Vienna hotel prices drop

Vienna hotel room prices have declined dramatically, new figures show.International hotel comparison platform Trivago said today (Tues) the average price for a standard double room in the Austrian capital dropped by 17 per cent to 108 Euros per night this month compared to June 2010.Viennese hotel rooms however remain more expensive than the European average which shrank by eight per cent from last month to the current month to 107 Euros.Trivago compares hotel prices in countries all over the world on the basis of 160,000 daily price inquiries with its monthly Trivago Hotel Price Index (THPI).A standard double room at hotels in the Czech capital Prague – which is just a four-hour drive from Vienna – declined by 14 per cent to 84 Euros.Rooms at hotels in Munich currently cost an average 104 Euros, up by two per cent from last month. The German city is located just 140 kilometres from Salzburg.Hungarian capital Budapest retained its image of a cheap opportunity for holiday trips. Trivago reports that a standard double room currently costs just 74 Euros in the city reachable in less than two and a half hours from Vienna.The website announced further that prices for rooms in the German capital Berlin plunged most strongly from last month to this month to an average 89 Euros, down by 26 per cent.The British capital London has the highest hotel price level with an average 183 Euros for a double room this month, up by 18 per cent.Statistik Austria said last month that the overall number of overnights in Austria soared by 3.1 per cent to 6.49 million in May compared to the same month in 2009.The state agency explained that a whopping 9.3 per cent increase of stays at four and five star hotels ensured a positive year on year balance.Hans Schenner, head of the Austrian Economy Chamber’s (WKO) tourism department, welcomed the news. He stressed that the figures confirmed the industry’s strong position since May 2010 was dominated by low temperatures and massive rainfalls. He pointed out that the weather meant cities and spa resorts had a very good month.A survey by the Austrian Hotel Industry Association (ÖHV) revealed recently that more than four in ten of the country’s hoteliers expected more overnights this summer year on year.ÖHV general secretary Thomas Reisenzahn said 41 per cent of interviewed hotel managers were optimistic, stressing that just 13 per cent had expected better year on year figures the same time last year.