asataylor

© UggBoy♥UggGirl [ PHOTO // WORLD // TRAVEL ]

As hotel room rates in Ireland have fallen over 4% in the last year, the country has officially become the cheapest destination on the continent when it comes to finding inexpensive hotels in Europe. The current average hotel room rate in Ireland has fallen to 79 Euros, which on a year over year basis is back to 2004 levels.

This is in contrast to the global hotel market, where hotel prices have risen by an average of 2% in 2010. Dublin has now become one of the best travel values of major cities around the world, with an average room rate that falls below the national average at 73 Euros, while Kilkenny remains the most expensive destination in the country with rates of 112 Euros a night on average. Dublin experienced a steeper decline in prices than any other Western European city, falling by 6% a year. However, the rate of deflation in Irish hotel prices seems to be stabilizing compared to 2009, which saw room rates fall at 21% annually.

© UggBoy♥UggGirl [ PHOTO : WORLD : SENSE ]

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has recently announced, during the International Hotel Investment Forum in Berlin, that there will be 50 hotel Europe, the Middle East, and Africa over the next 3 to 5 years.

Due to the growing demand for the high-end luxury brands it has been offering, the region will gain the benefits of 12 new hotels for this year. Starwood Hotels is very much welcome to the idea of opening 70-80 hotels this year. Plans have been settled and various opening will be implemented in line with the emergence of Starwood as the largest operator of luxury and upper upscale hotels in the world.

Italy will have its new St. Regis hotel as an upcoming key opening. St. Petersburg, Paris, and London will have W Hotels.

© bridgepix

A trip in Europe, particularly in Italy, isn't complete without a day or two in the Mediterranean's capital for romance, Venice. This city of roughly half a million souls is in northern Italy and is often referred to as the City of Bridges or the City of Canals, thanks to the waterways and bridges that crisscross the city that double as a travel network. To make a romantic getaway in Venice more, well, romantic there are quite a number of tips available.

Without going into details, here are some tips from Paul Bowers, a writer for website and blog Mio Destino, that appear on a travel directory: First, he recommends taking a vaporetto, Venice's version of the street bus, instead of a gondola, which he says is "a real rip-off." A vaporetto ride might not elicit a romantic thought in your mind, but it is more cost effective and enjoyable. For romantic accommodations, he recommends the Locanda Orseolo, which he says is "intimate" and a "charming place to stay."