BUSINESS travellers have voted New York hotels the most expensive in the world, according to a new survey by BTI UK.
The business travel agency took the data from 6,000 of its corporate clients who travelled between January and June 1999.
The results showed that a room in New York costs an average of £156 a night, the most expensive than anywhere else in the world. The room cost was slightly less than 1998 prices for the city, but other high-priced cities shaved more off their prices this year compared to last year.
Azerbaijan is the most expensive country for business travellers to stay in, with room costs averaging £148. Moscow was voted the most expensive city in Europe – the average room cost also at £148. A room in an average hotel in London costs £114 per night, making the capital the 13th the most expensive city in Europe and the 31st in the world. Statistics show that, during the first half of the year, room rates rose by an average 2.54% worldwide to £88.96 per night, marginally down on the increase across the whole 12 months in 1998.
BTI UK head of hotel relations and strategy Jason Harris said:”Hoteliers were cautious when negotiating rates for 1999 because of uncertainty about global economic conditions.”
Of the 59 countries analysed, room rates fell in 21 of them during the six-month period. The most dramatic decrease was in China and Hong Kong where the reduction was nearly 40%, with the average cost £94 a night.