Moscow's hotel rooms are the most expensive in the world. Rooms in the Russian capital cost, on average, £167 a night between April and June this year – and that is 28 per cent less than Moscow's rates for the same period last year. New York came in second, with average rates of £140, up 16 per cent, according to the bookings website Hotels.com.

"Moscow has long been a popular destination for tourists and business travellers alike," said Patrik Oqvist, marketing director of Hotels.com.

Three other American cities were in the top 10 most expensive: Boston (£135 a night on average), Chicago (£125) and Washington (£118). This is despite a favourable exchange rate of almost $2 to the pound.

London was good value by comparison, with an average rate of £91 a night. Venice was the most expensive city in Western Europe, at £123 a night.

The research is based on prices for 20,000 hotels across 1,000 locations and is based on the actual prices paid by customers rather than on advertised rates.

From Telegraph.co.uk