DALLAS – Paris, often thought of as the world's most romantic city, has just been deemed the most expensive city in the world to order a club sandwich by Hotels.com®. But if $33 seems like too much to shell out for lunch, stick to the 10 most popular United States destinations – according to the 2011 Hotels.com Hotel Price Index™ (HPI®) – where the most expensive club sandwich can be found in New York City, for an average price of nearly $17.

Why choose the club sandwich? The classic chicken, bacon, egg, lettuce and mayo sandwich, a standard lunch available in hotels worldwide, was used as a universal measure of affordability in the Hotels.com Club Sandwich Index (CSI). The CSI average price has been calculated by taking the real prices paid by guests for a club sandwich within 1,000 five, four and three-star hotels located in popular travel destinations across 26 countries, with 10 U.S. cities measured.

This standard lunch fare is known for its popularity among hotel restaurants worldwide where it has been a staple since the 1800s. Although the exact origin of the club sandwich has not been proven, popular myths point it to an exclusive – wait for it – gambling club – in Saratoga Springs, New York, where it became popular before spreading to the rest of the world.

To help hotel guests and hotels.com users learn how to prepare the perfect club sandwich on their own, John Torode, chef, restaurateur and TV presenter reveals in this video how kitchen skills can result in lunch that tastes just right.

Top U.S. Domestic Destinations for U.S. Citizens and Those Cities' Average Club Sandwich Price (ranked from most expensive to least expensive, and rounded to the nearest dollar.)
HPI Rank City State Club SandwichAverage Price
2 New York City N.Y. $17
3 Orlando Fla. $15
7 San Francisco Calif. $14
8 Washington D.C. $14
1 Las Vegas Nev. $13
4 Chicago Ill. $12
9 Houston Texas $12
10 New Orleans La. $12*
6 Los Angeles Calif. $11
5 San Diego Calif. $10

"The CSI is a quirky way for travelers to estimate the cost of living in the destinations they are visiting for their vacations," said Taylor L. Cole, director public relations and social media, North America at Hotels.com. "Hotels.com customers already know how to snag great hotel deals. The CSI is a fun metric which provides an average cost travelers can use to estimate lunch budgets for daily expenses away from home."

Within the U.S., it is no surprise that New York City is home to the most expensive club sandwich prices due to the city's reputation for an expensive cost of living. Although affordable lunch can be found in San Diego, visitors can assume while traveling in the U.S. lunch will set them back around an average of $12 – $14. An interesting regional difference travelers should note is that many restaurants in New Orleans do not serve club sandwiches, but rather the Big Easy favorite, Po' Boy, which can consist of a variety of seafood or meats and condiments served on French bread.

In London, the top overseas destination for Americans according to the HPI, a club costs an average of $19, making the city ninth on the CSI. The least expensive cities for a club sandwich from all 30 global cities surveyed are New Delhi, India and Mexico City, Mexico, with the average price coming in at just $10.

Club Sandwich Index (CSI) of Top Cities Around the World(ranked from most expensive to least expensive and rounded to the nearest dollar.)
Country/City Average Club Sandwich Price ($)
France – Paris $33
Switzerland – Geneva $32
Norway – Oslo $30
Japan – Tokyo $28
Italy – Rome $24
Finland – Helsinki $23
Sweden – Stockholm $22
Australia – Canberra $20
Denmark – Copenhagen $19
UK – London $19
Hong Kong $18
South Korea – Seoul $18
Germany – Berlin $18
Brazil – Brasilia $18
USA – New York City $17
Holland – Amsterdam $16
Russia – Moscow $16
Spain – Madrid $16
Canada – Toronto $16
Ireland – Dublin $16
Malaysia – Singapore $15
China – Beijing $14
Colombia – Bogota $14
Argentina – Buenos Aires $11
Mexico – Mexico City $10
India – New Delhi $10

To book, visit www.hotels.com, call 1-800-2-hotels, use our mobile apps, or book with a friend through our Facebook app Hotels WithMe. Other news, images and infographics are available at our media room: http://press.hotels.com/en-us/.

The Club Sandwich Index 'average Club Sandwich price' is the average price of 30 Club Sandwiches as sold in 30 hotels in the city of each country measured. The prices were taken from 10 Five Star, 10 Four Star, and 10 Three Star hotels from each city. In total, 1,000 prices of a club sandwich were measured across 1,000 hotels, in 26 countries. European prices were converted to $USD, exchange rate correct as of April 25, 2012.

*Club sandwiches were very hard to find on New Orleans hotel restaurant menus, this price represents the average price of a Po'Boy.

About Hotels.com®

Hotels.com is a leading online accommodation booking website with over 150,000 properties around the world, ranging from international chains and all-inclusive resorts to local favorites and bed & breakfasts, together with all the information needed to book the perfect stay. Hotels.com benefits from one of the largest hotel contracting teams in the industry, negotiating the best rates for its customers, and offers frequent sales, special deals and promotions. There are more than 6.5 million Guest Reviews on the site from users who have actually stayed in the hotels to ensure customers can make an informed choice when booking. Through its industry-leading loyalty program Welcome Rewards™, customers can earn a free night for every 10 nights stayed at more than 65,000 hotels. Under its Price Match Guarantee, if a customer can find the same deal for less on a prepaid hotel, hotels.com will refund the difference. Travelers can book online or by contacting one of the multilingual call centers. Special apps for mobile phones and tablets can also be downloaded at www.hotels.com/deals/mobile_app/ enabling customers to book on the go with access to 20,000 last minute deals. Hotels.com publishes an award-winning twice-yearly review of international hotel room price trends called the Hotels.com Hotel Price Index™, which is now produced in 31 individual country editions, with North American data available at www.hotel-price-index.com. Follow hotels.com on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hotelsdotcom, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/hotelsdotcom and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/hotelsdotcom. Hotels.com is part of Expedia Inc., the largest online travel company in the world with an extensive portfolio that includes some of the world's best-known brands.

Hotels.com,
Hotel Price Index, HPI, Finding You The Perfect Place
and the Hotels.com logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotels.com, LP. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. © 2012 Hotels.com, LP. All rights reserved. CST # 2083949-50

Taylor L. Cole, APR
(469) 335-8442
Hotels.com