
69.07
63.21
9.27

Rome
112.86
109.86
2.74

Stockholm
124.30
122.96
1.09

Warsaw
83.88
74.49
12.62

Vienna
99.74
95.69
4.23

Zurich
160.45
128.78
24.60

Table 1: Average price per room per night in a hotel in European cities, comparison between Q2 2011 and Q2 2010

Top Destinations:

Worldwide
ร† Price for Q2 2011 in โ‚ฌ
ร† Price for Q2 2010 in โ‚ฌ
Price change in %

Bangkok
47.04
51.19
-8.12

Buenos Aires
84.83
81.06
4.65

Dubai
90.72
93.46
-2.93

Hong Kong
108.80
102.55
6.10

Cape Town
84.42
117.26
-28.00

Kuala Lumpur
46.90
49.49
-5.23

Las Vegas
65.96
79.33
-16.85

Mexico City
54.21
58.60
-7.49

Miami
76.35
83.65
-8.73

Mumbai
84.47
71.14
18.73

New York
179.13
166.93
7.31

Peking
52.75
55.89
-5.63

Rio de Janeiro
130.18
110.94
17.34

Seoul
100.90
109.10
-7.52

Shanghai
61.07
66.81
-8.59

Singapore
137.20
139.41
-1.58

Sydney
142.95
118.93
20.20

Tokyo
86.79
114.17
-23.98

Toronto
89.03
100.28
-11.22

Vancouver
98.72
95.06
3.85

About the author

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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