Hotel prices fall, but travelers in for New Year's Eve price shock

The price of a hotel night in Europe this month is three percent cheaper than it was last month, coming in at an average of €108. In its monthly Hotel Price Index report, Trivago said December 9 that although the cost of a double room in Europe this month has fallen, some travelers are likely to pay considerably more for a New Year's getaway.A trip to the normally reasonable destination of Prague for New Year's for instance, costs 268 percent more than the €98 December average, Trivago calculated, with revelers likely to pay a whopping €360 for the average double room. Similar increases over the New Year can also be seen in Venice, where prices have risen from €133 to €308, and Amsterdam, up to €272 from a December average of €124. Despite the expense of a New Year's room, several cities across Europe have seen healthy price drops for travelers since November -- London is ten percent cheaper this month (€186), Barcelona and Bucharest are 12 percent cheaper (€103 and €72 respectively) and Istanbul is nine percent cheaper (€102). Destinations seeing an increase in rates included Prague, up 23 percent on last month to €98, Vienna, up 13 percent to €131, and Budapest, up nine percent to €67. Europe's most expensive destinations - November 2011 1. Geneva (€211) 2. London (€186) 3. Paris (€160) 4. Oslo (€158) 5. Stockholm/Salzburg (€152)