UK Hotel Rates Drop

Hotel room rates in some of the UK’s biggest cities have dropped for the first half of the year, according to the latest figures from Hogg Robinson Group (HRG), the corporate travel services organization. The largest dip was in Belfast, while Cardiff, Bristol, Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds and Edinburgh was moderate declines as well.

The bi-annual report from HRG shows that there was a 12% decline in average room rates in Belfast for the period. Prices fell from £93.05 last year during the same time to £81.70. The city’s rates, however, were the second cheapest in Britain.

The cheapest rates were in Cardiff, which saw an 8% fall in the average hotel price from £78.03 to £75.72. Bristol witnessed a 6% fall, Manchester rates declined 5%, while Glasgow, Leeds and Edinburgh prices dropped 4%. Liverpool only saw a slight 1% fall to £84.93, making it the fifth cheapest of the 11 major cities surveyed.

Although most of the major cities in Britain saw a decline in average room rates, London defied the odds and was the only city to see positive growth during the period. Hotel prices rose 1% to £154.18 in central London.

Holidaymakers should be sure to look around before booking a hotel room at Heathrow Airport due to this rise. Rates for hotels – including Hilton, Sheraton, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn and Premier Inn – averaged £103.87 for the period. HRG says that this increase is partially due to the ash cloud, which stranded travelers at the airport for weeks while European airspace, particularly in the UK, was closed.