Scoring a luxury stay on a budget is an unbeatable feeling – that’s if you’re willing to spend hours hunting for the right deal.
But with Hotels.com’s latest research, savvy holidaymakers can select exactly where to choose for their next trip – and enjoy a five-star hotel stay at a fraction of the cost.
The online travel platform has today released its 2026 Hotel Price Index, revealing that booking a week in advance is the sweet spot, while Sunday nights offer the best value.
Using data from over 11,000 surveyed travellers and internal reservation platforms, the report reveals the latest shifts in the accommodation market.
It outlines 10 trending destinations both in the UK and abroad with falling room rates, top-value cities for five-star stays, and how travellers are redefining luxury.
Melanie Fish, travel expert and spokesperson for Hotels.com, said: ‘Travellers may be feeling the squeeze, but they’re also getting smarter.
‘We’re seeing travellers save as much as 26 per cent by booking closer in, starting stays on Sundays, or looking beyond the UK, where five-star hotels can offer strong value. This is a summer where how you book matters just as much as where you go.’
Travellers can secure the most affordable luxury hotel stay abroad in Nha Trang, Vietnam, where room rates average £70 a night
Hotels.com has released its 2026 Hotel Price Index, which outlines ten trending destinations both in the UK and abroad with falling room rates and top-value cities for five-star stays
On an international scale, the report found 10 destinations that offer luxury for less than £200 per night.
The most affordable is Nha Trang, Vietnam, where average five-star stays are £70, followed by Zaragoza, Spain (£120) and Wrocław, Poland (£120).
Rounding out the top five is Tirana, Albania, and Riga, Latvia, where luxury stays in both destinations are priced at around £130.
Other hotspots included in the top 10 are: Zagreb, Croatia (£130), Sofia, Bulgaria (£135), Heraklion, Crete, Greece (£135), Tallinn, Estonia (£140), and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (£140).
Searching for a lavish stay closer to home? There are plenty of five-star stays that can be found in the UK for just under £200 per night – from beach escapes in Brighton to city breaks in Cardiff.
Leading the top ten is Brighton, which offers luxury rooms for around £115 a night, followed by Bristol (£115), Chichester (£120), Llandudno (£125), and Worcester (£125).
The remaining five hotspots are: Bournemouth (£130), Cornwall (£135), Leeds (£145), Cardiff (£155) and Liverpool (£170).
As for destinations with falling room rates, Loire, France has seen the most notable drop at 32 per cent, followed by Edmonton, Canada (31 per cent), St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (30 per cent), Dortmund, Germany (21 per cent), and Turin, Italy (21 per cent).
Brighton has emerged as the UK’s most affordable destination for bargain five-star hotel stays, with rooms averaging £115 a night
Elsewhere in the UK, travellers can secure a luxury hotel stay in Cardiff for around £155 a night
Four other international hotspots are experiencing notable price decreases, including: Kassandra (Khalkidhiki) Greece (21 per cent), Agrigento, Italy (21 per cent), Montego Bay, Jamaica (18 per cent), Cancun, Mexico (16 per cent), and Dominica (13 per cent).
According to experts at Hotels.com, being spontaneous pays off when it comes to securing a bargain luxury stay.
Booking less than seven days before your trip can save you an average of 26 per cent compared to locking in your room over four months out.
Holidaymakers can also save 14 per cent on their hotel stay by checking in on a Sunday rather than a Saturday, which is often the most expensive day.
To maximise further savings, plan your getaways for January, the most affordable month for travel.
If you are booking a domestic trip, be sure to avoid the second week of July, as this is typically when hotel rates hit their highest prices of the year.
For those who don’t mind parting with a pretty penny, and only feel like venturing as far as the other end of the Channel, France is now home to 33 luxury properties that hold ‘higher than five-star’ status.
The ‘Palace’ label sits above France’s standard five-star rating, and is awarded by the French Ministry of Tourism to a handful of hotels that represent the highest pinnacle of French luxury and hospitality.
More than just places to stay, these hotels are destinations that seamlessly blend world-class service, beautiful design, incredible food, and deep cultural roots.
The prestigious label was introduced in 2010 to celebrate the crème de la crème of French hotels that lacked a formal classification beyond the five-star tier.
During a Paris ceremony on 2 June, it was announced that 27 hotels maintained their coveted rating, four were stripped of it, and six achieved ‘Palace’ status for the first time – three of which are in the capital.
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