Across Europe, hotel rates on the rise
Room rates have gone up by as much as 11 per cent in some European cities.—Picture by iofoto/shutterstock.comPARIS, Aug 24 — Room rates in Europe were up in the second quarter of 2012 according to Hotel Reservation Service (HRS) and its Hotel Price Radar published August 23.
Rising prices were seen in many western and northern destinations around the continent – Stockholm (+8.8 per cent to €131.50 or approximately RM520) and Helsinki (+11.3 per cent to €127) being the cities with the highest rates. Moscow (+1.7 per cent to €151) had the most expensive rate. London hotels saw rates jump with the Olympics making the city a top destination (+7.2 per cent to €136).
The average price in Paris underwent a rise of 4.3 per cent to €139, but a number of French cities saw the cost of their rooms fall – notably Marseille (-5.9 per cent to €96) and Lyon (-6 per cent to €105).
Zurich also witnessed a price drop of 6.8 per cent but still ranks second most expensive on the list at €150.
Between April and June, travellers visiting the cities hit the hardest by the crisis found the most attractive European rates: Lisbon (-6.4 per cent to €78), Rome (-4.8 per cent to €109) and Barcelona (-2.7 per cent to €113).
In Athens, “hotel rates dropped to their lowest” to €80 though the price drop was minimal (-0.8 per cent), HRS revealed. — Reuters
