Trend One

Extravagant escapism

Fifty two per cent of hotel guests stayed in one-star or three-star hotels in 2007, an increase of three per cent from 2006, according to research commissioned by Expedia, which shows this trend may continue in 2008. Almost half of those surveyed stayed at up-market and luxury-class hotels in the four and five-star rankings.(14)

Almost half (46 per cent) of Brits choose to stay in four-star or five-star hotels, almost double the number of French tourists, amongst whom just 25 per cent choose a luxury-class hotel.(15)

These figures not only show a great interest in superior travelling comfort, they indicate that people who book directly increasingly want to decide for themselves which services they spend money on whilst on holiday.

When it comes to hotels, British tourists are some of the biggest spenders in Europe and are prepared to fork out an average of £90 per night on a hotel room.

The Italians and French spend £82 per night, whilst the bargain loving Germans and Finns spend just £75 and £78 respectively. Brits are in fact only beaten by the Russians, who pay £103 per night on average for a night in a hotel.

When it comes to booking a bed in our own capital, Britons are also willing to pay through the nose. Luxury-seeking Brits spend £125 on a room for the night in London, in comparison to the Finns, who pay just £103 and the Germans £100.(16)