Faster and smarter in the app... Download now

Go long haul for hotel bargains

British holidaymakers are being advised that the best hotel deals are to be found in long haul destinations where the pound is still relatively strong.

Hotels.com has produced a Hotel Price Index which reveals that hotel prices have risen by up to 32% in European destinations. In Geneva, a popular city break destination as well as a gateway to Swiss ski resorts, hotel prices have risen 32% to an average of £136 per room per night.

The average price of a hotel room in Monte Carlo has risen by 31% to a staggering £176 per night. And in another eurozone destination, average prices in the German city of Munich are up 13% to £111.

Hotels.com advises: "UK travellers would be wise to consider going the long haul to destinations such as Iceland, Morocco, Thailand, Australia, or South Africa, where the costs of a break aren’t affected by the rising cost of the dollar and the Euro".

The Hotel Price Index shows that average prices in a favourite winter sun destination Marrakech are just £79 per room per night. Prices in Iceland have come way down following the collapse of the banking system there and not surprisingly Iceland is now being tipped as a bargain holiday destination. Average hotel prices in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik are down to just £87 per room per night.

But some of the lowest average hotel prices in cities are to be found in long haul destinations. The average cost of a hotel room per night in the New Zealand city of Auckland is only £57. And even in Sydney, traditionally regarded as one of the most expensive cities, average prices are just £85. In Bangkok, Thailand average prices are £61, while in Shanghai in China the average cost of a room is £67.

“There has never been a better time for Brits to venture further afield to places where hotel prices are falling and the pound is still strong," says Hotels.com director of communications, Alison Couper.

But there is some good news about hotel rates in Europe. "For travellers preferring to stay closer to home there are still some fantastic deals to be found. Sites such as ours are currently offering savings of up to 50% on hotels in Europe,” Couper adds.