Travel Leaders Corporate's Quarterly Data: Average Hotel Costs Continue to Climb, Except in Two Major Cities – Chicago and New York City
Miami, FL (PRWEB) May 10, 2016 -- Today, Travel Leaders Corporate released an analysis of its business travel clients’ aggregated booking data from the first quarter of 2016. The average cost per trip continued its trend of a small increase over the fourth quarter; however, business travelers in Chicago and New York City experienced a significant drop in average nightly hotel rates. New York City’s average hotel rates dropped 18% to $213.69, the lowest average nightly rate since Travel Leaders Corporate began tracking costs by city. Chicago average hotel rates dropped 7% from the first quarter of 2015 to $147.16 per night. All other top 25 American markets were flat or showed a price increase.
“The patterns that have developed for overall trip cost, as well as average per unit costs as a whole, have remained relatively consistent,” stated Travel Leaders Corporate President David Holyoke. “However, hotel rates by city were extremely fluid in the fourth quarter. Two major cities, Chicago and New York saw significant drops, while cities like Miami, Phoenix, and Tampa were all up double digits. Each of these cities stuck to its historical pattern, but it was much more pronounced than in years past. The increased competition from leisure travelers in warm cities during the winter months helps creates this pattern.”
According to Travel Leaders Corporate’s data, international trip costs have ended their long and steep decline, with a modest average price increase in the first quarter, even though average days per trip held steady. The average international airfare cost increased nearly 3% to an average of $1,565.68, which is still the second lowest quarter of the last four years. Average hotel nightly rates and average rental car base rates both dropped by 9% in the first quarter of the year compared to the fourth quarter of 2015.
“Over the last two years, our business travel clients enjoyed lower costs on international trips,” continued Holyoke. “However, the euro has regained some of its strength against the dollar, meaning there is slightly less cost savings. With the busy leisure summer months fast approaching for Europe, coupled with a steadier euro, I expect average international trip costs to continue to trend upwards.”
Other Key Findings:
- Hotel: For the first time, Travel Leaders Corporate data for average hotel nightly rates are now available for each of the top 25 American markets. Travel Leaders Corporate’s data indicates that average nightly hotel rates increased to $152.40 per night after the normal decline in the fourth quarter. However, prices were variable depending on the city with some markets exaggerating the trend. Phoenix saw the largest increase, with average nightly rates climbing 59% in the first quarter to $191.77 per day.
- Air: Travel Leaders Corporate also recently released data on base airfares. Continuing a pattern from the last several years, domestic airfares increased in the first quarter. International airfares have increased after two quarters of significant decline to an average of $1,565.68.
- Car Rental: Travel Leaders Corporate once again released statistics for base rental car rates in each of the top 25 American markets. The average domestic base rates remained largely steady, marking the first quarter of price increases in the last year. International base rates continued to decline, ending at an average daily base rate of $38.46.
To view quarterly data and trends information, please go to: http://tabsoft.co/1XjWgrs
To view quarterly data and trends by market, please go to: http://tabsoft.co/1rS8iMo
For more information or to take advantage of Travel Leaders Corporate’s personalized service and cutting-edge corporate business travel solutions that provide a complete travel enrichment experience, email partnerships(at)tlcorporate(dot)com or call 877-404-4173.
Travel Leaders Corporate is part of Travel Leaders Group, which is the highest ranking American travel management company in Business Travel News’ Business Travel Survey 2015, and has annual sales approaching $21 billion. Travel Leaders Corporate’s three service offerings – Travel Fulfillment, Travel Consulting and Meetings Management – which can be used independently or combined for maximum results. At Travel Leaders Corporate, each client is served by a dedicated team of U.S.-based agents assigned to each account. With a reputation built on reliability and a commitment to excellence, Travel Leaders Corporate offers its clients industry-leading products and services, and continuously seeks higher levels of performance. Headquartered in Miami, FL, and with employees in more than 120 cities across the United States, Travel Leaders Corporate is a forward-thinking, innovative company with a focus on continually improving the customer experience. http://www.tlcorporate.com/
Matt Erickson, Travel Leaders Corporate, +1 763-577-3694, [email protected]
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