Hotel prices remain high in the Netherlands

Amsterdam hotels remain the most expensive at an average EUR 142 a night, a 5 percent increase on the year earlier period, according to the Hotel Price Index from website Hotels.com.

Maastricht came second despite a drop in price of 4 percent to EUR 108 a night.

In Rotterdam, where prices had been rising faster than elsewhere in the Netherlands, the average price dropped 5 percent to EUR 92.

However, a number of new hotels opened in the city in the first half of 2013 which had an effect on rates, according to the researchers.

On a global basis, the first half of 2014 saw hotel prices rise 4 percent.

Amsterdam hotel owners have been complaining about unfair competition from locals renting out their properties via websites such as Airbnb.