Hotel Prices Are Soaring, Researchers Say

Image: Hotel costs have soarded in Honolulu and other major cities. (photo via Claudette Covey)
Image: Hotel costs have soarded in Honolulu and other major cities. (photo via Claudette Covey)
Rich Thomaselli
by Rich Thomaselli
Last updated: 12:40 AM ET, Mon October 31, 2022

A new study has revealed a shocking increase in the cost of U.S.-based hotel rooms compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

In fact, research conducted by The Family Vacation Guide found that in some major cities, the average room price skyrocketed more than 200 percent compared to three years ago, the last full year prior to the virus hitting the country and wreaking havoc on the travel industry.

Comparisons were made using three-star hotels with costs from June of 2019 to this year.

Except for one outlier - which really isn't an outlier considering its proximity - all the usual suspects are on the list. That includes:

-Honolulu. Average hotel room costs jumped 252 percent, from $186 per night in 2019 to $654 in 2022.

-New York City. Average in 2019, $228. Average this year, $743. That's a 226 percent jump.

-And Chicago was the third city with at least a 200 percent increase, going from $107 nightly to $321 this year.

Other cities on the top 10 were Miami, Boston, Jersey City, Orlando, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Minneapolis, with increases ranging from 190 percent to 140 percent.

The one anomaly appears to be Jersey City but considering its location as a short ride across the Hudson River to Manhattan makes its pricing understandable.

The research also looks into the hotel prices which have seen a decrease, highlighting Washington state, Alabama, and California:

-Vancouver, Washington was towards the bottom of the no increase in cost.

-Birmingham, Alabama is on the list with a decrease of three percent, dropping from $197 a night to $192.

-And Sacramento, California came at the bottom of the list with a decrease of 31 percent.


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Rich Thomaselli

Rich Thomaselli

Associate Writer

Editor Associate Writer true 9281 14744 Rich Thomaselli has written for TravelPulse since 2014 and has been a professional journalist for nearly 40 years. His work has appeared in USA Today, the New York Times and New York Yankees publications. He is an 11-time writ

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