Continental cities gain as cheaper air fares send more Brits abroad

Overpriced minibars, intrusive piped music and poor provision for non-smokers are some of the customer gripes featured in The Good Hotel Guide 2001: Continental Europe.

The tendency for European hotels to put plastic undersheets on beds also annoyed some guests.

Despite these complaints, the guide found that cheap air fares from the UK, fuelled by the growth of no-frills airlines, had prompted a surge in visits to several Continental cities, notably Amsterdam, Florence, Venice and Barcelona.

This increase in demand for short breaks helped push up room rates in some cities.

In the guidebook, published today (11 January), France retains its popularity, with 400 entries, while the Czech Republic and Slovenia attract praise for the high standards of their hotels.

With more British travellers taking their pets abroad following the relaxation of UK quarantine laws, most hoteliers in France, Germany and Italy said they would accept dogs.

This was not the case in Spain and Portugal, where many said they did not accept dogs and some would only accept smaller animals weighing less than 5kg.

The Good Hotel Guide 2001: Continental Europe is published by Ebury Press and costs £16.99.