Finding the perfect mix of comfort and cost can be hard when choosing holiday accommodation. Should you go for a big, roomy rental, or a hotel with breakfast and laundry included? And which is cheaper? New research by the data scientists at KAYAK shows that rental and hotel sizes and prices can change drastically from city to city, with some cities offering cheaper deals in 3 and 4-star hotels while others are more likely to have cheaper options for rentals. Read below to see how it all looks in some of the top European and worldwide destinations for Irish holidaymakers, so the next time you need to search accommodate you’ll be sure to make the best decision for you and your holiday budget.
Looking at the top European destinations for travellers from Ireland, London is revealed to be the priciest according to cost per square metre, based on 3&4 star hotel rooms. The average price is a whopping €7.72/sq m per night, nearly three times as much as the cheapest city on the list, Prague. Another British capital, Edinburgh, is the second-most expensive – at €7.55/sq m per night. The best-value hotel rooms in Europe can be found in Prague and Warsaw, both less than €3 per sq m, per night.
Where is rental accommodation a good idea in Europe?
The research reveals that in most of the popular European destinations, 3&4-star hotels are cheaper overall. However travellers can get much more space for their money in rentals when it comes to costs per square metre. Warsaw and Prague are bargain options for rentals, with average prices under €2/sq m. Further, in Warsaw Irish holidaymakers can enjoy nearly double the space in a rental for 7% less than a hotel. Similarly in Rome they can save a whopping 30% for the same size, and in London; the most expensive in terms of hotel room costs per square metre, clever travellers can enjoy nearly twice the space in a rental for just 12% extra.
A rental is often a good choice for families or friends travelling as a group, especially if the other option is booking several hotel rooms. However couples or solo travellers who don’t mind paying a bit more, can often get a lot more space. For example, for an extra outlay of less than 30%, visitors to Edinburgh, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca can enjoy over twice the size.
Popular worldwide destinations differ massively
In ever-popular New York, small 3&4-star hotel rooms cost over six times as much as those in Bangkok. On the other hand Dubai; known as a luxury destination, offers spacious 44 sq m rooms – 70% larger than in New York but surprisingly only around one quarter as much per square metre.
Rentals in the Balinese resort of Denpasar are on average a massive 100 square metres, three times larger than one in New York, for around a third of the price. Rentals in Seoul however, are the smallest at just 25 sq m – even smaller than the average 3/4-star hotel room – but still a good value option at 36% less.
Rentals are also a good option in Tokyo: offering nearly twice as much space as a 3 or 4-star room, for 32% less cost, while visitors wishing to go to Disney World should look at Orlando’s rentals – costing 36% less on average while offering 50% more space. Those prepared to pay a little more for more space can find good value in New York, where by paying 5% more they’ll get 30% more space than in a 3 or 4-star hotel, in Chicago where 11% gets 50% more space, and Kuala Lumpur where 35% more means nearly double the size.
And how do you access these super rental deals? It couldn’t be easier – simply head to KAYAK.ie/rentals to compare prices for rental properties for your next search. By using KAYAK’s rentals search and hotel filters, you can then easily narrow down the results of your search to fit your precise tastes.
Note:
The analysis is based on the most popular destinations in Europe and worldwide according to hotel searches on KAYAK.ie between 01.01.2017-20.09.2017 for travel between 01.01.2017-31.12.2017. Average costs per square metre are based on hotel clicks on KAYAK between 22.09.2016-22.09.2017, for rooms that accommodate a minimum of 2 travellers, and for destinations with size and price data available for at least 5 of each property type. Prices are subject to change, may vary or are no longer available anymore.
