SOFIA OFFERS BEST VALUE HOTEL STAY COMBINED WITH ROOM SERVICE FOR BRITS ABROAD, ACCORDING TO TRIPADVISOR COST COMPARISON REPORT

Sofia Offers Best Value Hotel Stay Combined With Room Service For Brits Abroad, According To Tripadvisor Cost Comparison Report

TripAdvisor TripIndex Room Service compares the price of hotel room rates and incidentals in 48 popular destinations around the world

Sofia, Bulgaria offers the best value for British travellers this summer when it comes to the common incidental costs while staying in a hotel, according to a cost comparison report released today by TripAdvisor, carried out across 48 destinations selected to be included in this study.

The results are taken from the third annual TripAdvisor TripIndex Room Service report, which compares the cost of hotel room service items in 48 popular destinations around the world. The study takes into account the cost of a one night stay in a four-star hotel, a club sandwich ordered through room service, the dry cleaning of one shirt as well as refreshments from the mini bar.

In Sofia, the combined cost of a night in a hotel, based on availability on TripAdvisor, along with room service comes to an average of £63.78 – more than four times cheaper than at the costliest destination, New York, where the average hotel price on TripAdvisor, plus room service amenities, totals £276.61.

“Hotel prices can vary a great deal across destinations – even when comparing like for like amenities – so it pays to shop around to find the best deal. Hotel room rates, for example, can vary between travel agents, so using the price comparison tool on TripAdvisor can be a great way to find and book a good deal,” commented TripAdvisor spokesperson, James Kay.

Head to Eastern Europe for a bargain

This study highlights the wide range of prices that can be found in destinations around the world, for example, from the destinations included in this study, Europe boasts six of the world’s 10 best value destinations (Sofia, Kiev, Warsaw, Budapest, Prague and Moscow), yet is also home to six of the world’s 10 most expensive, with Scandinavian cities in particular dominating.

London revealed as third priciest destination in the world

Despite the fact that many London hotels offer bottled water complimentary to guests, the 2015 TripIndex Room Service report places the capital third place in the most expensive destinations league table, after New York and Zurich.

In London, on average a club sandwich will set travellers back £15.74, a mini bottle of vodka costs £8.46, a can of cola is £2.77, a packet of peanuts is £4.00 and it will cost £6.32 to dry clean a shirt. However, it’s the cost of the room itself that makes London such an expensive destination compared to its global rivals. One night’s stay in a four-star hotel costs an average of £184.38 in London – the second most expensive destination in the world for hotel rates after New York City.

TripIndex Room Service at a glance

From the least expensive to the most expensive (green and orange indicate least and most expensive destinations for each item respectively):

*Cheapest:**
Rank	Country	City	Club sandwich		Water		Vodka		Cola		Peanuts		Dry cleaning	Hotel room rate	Total
1	Bulgaria	Sofia	£4.05		£1.16		£2.49		£1.32		£2.41		£3.71	£48.64	£63.78
2	Ukraine	Kiev	£ 3.07		£0.82		£1.33		£0.61		£1.01		£2.42	£60.22	£69.48
3	Indonesia	Jakarta	£ 5.16		£ 1.51		£ 3.33		£ 1.97		£ 1.54		£ 2.04	£ 56.29	£71.84
4	Poland	Warsaw	£ 7.27		£ 2.60		£ 3.57		£ 2.13		£ 2.14		£ 5.92	£ 52.82	£76.45
5	Egypt	Sharm el Sheik	£ 5.33		£ 1.09		£ 2.20		£ 1.43		£ 1.66		£ 2.15	£ 65.30	£79.16
6	Malaysia	Kuala Lumpur	£ 7.24		Free		£7.39		£1.43		£1.61		£ 3.00	£ 58.95	£79.62
7	Hungary	Budapest	£ 6.41		£ 1.20		£ 3.31		£ 1.40		£ 1.54		£ 3.17	£62.84	£79.87
8	Vietnam	Hanoi	£ 8.26		£ 3.14		£ 6.75		£ 2.00		£ 1.97		£ 4.08	£ 57.19	£83.39
9	Czech Republic	Prague	£ 7.78		£ 1.68		£ 3.04		£ 1.65		£ 1.61		£ 4.08	£ 69.74	£89.58
10	Russia	Moscow	£ 7.99		£ 2.20		£ 3.96		£ 2.35		£ 2.12		£ 4.79	£ 66.34	£89.75
*Most expensive:**
Rank	Country	City		Club sandwich		Water		Vodka		Cola		Peanuts	Dry cleaning	Hotel room rate	Total
1	USA	New York		£ 14.87		£ 3.60		£ 10.22		£ 2.94		£ 4.24	£ 7.16	£ 233.58	£276.61
2	Switzerland	Zurich		£ 21.73		£ 4.21		£ 10.78		£ 3.50		£ 2.98	£ 8.86	£ 182.71	£234.77
3	UK	London		£ 15.74		Free		£ 8.46		£ 2.77		£ 4.00	£ 6.32	£ 184.38	£221.67
4	Canada	Toronto		£ 12.18		£ 2.91		£ 17.39		£ 2.25		£ 5.40	£ 7.11	£ 157.13	£204.37
5	France	Paris		£ 12.81		£ 3.64		£ 6.37		£ 4.19		£ 4.91	£ 7.04	£ 164.03	£202.99
6	Japan	Tokyo		£ 14.08		£ 2.78		£ 4.97		£ 2.23		£ 2.76	£ 4.69	£ 152.36	£183.87
7	Norway	Oslo		£20.49		£ 3.77		£ 12.09		£ 3.69		£ 2.86	£ 13.28	£ 121.28	£177.46
8	Hong Kong	Hong Kong		£ 15.39		£ 3.30		£ 9.26		£ 3.29		£ 4.11	£ 7.29	£ 134.32	£176.96
9	Sweden	Stockholm		£ 21.28		£ 3.05		£ 8.19		£ 2.65		£ 2.66	£ 6.74	£ 125.96	£170.53
10	Denmark	Copenhagen		£ 15.99		£ 2.96		£ 6.72		£ 2.86		£ 2.65	£ 6.90	£ 131.05	£169.13

* Prices are based on averages amongst ten hotels selected within each destination listed above

TripIndex Room Service 2015 best value and most expensive destinations:

For those planning to take a trip to any of the top five best value or most expensive destinations according to TripIndex Room Service 2015, here are some of the best rated hotels that are available to book on TripAdvisor and have availability during the summer period (1 June – 31 August 2015)*:

TripIndex Room Service 2015 best value destinations:

1. Sofia – Average nightly rate on TripAdvisor for hotels in Sofia, summer 2015: £48.64