Club Sandwich Index 2.0 Uncovers Dining Costs Worldwide: Geneva Is the Priciest City for a Club Sandwich and a Full Day of Hotel Dining

DUBLIN, June 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

• Prices in Dublin are up but the capital still offers good value for money, according to Hotels.com's elevated Club Sandwich Index 
• South Korea emerges as the most expensive destination to enjoy a cup of coffee  
• Mexico City replaces New Delhi as the destination with the most affordable club sandwich 
• A glass of house red wine in a 5-star hotel in Paris costs more than a club sandwich in 5-star hotels in 19 other cities, including New York City, Dublin, Sydney and Berlin! 

The Hotels.com Club Sandwich Index (CSI) continues to uncover the dining costs of hotels worldwide with its annual price barometer, the Club Sandwich Index. This year, the elevated report by Hotels.com - the CSI 2.0 - added three more hotel dining items to make the Index a more comprehensive indicator for guests to understand the costs associated with a full day of hotel dining in hotels worldwide.

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Bogota bags best bang for buck while Geneva offers a more pricey menu 

Based on findings from the CSI 2.0, Geneva is not only the priciest city for a club sandwich, but the Swiss city has also topped the charts as the most expensive destination to enjoy a full-day hotel dining experience (€79.10), while Bogota, Columbia, is the best value-for-money destination with an average price of €27.44.

The improved CSI report incorporates the prices of four main dining options available to hotel guests throughout the day:

1. A CLUB SANDWICH for lunch
2. A BURGER MEAL, consisting of a burger, chips and soft drink for lunch or dinner
3. A cup of COFFEE for teatime
4. A glass of HOUSE RED WINE for post-dinner drinks

The average prices are calculated from real prices (including taxes and fees) paid by guests for all four items in 30 hotels, in the capital or an important tourist city of the 28 countries surveyed, across 5-, 4- and 3-star hotel categories.  

While hungry travellers can get the most bang for their buck in Bogota, which clocked an average dining cost of €27.44, Rio de Janeiro (€31.19) and Mexico City (€29.32) also gave the Colombian capital a run for its money with their affordable dining costs.

Hotel guests in South Korea paid the most to get their caffeine fix, with Seoul dominating the list for the priciest cuppa at €8.87 on average. Interestingly, patrons to a 5-star hotel in Paris found it more expensive to indulge in a glass of house red wine (€21.00) than club sandwiches in 5-star hotels in 19 other cities, including New York City, Dublin, Sydney and Berlin!

Carolina Annand of the Hotels.com said, "Hotels.com continues to enhance our customers travel experience with the elevated Club Sandwich Index, by providing travellers with an insightful and comprehensive price comparison guide and giving them a more accurate overview of the costs associated with a full day of hotel dining. The findings from the CSI 2.0, coupled with the wide range of hotel options available on our website allow travellers to easily locate a hotel that suits their budget - while some may indulge in a burger meal in a hotel in Geneva, other guests may opt to kick back with a glass of house red wine at less than six times the price in Bogota!"

Table 1: Average EUR prices of hotel menu items and total dining costs based on city (2015) 

   
                                                        A glass of
                                   A burger   A cup of   house red    A club
    Rank           CITY              meal      coffee      wine      sandwich  TOTAL (EUR)

