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View Full Version : Atlanta Comes in as the 'Big Cheese' in Hotel Affordability



gc
07 July 2003, 04:51 PM
By Melissa Kress - Jul 7, 2003 03:25PM
www.globest.com

New York City- Atlanta ranks at the top of the list among cities with the most affordable hotel rates, according to a new report by Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, with Dallas coming in a close second.
According to the firm’s Hotel Affordability Index, the average daily rate for a hotel room in Atlanta in 2002 was $76.43, with hotel guests in Dallas paying $76.75. Orlando, Los Angeles and Phoenix follow the two cities with ADRs of $86.16, $91.39 and $94.24 respectively.

New York comes in as the least affordable US city with an ADR of $172.42. It is followed by Boston and San Francisco with ADRs of $124.23 and $123.36 respectively.

The firm’s Hotel Affordability Index compares the average daily rate of a city’s hotel market with the local price of a McDonald’s Big Mac in the native currency ($2.65 in the US), as published by The Economist. The results of the inaugural Hotel Affordability Index show that even among the major cities around the world, only Mexico City and Sao Paulo are more affordable than Atlanta and Dallas.

“In Atlanta and Dallas you can get a good night’s rest for only 29 times the cost of a Big Mac,” notes Arthur Adler, managing director and CEO-Americas for Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels. “Orlando, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Miami hotels also provide a good value, at 33 to 38 times the cost of two all beef patties, special sauce, etc.”

He adds that the economic turndown has led to bargains for travelers and, this combined with the increase in driving vacations, are positive signs for occupancy levels at US hotels this summer.

JaeTex
08 July 2003, 02:33 PM
Actually have a friend who doesn't like to go to Atl on biz much precisely because it's cheap. Apparently her firm will only reimburse for the average price of a hotel room in a city, and she says that means that in Atlanta she doesn't get a very nice hotel for her money, and if you travel a ton you begin to value something a little nicer that $76/night will get you.