The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.

Most expensive places in the UK to book a hotel revealed - and London is not number one

A Scottish town has beaten London to the top spot for 2014

Lizzie Dearden
Monday 09 March 2015 17:18 GMT
Comments
The City of London skyline
The City of London skyline

The most expensive UK cities to book a hotel in have been revealed, with a small Scottish town narrowly beating London to the top spot.

St Andrews, home of the third-oldest British university and famed for its historic golf course, was the priciest place in the country for an overnight stay according to Hotels.com’s Hotel Price Index.

Prices per room per night averaged £156 in 2014, up five per cent on £148 the previous year.

It was above London, at £136, Oxford (£127), Bath (£120) and Windsor (£118). Only one place in the top 10 – the channel island of Jersey, had hotel rooms averaging under £100 a night in the top 10.

Charges rose across the UK, thanks in part to the Commonwealth Games in Scotland and Tour de France in Yorkshire, according to the website’s analysis.

Glasgow and Leeds both benefited from those sporting events by seeing hotel prices jump by around 10 per cent.

Bristol appears to be seeing increased interest, recording the greatest price increase of 13 per cent, bringing hotel room averages to £87 a night.

Hotel prices are rocketing in Bristol

Matt Walls, vice president of Hotels.com, said: “The UK clearly displayed the ability to attract a record number of visitors in 2014. In spite of the increase in the national average room rate, overall prices paid by consumers are still great value, a clear indication that the tourism industry here is in good shape.”

Bradford was found to be the cheapest place at £51 – less than half the national average of £104 – followed by Scarborough and Blackpool.

Only five UK destinations registered falling prices: the Cotswolds, Jersey, the Lake District, Canterbury and Sheffield.

If you really want to flash the cash, Monte Carlo in Monaco is the place

The most expensive place in the world for British travelers was Monte Carlo, at an eye-watering £214, followed by Key West in Florida at £188.

The Index was compiled using transactions through Hotels.com only and includes bed and breakfasts, self catering premises and independent hotels.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in