The determinants of hotel room rates: an analysis of the hotel industry in Warsaw, Poland

This study aims to measure the effect on prices through the differing characteristics and attributes of hotels.

A hedonic price model (HPM) was adopted to estimate the impact of various site and situational factors on hotel prices in Warsaw, Poland. To better understand room rates not explained by HPM, spatial analysis of residuals was used. Datasets regarding prices from three different online travel agents (OTAs) and star ratings, either official or provided by OTAs, were investigated.

A significant impact on hotel prices by star rating has been confirmed. Every additional star allows the hotel to set approximately 25 to 36 per cent higher prices, which is in line with previous studies. Moreover, two factors indicated a high but still underestimated theoretical hotel prices: location within the city centre and proximity to the international airport.

The results of this study suggest that hoteliers should use a spatial analysis of room rates offered by the competing enterprises. Moreover, managers are expected to verify their price tactics and policies according to the geographical determinants of hotel prices investigated.

The uniqueness of the study is highlighted by comparison of HPMs based on data from different OTAs, analysing differences in HPMs based on star ratings provided by OTAs and official systems and spatial analysis of residuals of estimated HPMs. Moreover, this study is among the first to examine the usage of HPM in the hospitality industry in East-Central Europe.