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BOSTON IS THE most expensive city for hotel accommodations in the U.S., according to a recent survey by Cheaphotels.org. Portland was the cheapest city, the survey has found. The survey compared hotel rates across 50 U.S. destinations in October, which is typically the month with the highest hotel prices in most American cities. It specifically focused on hotels with a 3-star rating or higher, located in central areas, Cheaphotels said in a statement. Boston took the lead as the priciest city, with an average rate of $303 for the most affordable double room, the survey said. Following closely were New York City and Austin, with rates of $288 and $257, respectively. Cleveland claimed the fourth spot, with an average rate of $234 for the least expensive room. Notably, hotel rates in Ohio's second-largest city have surged by 25 percent compared to 2022.

A LAWSUIT FILED in federal court in Washington state alleges that STR, owned by commercial real estate information researcher CoStar Group, along with several major hotel companies conspired to inflate luxury hotel rates. The seven individuals named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit seek to make it a class-action filing on behalf of every person who stayed at the defendants' hotels from February 2020 until the present for an unspecified amount. CoStar and hotel companies including IHG Hotel & Resorts, Marriott International and Hyatt Hotels Corp., entered an exchange of "competitively-sensitive information about their prices, supply, and future plans" in violation of the antitrust provisions of the Sherman Act, according to the lawsuit. STR and most of the other defendants in the suit did not respond to requests for comment in time for this article, but a spokesperson for IHG said the company could not comment on pending litigation. "Teddy Roosevelt passed the antitrust laws to prevent titans of industry from price fixing in smoke-filled rooms," Steve Berman, the plaintiffs' lead attorney told Reuters, calling the defendants' conduct the "modern equivalent." The alleged price fixing happened in major cities including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Diego, Denver, Washington, D.C., and Seattle. The lawsuit focuses on STR's "Forward STAR" product that was expanded into many of those markets in April after launching 17 of the country's 25 largest hotel markets, including Las Vegas, New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Boston and Phoenix.

U.S. HOTEL PERFORMANCE saw a significant increase in the first week of December compared to the previous week, with improvements in hotel occupancy, ADR and RevPAR, according to CoStar. Year-over-year results also reflected positive trends. Occupancy rose to 58.7 percent for the week ending Dec. 9, up from the previous week's 54.2 percent, reflecting a year-over-year decrease of 1.1 percent. ADR increased to $153.36, compared to the previous week's $144.88, showing a 4.5 percent uptick from the prior year. RevPAR also soared to $89.98, compared to the prior week's $78.54, indicating a 3.3 percent decrease from the corresponding period in 2022. Among the top 25 markets, Boston saw the largest year-over-year occupancy increase, surging by 4.1 percent to 72.7 percent. Helped by Miami Art Week and Art Basel, Miami reported significant increases in ADR, soaring 48.8 percent to $314.55, and RevPAR, jumping 67 percent to $262.16.

U.S. HOTEL PERFORMANCE exhibited mixed year-over-year comparisons in the third week of November, according to CoStar. Moreover, both occupancy and RevPAR declined compared to the previous week. Occupancy dropped to 62.4 percent for the week ending Nov. 18, down from the previous week's 64.8 percent, marking a year-over-year decrease of 0.6 percent. ADR saw a slight increase to $156.47, compared to the previous week's $156.01, demonstrating a significant 7 percent uptick from the previous year. Despite a decline to $97.61 in RevPAR compared to the previous week's $101.13, there was a noteworthy 6.3 percent rise from the corresponding period in 2022. Among the top 25 markets, Boston led with the largest year-over-year occupancy gain, surging by 11.0 percent to reach 77.2 percent.