Miami’s Hotel Rates Increase Most, Travel Leaders Corporate Says

Business travelers to Miami have seen the biggest year-over-year increase in hotel room rates in the first quarter of 2013, compared with those of most other U.S. cities, according to a study by Travel Leaders Corporate. The study, which compared average nightly rates of hotel rooms for the first quarter of this year with the first quarter of 2012, includes data from cities most booked by business travelers.

Miami posted the largest year-over-year increase at 11 percent, followed by Dallas and New York, both at 9 percent. The Washington, D.C.-area posted a 1 percent increase, while West Palm Beach, Fla., and Chicago each posted a 2 percent increase.

Overall, the average cost per night of a domestic hotel room has increased 1 percent, and the average cost per night of an international hotel room decreased by 3 percent in the first quarter of 2013 over the same period last year.

Among other findings, Travel Leaders Corporate found that car rental rates hit at a three-year low in the first quarter of 2013, with an average daily rate of $42. Domestic airfare costs decreased by 2 percent year-over-year, while international airfare costs decreased for a third straight quarter, by 3 percent.

The company also found that the average cost of an international trip, including air, car, and hotel costs, decreased by 3 percent in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the first quarter of 2012. Clients paid $2,534 on average for international trips in the first quarter of 2013 compared to $2,613 in the first quarter of 2012.

The average cost of a domestic trip decreased by $1 — or less than a quarter of a percent — in the first quarter of this year compared to the first quarter of 2012. It’s the first time the average cost of a domestic trip has decreased since the start of 2010, the company said.

Source: Travel Pulse, http://www.travelpulse.com/miamis-hotel-rates-increase-most-travel-leaders-corporate-says.html