Canadians find savvy hotel prices in Europe and Asia and remain undeterred by loonie woes on U.S. favourites

• Global hotel prices paid by travellers worldwide remained steady in 2016, according to latest Hotel Price Index from Hotels.com 
• Domestic cities faced moderate movement ahead of Canada's 150^th

TORONTO, March 7, 2017 /CNW/ - Even with several major political shifts and currency fluctuations around the world in 2016, travellers fared pretty well with average nightly hotel prices unchanged globally from 2015, as reported in the latest Hotel Price Index™ (HPI™) from Hotels.com™. The global Index sat at 114 for 2016 for the third year. Canada, the U.S. and the Caribbean were the only regions to have slight average price increases (up 1%) throughout 2016, but the other regions' declines tempered the overall global picture.

Despite having to pay more on average for hotel accommodation in two-thirds of the 50 most popular international travel destinations for Canadian travellers, price increases were marginal in most destinations and Canadians were still able to find plenty of hotspots with decreased average prices and subsequently advantageous room rates.

The HPI is an annual report on hotel prices in major destinations across the world, tracking the movement in prices that people actually paid* for their accommodation and providing valuable insight into the reasons behind these changes. The data is from bookings made on the hundreds of thousands of hotels on the Hotels.com websites worldwide.

Canadians stick to U.S. favourites despite unfavourable exchange rate
The U.S. was a noisy neighbor in 2016, but Canadians didn't seem to mind even as the falling Canadian dollar created a few aches and pains south of the border. Top U.S. destinations remained popular but Canadians felt a pinch in the pocket as all but two U.S. favourites rose in hotel price. While noticeable, this trend wasn't enough to deter Canadians from crossing the border with their go-to travel region.

Average prices paid per night by Canadian travellers in the most popular U.S. destinations in 2016 compared with 2015

City	Country	2016	2015	% change	2016 popularity ranking among Canadians
Boston, MA	USA	$329	$330	0%	24
New York, NY	USA	$316	$308	3%	1
San Francisco, CA	USA	$287	$287	0%	8
Washington DC	USA	$273	$252	8%	35
Seattle, WA	USA	$241	$219	10%	14
Portland, OR	USA	$212	$193	10%	34
Las Vegas, NV	USA	$162	$148	9%	2
Orlando, FL	USA	$150	$140	7%	5

Best value destinations for Canadian travellers
Canadians keen sense of adventure had its benefits further afield in Europe and Asia, regions which were experiencing currency fluctuation issues of their own. London, Europe's most popular destination for Canadians, was a particularly notable example, where following the Brexit vote, Canadians paid 9% less compared to 2015. Paris also saw average prices decrease as hotel occupancy rates in France slumped amid security concerns. Berlin, Athens and Lisbon were amongst the popular European cities where Canadians paid the least.

Asia was a rising star with many destinations jumping up along the ranks as the exotic location showed excellent value for Canadian travellers in 2016. The lowest prices paid were in Chiang Mai, Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok, all providing excellent value at under $100 a night. On the other end of the spectrum, with the Japanese Yen raising against the dollar in 2016, the averages paid in Tokyo rose to become the Asian destination in the top 50 where Canadian travellers paid the most.

Average prices paid per night by Canadian travellers in selected European and Asian destinations in 2016 compared with 2015

City	Country	2016	2015	% Change	2016 popularity rank among Canadians
London	United Kingdom	$254	$278	-9%	3
Amsterdam	Netherlands	$214	$211	2%	16
Barcelona	Spain	$204	$185	11%	12
Tokyo	Japan	$194	$170	14%	11
Paris	France	$192	$207	-7%	4
Singapore	Singapore	$185	$195	-5%	38
Hong Kong	Hong Kong	$165	$166	-1%	6
Berlin	Germany	$152	$142	7%	32
Athens	Greece	$151	$142	7%	49
Prague	Czech Republic	$144	$130	10%	33
Bangkok	Thailand	$90	$91	-1%	9
Ho Chi Minh City	Vietnam	$88	$85	3%	46
Chiang Mai	Thailand	$67	$68	-1%	47

Domestic Destinations hold steady ahead of Canada's 150^th birthday year
Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton were the most popular domestic destinations, with only Edmonton seeing a lower average amongst these three, after a fall of more than 5%. The highest average price increase was in Whistler, making the British Columbian favourite the domestic destination where Canadian travellers paid the most amongst the top 50. The biggest double-digit percentage drop was reported in Fort McMurray.

Average prices paid per night by Canadian travellers in selected Canadian destinations in 2016 compared with 2015

City	2016	2015	% Change	2016 popularity rank
CANADA	$141	$140	1%
Whistler, BC	$241	$214	13%	18
Mont Tremblant, QC	$213	$201	6%	28
Banff, AB	$200	$192	5%	12
Canmore, AB	$190	$173	10%	21
Vancouver, BC	$187	$171	9%	5
Toronto, ON	$167	$157	7%	1
Montreal, QC	$167	$161	4%	2
Fort McMurray, AB	$143	$173	-17%	40
Saskatoon, SK	$139	$157	-11%	11
Edmonton, AB	$129	$137	-6%	3
Prince George, BC	$119	$134	-11%	37

Please visit hpi.hotels.com/ca-2016 for more information and to view reports in additional currencies.

*Average prices paid per night inclusive of taxes and fees.

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SOURCE Hotels.com