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These Are the Cities Where You Can Book a 5-star Hotel for Less Than $200 a Night
Hotels.com just released its 2025 Hotel Price Index report, which analyzes nightly rates around the globe to find the places where your dollar will stretch the furthest.
For its report, Hotels.com compiled a list of the average daily rates of three, four, and five-star hotel bookings made on its site in 2024. It then compared those numbers to bookings made in 2023. After crunching the numbers, it came to a clear conclusion: if you are looking for a five-star hotel experience on a budget, your best bet is to go abroad—international luxury hotels are about 27 percent cheaper than their U.S. counterparts.
'For price-conscious travelers in today's economy, the Hotel Price Index offers a rare, data-driven lens into where your money goes furthest. It's like a travel cheat sheet—revealing where to splurge, where to save, and where luxury quietly costs less,' said Melanie Fish, vice president of global PR at Hotels.com, in a statement sent to Travel + Leisure . 'Cities like Bangkok, São Paulo, and Mexico City stand out for offering top-rated stays across all star levels, proving that great travel doesn't have to come with a high price tag."
Although there isn't a universally accepted star-rating system, travelers can generally expect personalized service, high-end accommodations, fine-dining options, and plush amenities from four and five-star properties. Five cities across the globe stood out for their affordability—and you can book luxury hotel rooms there for under $200: Hanoi, Vietnam: $156 per night Pattaya, Thailand: $157 per night Gothenburg, Sweden: $163 per night Panama City, Panama: $186 per night Auckland, New Zealand: $192 per night
While domestic luxury hotels are more expensive, you can still find great rooms for less than $300 a night. These are the most affordable U.S. cities where you can book a five-star stay: Portland, Oregon: $287 per night San Antonio, Texas: $340 per night Las Vegas, Nevada: $341 per night Atlanta, Georgia: $361 per night Miami, Florida: $386 per night
The report also noted several interesting trends—hotel prices are decreasing in a few popular U.S. cities, including San Francisco; Austin, Texas; and Atlanta. Prices in Chicago, however, increased by 7 percent year over year. Perhaps unsurprisingly, rates are skyrocketing in trending vacation hot spots like Kyoto and Tokyo.
For those who can't or don't like to travel internationally, Hotels.com pointed out that domestic four-star hotels generally offer travelers the most bang for their buck. Even though they cost about 38 percent more than three-star properties, they're 118 percent less expensive than five-star hotels, and offer comparable value.
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