When you travel, there are several things that factor into where you go. One of those things is how much it will cost. Booking accommodation is then one of the bigger expenses, in addition to travel costs. In this blog, we compare the average cost of hotels in three different segments. We do this for the 10 most popular holiday destinations that Dutch people go to and for the 10 countries that attract the most readers on our popular Dutch travel blog Liefdevoorreizen.nl. We answer the question: what does an average hotel stay in popular countries cost?
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What did we research
The three different categories consist of:
- Cheap and simple (1-2 star hotels/motels);
- Average and comfortable (3-star hotels);
- Expensive and luxurious (4-5 star hotels).
For average prices, we used the search results on Booking.com for hotels rated 8 or higher for 1 room for 2 people per night. Date: January 20, 2023.
Prices in the Netherlands
As a comparison for these countries, we first looked at the average prices in the Netherlands:
- Cheap and simple hotels in the Netherlands cost an average of 110 to 130 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in the Netherlands costs on average 105 to 120 euros per night;
- More luxurious overnight stays in the Netherlands cost an average of 120 to 160 euros per night.
The 10 most popular vacation countries for Dutch people
The ten most popular vacation countries the Dutch go to on vacation according to research by NBTC-NIPO are:
- France
- Spain
- Italy
- Germany
- Greece
- Turkey
- Austria
- United Kingdom
- Portugal
- Croatia
France
- Cheap and simple hotels in France cost an average of 60 to 90 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in France costs on average 70 to 90 euros per night;
- More luxurious nights in France cost on average 110 to 150 euros per night.
Spain
- Cheap and simple hotels in Spain cost an average of 40 to 65 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in Spain costs an average of 60 to 80 euros per night;
- More luxurious accommodation in Spain costs an average of 80 to 120 euros per night.
Italy
- Cheap and simple hotels in Italy cost an average of 60 to 90 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in Italy costs an average of 60 to 90 Euros per night;
- More luxurious stays in Italy cost an average of 80 to 140 euros per night.
Germany
- Cheap and simple hotels in Germany cost an average of 80 to 105 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in Germany costs an average of 90 to 115 Euros per night;
- More luxurious accommodation in Germany costs an average of 110 to 150 euros per night.
Greece
- Cheap and simple hotels in Greece cost an average of 50 to 70 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in Greece costs on average 55 to 70 euros per night;
- More luxurious stays in Greece cost an average of 80 to 110 euros per night.
Turkey
Cheap and simple hotels in Turkey cost an average of 50 to 75 euros per night;
An average and comfortable hotel in Turkey costs an average of 45 to 80 euros per night;
More luxurious stays in Turkey cost an average of 65 to 90 euros per night.
Austria
- Cheap and simple hotels in Austria cost an average of 110 to 120 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in Austria costs on average 105 to 130 euros per night;
- More luxurious accommodation in Austria costs an average of 120 to 160 euros per night.
United Kingdom
- Cheap and simple hotels in the United Kingdom cost an average of 95 to 120 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in the United Kingdom costs an average of 90 to 120 Euros per night;
- More luxurious accommodation in the UK costs an average of 120 to 160 Euros per night.
Portugal
Cheap and simple hotels in Portugal cost an average of 70 to 85 euros per night;
An average and comfortable hotel in Portugal costs an average of 70 to 95 euros per night;
More luxurious stays in Portugal cost an average of 100 to 140 euros per night.
Croatia
- Cheap and simple hotels in Croatia cost on average 55 to 70 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in Croatia costs on average 55 to 70 euros per night;
- More luxurious accommodation in Croatia costs an average of 70 to 100 euros per night.
The 10 most popular holiday destinations on Liefdevoorreizen.nl
- Greece
- Australia
- Italy
- Norway
- New Zealand
- Thailand
- France
- Ireland
- Scotland
- Spain
Greece
- Cheap and simple hotels in Greece cost an average of 50 to 70 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in Greece costs on average 55 to 70 euros per night;
- More luxurious stays in Greece cost an average of 80 to 110 euros per night.
Australia
- Cheap and simple hotels in Australia cost an average of 55 to 115 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in Australia costs an average of 80 to 100 euros per night;
- More luxurious accommodation in Australia costs an average of 110 to 140 euros per night.
