Business Travel International has just released their annual ranking of worldwide hotels based upon rates paid by
corporate travelers. While not all of us have the luxury of charging corporate rates to our corporate credit
cards, the rankings are still indicative of accommodation costs for those hapless souls merely vacationing.
This year’s winner (or loser if you don’t have the company AmEx) is Moscow. We’ve posted a couple of times about
the dearth of affordable accommodations in the Russian capital, and this new ranking unfortunately proves our
point. The average rate paid by visiting businessmen in Moscow is a whopping $305 per night. This is a 36%
increase over last year. New York took 2nd place with an average rate of $281. Interestingly enough, third
place is a sign of the times; Bangalore, India — the Silicon Valley of the country’s burgeoning high tech
industry.
The only good news, at least for Francophiles, is that Paris—last year’s most expensive
location—has now dropped to fifth on the list with an average of $256 per night.
I don’t know about you, but I need to get my hands on a corporate credit card asap!