Travel

Why the price for an overnight stay in Italy is ridiculously high this year

By Italiamo | #!30Fri, 30 Jun 2023 08:15:53 +0200+02:005330#30Fri, 30 Jun 2023 08:15:53 +0200+02:00-8Europe/Amsterdam3030Europe/Amsterdam202330 30am30am-30Fri, 30 Jun 2023 08:15:53 +0200+02:008Europe/Amsterdam3030Europe/Amsterdam2023302023Fri, 30 Jun 2023 08:15:53 +0200158156amFriday=9#!30Fri, 30 Jun 2023 08:15:53 +0200+02:00Europe/Amsterdam6#06-30-2023#!30Fri, 30 Jun 2023 08:15:53 +0200+02:005330#/30Fri, 30 Jun 2023 08:15:53 +0200+02:00-8Europe/Amsterdam3030Europe/Amsterdam202330#!30Fri, 30 Jun 2023 08:15:53 +0200+02:00Europe/Amsterdam6#

In the past few weeks, I think my life expectancy has significantly decreased. Day in and day out, I have scoured the entire internet for an apartment in Florence, which I still had not found one day before departure. Where I was paying €700 per month in the heart of the centro storico last year, a price tag of €3,000 in a not-so-great but still central neighborhood suddenly seemed like a bargain. And that price increase is visible all over Italy. How is that?

Life is expensive
The answer simply lies in market forces, which sounds logical in itself. After a significant COVID dip, the Italians welcomed 196 million tourists in the summer of 2022 (with the accompanying tourist problems) and the popularity of Italy is only increasing. I cheer for that like a mother of a mini soccer player on the sidelines. But years ago, the holiday country was much more in demand (in 2019, for example, there were even 205 million tourists) and prices did not rise so drastically. That's strange.

Of course, I won't leave you with unanswered questions, because I have found that answer for you (and for myself) as well. The Beehive explained to Italy Magazine that it is due to technology. The boutique hostel in Rome had fixed prices for years, with only a fluctuation per season. Those prices were fixed on the website and on paper, as in travel guides. But with the advent of more accessible technology, smaller companies can now also participate in the market game. Perhaps that also promises something for the own websites from year zero.

A hotel by the sea now costs you an average of €252 per night, which was €196 in 2022 and almost a hundred euros less in 2021: €157. Prices have risen on average between 18 and 28 percent across the country. Tough luck for you (and for me), but it doesn't only have disadvantages.

The advantages of higher prices
Besides the fact that it is nice for the Italians to see a growing bank account, it is also an opportunity for the good guys in the hospitality industry to incur costs that were previously not possible. To the benefit of the tourist. For example, they installed air conditioning at The Beehive and organize more events where the Aperol Spritz is still just as cheap.

You are also not forever the victim: price fluctuations based on supply and demand also mean early booking discounts. I was ultimately the fool who decided to leave in a hurry and therefore completely missed out, trusting in my success story from last year (when I also only found a house two weeks in advance and prices were also higher compared to the previous year). Italy has also begun the fight against Airbnb, given that a general housing shortage has arisen. In any case, I am already looking for my spot for next year.