Hotels.com Club Sand-Swiss Index
Annual Hotels.com Club Sandwich Index
(CSI) names Geneva as the most expensive city for a Club Sandwich, while UK
comes in eighth
Geneva has taken over from Paris as the most expensive city in the
world in which to order a Club Sandwich, at an average of £19.96, according to
research released today by Hotels.com. Using the classic hotel staple of a chicken,
bacon, egg, lettuce and mayonnaise sandwich as
a barometer of affordability, the Hotels.com Club Sandwich Index (CSI) offers
holidaymakers an indication of the cost of living associated with their
destination of choice.
The CSI average price is calculated from the real prices paid by
guests for a Club Sandwich in 30 hotels in the capital or an important tourist
city of each country surveyed, across five, four and three star
categories. In total, 840 hotels
globally were canvassed.
Now in its second year, the Index reflects not only changes in the
actual price of a Club Sandwich across the globe but also the effect of
currency fluctuations. Travellers will
be pleased to note that, on the whole, prices are falling: the Genevan average
of £19.96, although higher than any other destination, is also lower than last
year's most expensive, which was £20.43 in Paris.
In the Swiss city, prices for the humble 'Club' ranged
from an extraordinary £34.33 in one five-star hotel to a more reasonable £9.27
in a three-star establishment. Gastronomic hub and last year's chart topper,
Paris, this year slipped to number two with a new average of £17.99, closely
followed by Oslo, which held on to the number three spot with £17.51.
In the UK the average Club Sandwich came in at
£13.53, with prices ranging from £26 to £6, putting Britain in eighth on the
table.
India's New Delhi remained the cheapest destination to
buy a Club Sandwich, with an average price of just £5.97, although several
other holiday favourites also appeared under the £10 threshold, including
Madrid (£9.68), Rio de Janeiro (£9.44) and Bangkok (£7.74).
Alison Couper
from Hotels.com said: “The Club Sandwich, available on hotel menus across the
globe, is the perfect spending barometer, helping tourists factor into their
travel plans the everyday cost of simple items such as food and drink. The price changes when comparing 2013 to 2012
hide a complex story of factors from changes in the local price of basic food
items through to currency fluctuations.
The beauty of the CSI is that we are able to offer travellers a simple
price comparison to show how far their money may stretch in each country."