     1   Switzerland - Geneva       34.48       5.65       11.06      27.90       79.10
     2   France - Paris             27.03       5.28       11.69      22.25       66.25
     3   Hong Kong                  31.48       6.74       11.21      19.24       68.67
     4   Norway - Oslo              28.45       4.38       11.24      18.35       62.42
     5   UK - London                23.48       5.57       10.52      20.14       59.71
     6   South Korea - Seoul        13.97       8.87       12.41      18.34       53.59
     7   Sweden - Stockholm         21.44       3.65       10.37      20.84       56.30
     8   Japan - Tokyo              20.56       7.76       10.06      17.08       55.46
     9   Singapore                  21.43       5.53       12.74      15.53       55.23
     10  USA - New York             22.13       4.91       11.23      16.14       54.40
     11  China - Beijing            21.60       7.01       11.36      14.13       54.10
     12  Finland - Helsinki         16.90       3.73       7.49       18.28       46.40
     13  Denmark - Copenhagen       18.52       4.49       9.37       15.63       48.01
     14  Australia - Sydney         21.15       3.57       6.87       14.93       46.52
     15  Italy - Rome               20.15       3.07       8.16       13.26       44.65
     16  Netherlands - Amsterdam    20.04       3.54       5.42       13.86       42.87
     17  Taiwan - Taipei            16.97       6.24       8.22       10.65       42.07
     18  Ireland - Dublin           17.62       2.99       6.62       12.56       39.78
     19  Russia - Moscow            14.00       3.79       8.96       12.52       39.27
     20  India - New Delhi          13.52       3.53       11.51      10.26       38.82
     21  Germany - Berlin           15.12       3.33       6.03       13.71       38.19
     22  Canada - Toronto           13.35       3.22       7.97       13.36       37.91
     23  Argentina - Buenos Aires   16.01       3.22       6.31       11.21       36.75
     24  Thailand - Bangkok         12.54       4.00       9.58        9.95       36.06
     25  Spain - Madrid             16.51       3.04       4.14       11.66       35.34
     26  Brazil - Rio de Janeiro    12.09       1.87       7.90        9.33       31.19
     27  Mexico - Mexico City       12.17       2.26       5.97        8.91       29.32
     28  Colombia - Bogota          10.72       1.43       5.71        9.57       27.44

Here are the highlights: 

Geneva retained top position on the chart for the priciest club sandwich on average. Italy's price decreased by 32%, while club sandwiches in Finland and Spain became more affordable 

• Geneva (€27.90) and Paris (€22.25) retained their positions in first and second place respectively as destinations where travellers paid the most for a club sandwich, despite experiencing a fall in their average prices from 2014 to 2015.
• Rome decreased by 32%, dropping 9 places from 2014, with an average price of €13.26
• India increased by 28% to €10.26, jumping up 4 places from 2014, still making it one of the most affordable places to enjoy a club sandwich.
• Mexico City saw practically no change with the price only increasing by 0.08%, now costing €8.91, the cheapest on average globally.
• Travellers in Finland and Spain enjoy more affordable club sandwiches, whereby the average price in Helsinki dropped by 18% to €18.28, while prices in Madrid fell 20% to €11.66.  
• India's New Delhi (€10.26) lost its title as the cheapest destination for a club sandwich, with the claim to fame now going to Mexico City at €8.91.

Prices rise in Ireland 

• The price of a Club Sandwich in Dublin has risen 7% since 2014, but Ireland's capital has dropped two places to the table to number 18. The average hotel dining cost in Dublin is €39.78, almost half that of the most expensive city, Geneva.

Costly cuppas in Asia 

• Asia dominates the list for the costliest cups of coffee on average globally
  • All top five most expensive cities for a cup of coffee on average come from Asia - Seoul (€8.87), Tokyo (€7.76), Beijing (€7.01), Hong Kong (€6.74) and Taipei (€6.24).
• On average, the cheapest spot for a cup of coffee goes to Bogota, Columbia (€1.43)
• Guests also paid high prices for their caffeine fixes at 5-star hotels in London (€7.98) and Singapore (€7.33).

Guests pay the least for a glass of house red wine in Madrid 

• France is home to the most expensive glass of house red wine at €21.00 at a 5-star hotel. In fact, the average price of a glass of house red in a 5-star hotel in the French city costs more than a club sandwich in 5-star hotels in 19 other destinations, including New York City, Dublin, Sydney and Berlin.
• The most affordable glass of wine can be found in Madrid, with guests paying only €4.14 on average.

Geneva home to the world's priciest burgers and club sandwiches 

• Geneva emerged as the most expensive destination for a burger, fries and soda meal, with guests paying an average of €34.48 - more than triple the price for a meal in the cheapest destination, Bogota (€10.72). This was followed closely by Hong Kong with an average of €31.48 for a burger meal deal.

Notes to editor 

• All prices stated include taxes and fees
• 2015 Club Sandwich Index (CSI 2.0) items were converted from USD to EUR, exchange rate correct as of 29 May 2015 (i.e. 1USD to 0.9123EUR).
• 2014 Club Sandwich Index 'average Club Sandwich price' was converted from GBP to EUR, exchange rate correct as of 15 April 2014 (i.e. 1GBP to 1.39EUR).

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