Newport More Expensive than Any Other U.S. Destination This Summer

Updated: August 11, 2012

Newport, Rhode Island will cost visitors more than any other U.S. destination to stay this summer. The City by the Sea's hotel rates are pricier than anywhere else in the country this June through August according to a new survey from CheapHotels.org. The survey ranked all destinations in the USA using the cost of each one's cheapest available double room as the benchmark for comparison. The resulting dollar figures, therefore, reflect the minimum amount visitors will have to spend to stay in each locale. Only those hotels with a 2-star rating or higher were taken into consideration.

To say overnight in Newport's cheapest available double room this summer, vacationers will have to spend an average of $319. The “Queen of the Summer Resorts” is charging a queenly ransom, beating out both Santa Monica and Calistoga in the nightly hotel rate department. These destinations in California's southern coast and Napa Valley wine regions respectively came in second and third on the list at $287 and $285 respectively for their cheapest double room.

In fourth place, the affluent Massachusetts island of Martha's Vineyard will set visitors back an average of $275 per night this summer. This summertime colony south of Cape Cod, however, wasn't the only Massachusetts destination landing in the Top 10. Cambridge, Boston and Provincetown also earned such a distinction.

The following table shows the 20 most expensive destinations in the USA this summer. The prices shown are based on the average rate for their cheapest available double room (minimum 2-star hotel) for the time period spanning June through August 2012.

1. Newport $319
2. Santa Monica $287
3. Calistoga $285
4. Martha's Vineyard $275
5. Cambridge $250
6. Provincetown $217
7. Avalon $210
8. Boston $209
9. Laguna Beach $200
10. Wailea $197
11. Kohala Coast – Waikoloa $192
12. Napa $182
13. Koloa $178
14. Washington, D.C. $174
15. Key West $164
16. Falmouth $163
17. New York City $157
18. Islamorada $149
19. Princeville $147
20. Pensacola Beach $146

About the Methodology

For every destination in the USA having a minimum of 10 regular hotels, the price for the cheapest available double room (minimum 2-star hotel) was established for the following time periods: June 6–10, June 13–17, July 4–8, July 25–29, August 8–12 and August 15–19. In all instances, the prices were established about one month in advance of the respective periods. Only such hotels located in or less than one mile from the city center/beach were considered. Based on this data, an average price was calculated for each destination, resulting in the rankings illustrated above.