Mumbai is becoming an expensive place to spend the night, according to a new survey. Hotel rates in the Indian city have increased 30 per cent over the last six months, now averaging at 147.55 pounds sterling per night.
The rising rates have apparently been fuelled by a limited supply of upper-end hotels and an expansion in capacity at the city’s international airport.
London, meanwhile, came in at number nine on a list of the most expensive cities to bed down in for a night, with five per cent rate growth in the first six months of 2007, compared to seven per cent in 2006 (from 145.14 pounds sterling a night to 152.20 pounds sterling). Across the rest of Europe, Barcelona, Berlin and Aberdeen were the cities to have increased their rates the most since January (18 per cent, 17 per cent and 12 per cent respectively). Of all the regions worldwide, only Africa noted a decline in average room rates.
Overall, Moscow remains the most expensive city to get a hotel room, with average room rates now coming in at 236.06 pounds sterling per night, rising from 220.57 pounds sterling in 2006.
Margaret Bowler, director of global hotel relations at HRG, the company that commissioned the survey, said: “A key finding is the ever-growing importance of booking in advance, particularly for travellers looking to secure the best rates. Last-minute bookers are increasingly suffering from inflated rates in the most popular locations”.
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