This month sees hotel prices decrease to their cheapest throughout 2012, based on the 50 most popular European cities on trivago. An overnight stay in December will now cost an average of £84. Hotel prices were at their highest in May, when one night cost an average of £107.
In the UK, hotel prices have decreased to an average of £109 per night. The most expensive month during 2012 was August, when one night cost an average of £130. The cheapest month was February, when one night cost an average of £104. London hotel prices predictably peaked during August to an average of £212 per night, 22 per cent higher than the yearly average of £165.
These are the findings of the trivago Hotel Price Index (tHPI) reported monthly by www.trivago.co.uk. For more data and graphics please visit www.trivago.co.uk/hotelprices
UK Hotel Prices: 2% decrease compared to last month, 4% increase compared to last year
Hotel prices have fallen slightly in comparison to November, based on the 20 most popular UK cities on trivago. Cardiff has decreased by 12 per cent to an average of £81 per night, and London and Glasgow have decreased by 7 per cent to an average of £151 and £73 respectively.
The cheapest UK cities in December are Blackpool and Sheffield, where one night will cost an average of £56 and £67 respectively. The most expensive cities are London and Oxford, where one night will cost an average of £151 and £108 respectively.
In comparison to this time last year, UK hotel prices have increased marginally, based on the top 20 destinations on trivago. The most significant increases can be found in Belfast and Oxford, up 15 per cent and 11 per cent respectively.
EU Hotel Prices: 2% decrease in comparison to last month and last year.
Hotel prices have fallen slightly compared to last month and last year, based on the 50 most popular European cities on trivago.
In comparison to November, the most notable decrease can be found in Valencia, which has decreased by 19 per cent to £55 per night. Istanbul, Frankfurt and Brussels have all decreased by 11 per cent to £86, £77 and £88 per night respectively.
Riga, Latvia, has increased by 34 per cent in comparison to last month and 28 per cent in comparison to last year, suggesting it is an up and coming destination. One night will now cost an average of £74.
Other significant price increases in comparison to November include Dresden (up 23 per cent to an average of £80 per night), Prague (up 19 per cent to £84) Salzburg (up 18 per cent to £110). These three cities are popular winter destinations: Dresden and Prague feature famous Christmas markets, and Salzburg is a popular skiing destination.
In comparison to this time last year, destinations significantly cheaper include the Spanish cities of Seville (down 14 per cent to an average of £61 per night) and Madrid (down 9 per cent to £72).
The www.trivago.co.uk hotel price index shows the average overnight accommodation prices for the most popular European cities on trivago. Prices for a standard double room are calculated on the basis of one million daily price inquiries for overnight hotel stays generated through the trivago hotel price comparison service. trivago stores all hotel requests for each month and therefore gives an overview of hotel accommodation prices for the upcoming month. The tHPI reflects the hotel prices within the European online hotel market: The overnight accommodation prices of over 100 online travel agents and hotel chains create the average hotel prices for cities, regions and countries within Europe.