Muscat has highest room rates in the world

Muscat had the highest average hotel room rates last year, with the Omani capital beating other notoriously glamorous hotspots such as New York, Tokyo and even Monaco, a new report has revealed.

According to latest Hotel Price Index report compiled by Hotels.com, the average hotel room in Muscat last year cost $330, a rise of 16 percent compared to the same period last year. This was $15 more than the nearest global rival and $128 more than Dubai.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia was the country with the highest average price increase around the world. The average room cost went up from $171 in 2011 to $198, making it a total increase of 16% in a single year.

Globally; however, the average price of a hotel room has only risen to where it was in 2005. It was a tough year for many, with only a three percent average increase. Some of the cities even experienced a slight drop in their prices. One of the cities that decreased the most was Marrakech, which slid an average of 12 percent to $123 per night. Doha’s rates also slid four percent from $187 to $180 and Istanbul experienced the same percentage drop.

“Prices rose in all regions for the year, apart from Europe and the Middle East, where there was a slight fall,” the report said.