Top End is still one of the most expensive places to holiday in Australia

DARWIN hotel prices have dropped over the past year but the Top End is still one of the most expensive places to holiday in the country, new figures show.

The Cunard cruise ship and the largest ship to visit Australia, the Queen Mary 2 along side at Fort Hill Wharf dwarfing the Darwin city skyline.

DARWIN hotel prices have dropped over the past year but the Top End is still one of the most expensive places to holiday in the country, new figures show.

The latest Hotels.com Hotel Price Index reveals Darwin hotel prices fell by 4 per cent over the past year, the highest fall of any Australian capital city.

The average cost of a hotel room in Darwin fell to $200 in 2014, down from $208 in 2013.

But room rates in Darwin were still $23 above the national average of $177 a night, the highest in the country, and on par with Sydney.

Hotels.com regional director Katherine Cole said the reduction in Darwin hotel prices was a direct result of the natural resources boom cooling off.

“It’s off the back of a very strong couple of years, mostly due to the corporate and mining industry,” Ms Cole said. “So we’ve seen that soften in 2014 mostly because the mining industry has built its own ­accommodation.

“That means the NT tourist commission and hoteliers are going after more leisure and business travellers, which we’re working with them on.”

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But Ms Cole said the higher prices in Darwin were “impacting bookings” and keeping leisure travellers at bay.

“It’s definitely impacting the customers’ choice because people are considering the cost of flights and the cost of ­accommodation when choosing a holiday destination,” she said. “If those two are quite ­expensive then leisure ­travellers may not choose that destination.”

Ms Cole said Darwin hotels continued to experience high occupancy rates as a result of businesses booking out rooms for workers.

“The rates are still comparatively high because demand is greater than supply in Darwin,” she said.

“It comes down to the number of hotels available and Darwin doesn’t have the volume or level of business that, say, Sydney or Melbourne do.”

Hotel rooms in Darwin are going for as little as $99 for a standard room at the H Hotel on Friday night, as listed on hotels.com yesterday.

The same room was advertised for $245 a night on Friday, June 12.

Low rates tend to quadruple in price during peak seasons in the Dry.

The city where Australian travellers paid the most for a hotel room in 2014 was New York, where the average price paid was $317.