British Hotel Room Rates Drop

Hotel room rates have dropped in some of the UK’s biggest cities for the first half of the year, latest figures from Hogg Robinson Group (HRG) have revealed. The biggest dip was in Belfast, while Cardiff, Bristol, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Leeds also saw moderate declines.

The bi-annual hotel survey from HRG shows that Belfast saw a 12% fall in the price of hotel rooms. The average room rate fell from £93.05 in the same period last year to £81.70. Despite this big fall, the city’s room rates are the second cheapest in the UK.

The cheapest city is Cardiff, which saw an 8% decline in average hotel prices from £78.03 to £75.72. Bristol saw a 6% decline, Manchester saw a 5% drop, and Glasgow, Edinburgh and Leeds saw a 4% fall in prices. Liverpool saw a small decline of 1% to £84.93, with it being the fifth cheapest among the 11 major cities.

Although many of the UK’s major cities have seen a decline in the average room rate, London seems to be resilient, as it was the only city in the country to experience a positive growth during the first half of the year. Hotel prices increased 1% to £154.18 in central London.

This means that holidaymakers who may be thinking about booking at Heathrow Airport’s hotel should be cautious in their choosing. The hotel had a 1% increase in average room rates to £103.87 during the period. HRG says that the rise is partly due to the ash cloud stranding travelers at the airport. Some hotel chain brands that are located at the airport include Premier Inn, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Sheraton and Hilton.