Plymouth revealed as ‘best value’ city in UK for a hotel stay

Plymouth is the best value city in the UK for a hotel stay, according to Trivago’s annual Best Value UK City Index.

The list, which includes 26 cities with at least 50 hotels and an average of 150 reviews per hotel, combines hotel price data and aggregated user reviews and ratings. It found Plymouth, with an index of 90.33, to be the best valued city while London was named in last place.

At an average of £76 per night for the past year, Plymouth is also one of the cheapest UK cities for a hotel stay (following Sheffield at £71 and Nottingham at £73). Second place was Exeter, with an index of 89.20 and an average hotel price of £82.

Although price is a contributing factor to the best value index, Trivago said cities must also have “excellent” hotel ratings. Salisbury and Inverness, for example, came in at third and fourth places despite having an average price per night of £108 and £109, respectively.

Hotels in the best valued cities were praised for their good location, friendly staff, spacious rooms and affordability.

Meanwhile, with an index of 46.64, London was named the worst value city in the UK for a hotel stay. It is also the most expensive city, at an average of £164 per night. Following London is Manchester, with an index of 68.25, Glasgow (76.41) and Oxford (76.76).

Bath, despite a high average price per night of £135, was ranked 14th.

Cities that ranked low in the index were criticised for their lack of space, which lead to a lower level of comfort and poor ratings. London hotel rooms, in particular, were described as “cramped”.

Denise Bartlett, UK press officer for the price comparison website, said: “It is interesting to see smaller, less-visited destinations such as Plymouth and Salisbury ranked highly in the index. It is, however, of little surprise to see London at the bottom of the list.

“With the most expensive average hotel price of any city the UK, London is often criticised for its poor value hotel rooms.”