Average accommodation rates are twelve percent less than January 2009, in comparison to the previous month,  overnight accommodation prices have decreased by one percent.

In contrast to this, hotel prices in the United Kingdom have increased by two percent in comparison to December 2009.

These are the findings of the trivago Hotel Price Index (tHPI) which is published monthly by the hotel price comparison site.

The price for a standard double room continues to decrease in 2010 in the majority of popular European cities. The tHPI for January shows the average price for a hotel is one percent less than the previous month and twelve percent less than this time last year.

Travellers can benefit from decreasing hotel prices in many European cities; the average price of a standard double room in Dublin, Ireland is 84 pounds in January 2010, 42 percent less than this  time last year.Average hotel prices in the United Kingdom have increased by two percent Hotel prices in the United Kingdom are three percent above the European average in January at 91 pounds; two percent less than the previous month.

The cheapest average hotel prices can still be found in Wales (78 pounds), followed by Northern Ireland (85 pounds) and Scotland (87 pounds).

England has the most expensive hotel prices in January at 93 pounds. In comparison to December 2009, the British city with the largest decrease in hotel prices is Glasgow where a standard double room is 11 percent less than this time last year (74 pounds). Birmingham is one of the only cities in the United Kingdom to see an increase in hotel prices in January.

The average price for a hotel room is 10% more than last year; this could be due to the Autosport International Racing  Car Show. In the Irish capital Dublin prices have seen the largest decrease of 42 percent to 84 pounds. Hotel prices  remain stable in London in comparison to January 2009, however at 126 pounds for a standard double room it is the sixth most expensive city in the tHPI.

Overnight accommodation rates are down in almost all European countries

In many metropolitan areas in the South and East of Europe there are bargains to be found. In Milan, the current price for a standard double room is 105 pounds, 15 percent less than January 2009. Low hotel rates can also be found in Barcelona (81 pounds, 20 percent less), Lisbon (72 pounds, 18 percent less) and Athens (78 pounds, 16 percent less).

At 89 pounds, Vienna is eleven percent below the average room rate last year.

The most expensive city in 2009, Geneva is currently 158 pounds, ten percent less than this time last year. Even notoriously cheap cities such as Krakow (55 pounds, 20 percent less) and Budapest (56 pounds, 15 percent less) have considerably dropped their prices in comparison to the previous year.

The trivago hotel price index shows the average overnight accommodation prices for the most popular European cities on trivago. The average prices for a standard double room are calculated on the basis of 50,000 daily price inquiries for overnight hotel stay generated through the trivago hotel price comparison. trivago stores all hotel enquiries for each month and therefore gives an overview of hotel accommodation prices for the upcoming month.

The tHPI reflects the hotel prices within the European online hotel market: The overnight accommodation prices of 53 online travel agents and hotel chains create the average hotel prices for cities, regions and countries within Europe.