Travellers from Argentina spent the most money on hotel rooms in Ireland last year, according to a recent survey. The Hotels.com Hotel Price Index, which tracks the average price paid for a hotel room in Ireland by visiting country, reveals that visitors from Argentina spent an average of €128 per room per night in 2014. This is up 19 per cent on last year and 24 per cent above the Irish national average of €103. Visitors from Mexico came in second on the list of big spenders, with an average hotel room spend of €126 per night, an increase of 18 per cent. Last year’s biggest spenders, Norwegians are now third having spent an average of €120 per night for a hotel room in Ireland in 2014. This is still a 10 per cent increase on the price paid by Norwegian travellers in 2013. The highest risers were the Swiss visitors with a 20 per cent increase taking them to €110 and fourth place. Israel, Singapore and the USA all paid €116 per night, up 9 per cent, 19 per cent and 9 per cent respectively year-on-year. A growing tourism market for Ireland, Chinese travellers paid an average of €115 per night in Ireland in 2014, an increase of 11 per cent, positioning them inside the top 10 at number 8. Carolina Annand from Hotels.com commented: “Spending is up across the board for overseas visitors coming to Ireland which is great news for hoteliers and the Irish economy as a whole. Long haul travellers from Argentina and Mexico are spending more on average, most likely because they plan longer trips and often favour hotel accommodation with a higher star rating.”