From: Subject: Britons miss out on cheaper room rates - Telegraph Date: Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:47:24 -0000 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; type="text/html"; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0000_01CAC2CC.DBBA7F70" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.5579 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0000_01CAC2CC.DBBA7F70 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/7353543/Britons-miss-out-on-cheaper-room-rates.html Britons miss out on = cheaper room rates - Telegraph

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Britons miss out on cheaper room rates

The continued weakness of sterling meant British travellers failed = to=20 benefit from the lower hotel rates in many popular destinations last = year.=20

By Fred Mawer
Published: 5:01PM GMT 02 Mar 2010

=20

The cost of a=20 hotel stay in some European cities has increased for British travellers, = thanks=20 to the continuing weakness of the pound Photo:=20 ALAMY

According to the Hotel Price Index, a far-reaching survey of the = actual=20 prices paid by customers booking on the accommodation website Hotels.com, hotel prices in New York = fell by=20 an average of 30 per cent in 2009 for American travellers paying in US = dollars,=20 but due to the poor exchange rate by only eight per cent for Britons = paying in=20 sterling.

Travel = news=20 homepage
Ebay=20 puts hotels under the hammer

In Europe, average prices paid by UK travellers in some cities = actually rose=20 =96 for example, in Paris by three per cent and in Rome by one per cent. = The most=20 significant rise was in Istanbul, where 2009 prices paid by Britons were = 16 per=20 cent up on 2008 =96 partly explained, claims the survey, by travellers = being=20 tempted by the relatively low price of the country=92s five-star hotels = and opting=20 for more affordable luxury.

Moscow registered the largest fall in prices, with hotel rates in = 2009=20 averaging =A3169, compared with =A3232 in 2008 =96 a 27 per cent drop. = The Russian=20 capital is no longer judged to be the world=92s most expensive city for = British=20 travellers to stay in. It is now second dearest, with Monte Carlo =96 = average room=20 prices =A3172 per night in 2009 =96 topping the list.

This week the value of sterling fell further against many leading = currencies=20 amid fears of a hung parliament. Sterling fell to below $1.5 for the = first time=20 in nearly a year. It also weakened against the euro to about 91p.

There has been better news for Britons taking domestic breaks. Across = the UK,=20 the average price paid in 2009 for a hotel room was =A384, down from = =A397 the=20 previous year =96 a 13 per cent fall =96 according to the survey.

Despite its year-on-year rates dropping from =A3124 to =A3111, Bath = still has the=20 highest average hotel prices of any UK city =96 a status it has held = since 2006.=20

=93We see the high rates as a positive thing,=94 said a spokeswoman = for Bath=20 Tourism. =93Plus it shows people are happy to come to Bath and spend = money, even=20 in a recession.=94

David Roche, president of Hotels.com, said he is expecting that hotel = prices=20 will stop falling this year as the global economy starts to pick up and = more=20 people choose to travel again, but he added that few hoteliers are = likely to put=20 up prices.

Bath: five affordable hotels

Despite Bath=92s expensive reputation, there are some decent and = affordable=20 places to stay in the city. As a general rule, keep costs down by = avoiding=20 Friday and Saturday nights, when virtually every hotel and b&b = increases its=20 rates.

White Hart Inn (01225 313985; http://www.whitehartbath.co.uk/) Excellent gastropub = with=20 basic dormitory accommodation (beds =A315 a night) and a few simple but = adequate=20 private bedrooms with their own bathrooms (doubles from =A340). Rates = include=20 no-frills, DIY breakfasts, which, weather permitting, you can eat in the = courtyard garden.

Travelodge Bath Waterside (http://www.travelodge.co.uk/) The better of the = budget chain=92s=20 two Bath properties, near the train station. Some bedrooms overlook a = canal=20 basin, though others face a busy road. Book online at least 21 days = ahead, and=20 rooms can be as low as =A319 a night, room only. However, rates are = rarely that=20 cheap: you=92ll have done pretty well if you pay under =A350.

SACO Bath Apartments (01225 486540; bath.sacoapartments.co.uk)= Modern=20 and really spacious serviced apartments with fully equipped kitchens, on = a=20 Georgian terrace near Thermae Bath Spa. Rates can be fantastic value:=20 Sunday-Thursday nights, currently as little as =A379 for a studio = apartment if you=20 stay two nights minimum and book online. The two studios with fold-out = beds go=20 for just =A365 a night.

Brooks Guesthouse (01225 425543; http://www.brooksguesthouse.com/) One of the best of = Bath=92s=20 many b & bs, in Victorian buildings a short stroll from the Royal = Crescent.=20 Buffed-up period furnishings - fireplaces, mirrors, chandeliers - = combine with=20 modern comforts, such as smart shower rooms. Breakfasts, which might = include=20 toasted brioche with smoked salmon and poached eggs, sound excellent. = Doubles=20 from =A385 b & b Sunday-Thursday; sometimes cheaper rates for = last-minute=20 bookings.

The Halcyon (01225 444100; http://www.thehalcyon.com/)=20 Brand new boutique hotel in a central Georgian townhouse. Minimal public = areas,=20 but stylish and colourful bedrooms - the cheapest doubles are compact, = but=20 keenly priced at =A399 room only Monday-Thursday.

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