America’s Cheapest Cities For Luxury Hotels

Based on a new study by HotelDealsRevealed.com, here is a list of the cheapest (and most expensive) cities for luxury hotels in America.

Ever notice that some cities are dirt cheap when it comes to high-end hotels while other cities are seemingly impossible t get a decent hotel at a decent price?  You are not along, and in fact, it could be the city that you are staying.  In a recent survey of travellers, I was able to determine the top 10 most affordable luxury hotel cities in America, as well as the most expensive.

Methodology

Source of Data:  This study was conducted using data from over 9,000 hotel reservations made on Hotwire and Priceline.  This is not official data from the company.  Afterall, they are opaque travel booking sites where the name of the hotel is not revealed until after you buy.  Instead, the data was collected from travellers after they made their purchase who were willing to post their purchase details on the Priceline and Hotwire forum.

Luxury Hotels Defined:  There is no standard definition of a “luxury” hotel, and hotel ratings are subjective.  A hotel was considered to be a “luxury” hotel if it received a 4 1/2 star rating or better from either Priceline or Hotwire.  Anything less that 4 1/2 stars on both site was excluded

Exclusion of Certain Cities:  Because the data is crowdsourced from actual travellers, this study excluded cities with insufficient data.  A cities was deemed to have insufficient data if we had less than 50 hotel reservations in a city.

Timeframe of Study:  The study collected data for the first half of 2013.  Specifically January 1, 2013 through to June 30, 2013.

Cheapest Cities for Luxury Hotels – Top 10

Following is a list of the least expensive cities for luxury hotels (rated 4 1/2 stars or higher by Hotwire or Priceline), with the average price per night per hotel room.

1. Orlando – $101 per night.
2. Phoenix – $104 per night
3. Memphis – $118 per night
4. Palm Springs – $129 per night
5. Las Vegas – $131
6. Key West – $139 per night
7. Philadelphia – $141 per night
8. Chicago – $143 per night
9. Fort Myers / Naples – $145 per night
10. Santa Fe – $147 per night

Cheapest Cities:  Some great deals can be found in major travel destinations such as Orlando, Palm Springs and Las Vegas.  These cities have a large number of luxury hotels and therefore high vacancy rates and more competition.  Prices fluctuate wildly from low to high season.  During non-peak periods, these hotels sell off their unfilled rooms to opaque travel sites like Hotwire and Priceline for cheap.  It is not unusual to see rooms below $100 for a 5-star luxury hotel in Las Vegas or Scottsdale, Arizona, for example.

Most Expensive Cities for Luxury Hotels

On the other end of the spectrum, the average price for luxury hotel in certain cities can be extremely expensive.  Its really about the laws of supply and demand.  Very seldom do you see a deal on a luxury hotel in some of major economic hubs of the country where demand remains high year-round.

1. Miami – $252 per night
2. New York City – $244 per night
3. Seattle – $241 per night
4. Waikiki – $200 per night
5. Los Angeles – $199 per night
6. San Francisco – $192 per night
7. San Diego – $192 per night
8. Maui – $181 per night
9. Boston – $177 per night
10. Kauai – $166 per night

Travellers looking to save money on their travel should consider visiting the cheapest 10 cities and avoiding the 10 most expensive cities. In either case, however, using websites like Hotwire or Priceline will help travellers save around 25% in some of the more expensive cities and as much as 60% in some of the lesser expensive cities, especially during non-peak seasons.

Additional Resources

• Priceline & Hotwire Forum:  A travel forum where Priceline and Hotwire customers post their actual winning bid information, including the name of their hotel and the price paid.  A great resource for figuring out how much you should pay on Priceline or Hotwire.
• Hotel Lists:  For each city in Canada and the United States, a listing of the hotels known to be on Hotwire or Priceline. This is a great resource for figuring out what hotel you might get before bidding.