Italy
- Cheap and simple hotels in Italy cost an average of 60 to 90 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in Italy costs an average of 60 to 90 Euros per night;
- More luxurious stays in Italy cost an average of 80 to 140 euros per night.
New-Zealand
- Cheap and simple hotels in New Zealand cost an average of 100 to 105 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in New Zealand costs an average of 95 to 115 euros per night;
- More luxurious stays in New Zealand average 85 to 110 euros per night.
Norway
- Cheap and simple hotels in Norway cost an average of 130 to 145 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in Norway costs an average of 110 to 150 euros per night;
- More luxurious nights in Norway cost on average 150 to 180 euros per night.
Thailand
- Cheap and simple hotels in Thailand cost an average of 15 to 25 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in Thailand costs on average 20 to 40 Euros per night;
- More luxurious stays in Thailand cost an average of 70 to 110 Euros per night.
France
- Cheap and simple hotels in France cost an average of 60 to 90 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in France costs on average 70 to 90 euros per night;
- More luxurious nights in France cost on average 110 to 150 euros per night.
Ireland
- Cheap and simple hotels in Ireland cost an average of 120 to 150 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in Ireland costs an average of 105 to 125 euros per night;
- More luxurious stays in Ireland cost an average of €120 to €170 per night.
Scotland
- Cheap and simple hotels in Scotland cost an average of 100 to 110 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in Scotland costs an average of 100 to 120 euros per night;
- More luxurious accommodation in Scotland costs an average of 110 to 140 euros per night.
Spain
- Cheap and simple hotels in Spain cost an average of 40 to 65 euros per night;
- An average and comfortable hotel in Spain costs an average of 60 to 80 euros per night;
- More luxurious accommodation in Spain costs an average of 80 to 120 euros per night.
What does an average hotel stay in the most popular vacation countries cost?
Our conclusion (top 10 Dutch vacation countries)
For the top ten Dutch vacation destinations, we noticed that there is relatively little difference between the simpler 1 and 2 star hotels and the more comfortable 3 star hotels in terms of price in most countries. This is probably because we filtered on a rating of 8 and above. We always do this because we don’t want to be negatively surprised on vacation. The conclusion, you can often book just a bit more comfort for the same price. Therefore, never select only 1 or 2 stars to book a cheap hotel. With a bit of luck you will find a very nice offer of a 3 or 4 star hotel with more comfort.
It was also noticed that the Mediterranean countries are the cheapest, with Turkey and Croatia leading the list with Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal just behind.
Countries such as Germany, Austria and the United Kingdom are significantly more expensive on average and then also mainly in the cheap and mid-range segment.
Our conclusion (top 10 vacation countries on Liefdevoorreizen.nl)
In the top ten vacation countries on Liefdevoorreizen.nl, Thailand is by far the cheapest country in terms of average accommodation price followed by Spain, Greece, Italy and Portugal.
Norway as the only Scandinavian country in these lists is also the most expensive destination in terms of average accommodation price. Norway actually has no accommodations in the cheap category. Few offerings with ratings higher than 8 is something we also saw in Australia, Ireland and Scotland. The cheap segment has few high ratings, but we see that the price is then also immediately no longer cheap.
The prices as we looked at them are average for these countries and are for 1 hotel room with two people. This means that of course there are places in those countries where the average prices will be higher and places where they will be lower and the prices will also differ for different group compositions of travelers. It remains an average, but it does give an idea of the price level in different countries.
Tips for finding cheap hotel stays
Below we have some helpful search tips you should consider when looking for your hotel.
- Try searching with a weekday as the date. This can save a lot of money. Often hotels on weekends are a lot more expensive, as demand is a lot higher then.
- When booking your hotel, pay attention to the cancellation date. This is indicated in green. Especially during a pandemic, for example, it is wise to book a hotel that you can cancel or move to another date 24 hours in advance at no charge.
- Sometimes it can happen that a hotel stay is no longer available on a desired date. It can sometimes help to try again at a later date. When an overnight stay of another traveler is canceled, it often becomes available again on the website.
- To actually score the cheapest hotel stay, it is smart to make a list for yourself and search through different parties. We always start with Booking, then we search via Trivago and we also use parties such as Hotelspecials and Hotels.com to compare. You only have to find a good deal, so it’s a shame if you end up paying too much, isn’t it?
