Valentine's Day: Which Cities Hike Prices the Most?

Expressions of love don’t necessarily come cheap. Sending roses to lovers and going on a romantic getaway cost significantly more on Valentine’s Day than on other days, according to Hipmunk, the travel booking site.

For Valentine’s Day, florists double or triple the price of roses and hotels increase room rates an average of 25% based on Hipmunk’s comparison of fees in 2015 versus 2016. Interestingly, more than 69% of hotel bookings for Valentine’s Day are made last minute, with more than 25% of starry-eyed twosomes reserving within two days of February 14. Perhaps, with millennials and Generation Xers slow to commit, couples want to be sure they are still couples before booking a room.

Reno, NV, the city that inflates its Valentine’s weekend hotel prices by 114% (the highest mark-up discovered by Hipmunk), gains fame for its anti-Valentine’s Day activities. According to Hipmunk, Reno offers a Vampire pub crawl “for those who think V-Day sucks.”

Use Hipmunk’s results to find a lovers’ getaway that’s not outrageously inflated. Of Hipmunk’s list of 25 cities, here are the top 6 price-hikers:

Hipmunk’s Top 6 Cities for Valentine’s Day Hotel Rate-Inflation

• Reno, NV, increases rates 114%, from $68 average to $146

• Charleston, SC, increases rates 71%, from $146 to $251

• Houston, TX, increases rates 70%, from $89 to $151

• New York, NY, increases rates 70%, from $161 to $273

• Miami Beach, FL, increases rates 68% from $201 to $337.

• Atlanta, GA, increases rates 68%, from $144 to $242

Hipmunk also lists 25 popular Valentine’s Day getaways. Here are the top 15:

Hipmunk’s 15 most popular cities for Valentine’s Day

1. Las Vegas, NV
2. New Orleans, LA
3. New York City, NY
4. San Diego, CA
5. San Francisco, CA
6. Orlando, FL
7. Atlantic City, NJ
8. Chicago, IL
9. Avalon, CA
10. Fort Lauderdale, FL
11. Atlanta, GA
12. Miami, FL
13. Los Angeles, CA
14. Reno, NV
15. Palm Springs, CA

By comparing Hipmunk’s lists, we’ve come up with the following popular Valentine’s Day destinations that hike rates 25% or less or don’t hike rates at all.

Good Value Valentine’s Day Destinations (in alphabetical order)

• Avalon, CA

• Boston, MA

• Chicago, IL

• Fort Lauderdale, FL

• Los Angeles, CA

• Monterey, CA

• Nashville, TN

• Orlando, FL

• Palm Springs, CA

• Portland, OR

• San Antonio, TX

• San Diego, CA

• San Francisco, CA

• Santa Barbara, CA

What’s your favorite Valentine’s Day destination? Comment below or connect with me on Twitter, @familyitrips.