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Hmm...Have You Noticed Room Rates Going Up?

The Hotel Oceana is rather booked these days so don't expect those $399 room rates to drop.

We've been spoiled by hotel deals over the past year but could all this be coming to an end? BusinessWeek says it might.

Room occupancy rates may start to rise again later this year, followed by increasing room rates in 2011. But some of those rate increases might be taking place now, particularly at the luxury hotels.

Some luxury hotels have already been able to lift rates as demand for $600 rooms, butler service and poolside cabanas recovers in cities such as Miami, New York and London.

“Luxury hotels, especially, have some ability to raise prices again because they were hit the most last year,” Patrick Scholes [at FBR Capital Markets & Co.] said. “They are the ones that cut prices the most -- as much as 25 percent.”

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OpenThread / Expensive Hotels / Room Rates / → All Tags

How Much Is Too Much For A Hotel Room?

The Plaza in New York usually goes for $495 a night. We stayed there for $239.

When The Crosby Hotel announced yesterday that its room rates would be starting at $525 a night, we got to thinking--who would pay that much?

Everyone has a different budget for hotels when traveling, but sometimes even folks with big bank accounts refuse to spend more than $150 (or less!) on a hotel room, especially if it's just a chain brand like the Hilton, Marriott or Hyatt. These chains may be nice, but even the pricey ones don't necessarily offer any of the cool amenities and personal touches that you'd find at boutique hotels. And many times these places give us headaches with their fugly decor.

Fortunately, a lot of these big-box hotel rooms can be found at reasonable rates on online booking sites like Expedia, Hotwire and Priceline, thus ensuring that folks can always get a big hotel name for less.

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