Edinburgh hotels hike prices for Hogmanay

Hotel prices in Edinburgh have increased by 146 per cent on average on 31st December, according to data released by Trivago. 

An overnight stay in Edinburgh on 31 December will cost an average of £241, compared to an average of £98 on other nights during the same month.

Denise Bartlett, UK Public Relations for Trivago, said: “Edinburgh was criticised earlier this year for price hikes of 36 per cent during the Fringe Festival, when hotel prices increased from an average of £144 in July to £196 in August.

“Hogmanay is one of the largest New Year’s Eve celebrations globally and it is unsurprising that hoteliers want to take advantage of the influx of visitors. However, at an average of £241 on 31 December, Hogmanay price hikes are significantly higher than those for the Fringe Festival.”

Popular destinations

Edinburgh is the second most popular destination for UK travellers on New Year’s Eve this year, with London taking the top spot. Other UK cities in the top ten most popular destinations for the celebrations include Manchester, York and Glasgow.

London hotels have also hiked their prices, with an average rise in cost of 40 per cent, while York and Glasgow hotels have also seen smaller price rises. Manchester is the only city in the top ten destinations for UK travellers which has not a rise in average hotel prices for New Year’s Eve.

“Hoteliers in Manchester should be commended for keeping their prices stable, despite being the seventh most popular destination among UK travellers this New Year’s Eve,” added Bartlett.

“At an average of £110 on 31st December, Manchester is the second cheapest destination out of the top ten, after Glasgow at £90.”

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New Year’s Eve travel trends

The Trivago data also found that UK travellers are planning to book a four night long trip on average for their New Year’s break, and spend an average of £147 per night.

Four-star hotels accounted for 47 per cent of hotel searches, followed by three-star hotels (28 per cent) and five star hotels (16 per cent).