Is Ann Arbor the priciest place to stay in the Midwest this summer?
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - A new study by cheaphotels.org suggests that Ann Arbor is the priciest destination in the Midwest to stay this summer.
On average, it found an overnight stay will set you back $287 per night for the cheapest room in July and August.
Cheaphotels.org said it only considered centrally-located hotels that had at least a three-star rating.
- Here are the findings:
- Ann Arbor, Mich., $287
- Saint Joseph, Mich., $274
- South Haven, Mich., $256
- Duluth, Minn., $234
- Traverse City, Mich., $233
- Marquette, Mich., $222
- Put-in-Bay, Ohio, $216
- Petoskey, Mich., $216
- Lake Geneva, Wis., $214
- Chicago, Ill., $210
But not everyone is convinced.
President and CEO of Destination Ann Arbor, Sarah Miller, said the findings don't reflect the nightly average in the area.
"The study did not include all the properties that Ann Arbor has to offer, so the data pool was much smaller for the average rate, so that didn't offer all of the opportunities that we have, and obviously the rate was much higher than what we can offer here in Washtenaw County," said Miller.
She said the average nightly rate for Washtenaw County, which largely consists of hotels in Ann Arbor, is in reality much lower.
"Including all of the properties in Washtenaw County, our rates are showing more in the line of $130-$140 in June and July is the average rate here," said Miller.
With one week to go until the Ann Arbor Art Fair, she said that as major events take place, demand does drive up the nightly rate.
"High demand always increases rates," she said. "And depending on where you want to be in the county will also have impacts on those rates. So, if it's an Art Fair, for example, that happens downtown. The price to proximity has an impact on the rates on where you stay in the proximity to the event. So, the closer you want to be to the event, the higher your rates will probably be in those hotels."
If affordability is a concern and you live a few hours from Ann Arbor, Miller said one option is to take a day trip to the city.
