scared away with the over priced hotels and basically everything. Costly, bad customer service everywhere.. , period.

milk the tourists dry, if they dont come back, who cares, there are plenty more where that came from.

in their graves of their future generations. I only come here because I am Jewish and my husband is Israeli, but its so overpriced and FOR WHAT?!

Not only are these hotels among the most expensive in the world; on top of this all, a majority of them aren't even worth the silly prices they charge. They still have so much more to learn about service towards customers and maintenance.

Not only hotels, but also food, accomodation, cosmetics, everything. Even Switzerland is cheaper or maximum equally priced, but people forget that Swiss wages are 5x times higher than Israeli wages. Same goes for Japan, Norway, Denmark, Singapore, Hongkong, etc.

Unless you're a Jew or evangelical Christian, there is no reason to come to Israel for a relaxing vacation. You can go to Hawaii (from US an Canada) for a third of the price and Greece/Turkey/Italy for half price. Better food, nicer people and hotels and non of those places resemble Africa (I've been and seen). Came to Israel this year after not visiting for 7 years and felt like I was in South Africa. Held my breath on several occasions afraid of inhaling tuberculosis.

I don't know many poor people who do a lot of international travel. Tourism tends to be more popular among people with jobs. Does Ynet want Israel to provide welfare for tourists.

Let the market regulate the supply and pricing. Competition will moderate prices and improve quality.

It's much cheaper and there are many options throughout the country from rural locations with amazing views to city centre modern appartments close to all facilities. I am also amazed at how reasonable car hire is and to cap it all driving is so easy, certainly less stressful than the UK.

Israeli hotels seem to be overpriced and represent poor value for money .Hotels deserve to earn a living but how Israel can justify being one of the most expensive places in the world frankly baffles me .

Went to Dead Sea in August and stayed at Crowne Plaza (supposedly a five star hotel). Rooms (asked for non-smoking) reeked like a chimney as did the halls, most of the buffet food was uneatable (best meal was bought at Aroma although we paid for 3 hotel meals a day), had to wait 20 minutes for the elevators (2) each time we came up or down, a slice of cheesecake and a coffee at the bar downstairs cost 80 shekels, the spa was out of mud and we had to walk to the 'mall' and buy it, the pool hours were not as advertised and we were kicked out much earlier than listed, I can keep going... Point is, the hotel was minus five stars. No such thing as 'value for your money' in this country. Our 3-day 'vacation' cost nearly 8000 shekels and a vacation for next year and possibly the following.

you are so full of bs it is scary. i as an american secular man have been to israel many many times and it is clean, modern and welcoming. where have you stayed? in arab villages?

The fact that there are relatively few hotels in Jerusalem (not including hotels located in East Jerusalem) encourages the hotels to raise their prices. Building more hotels will increase competition and bring lower prices.

Hotel prices in Israel are ridiculously high ,and there is no good reason why this should be the case.

Yo ,vacation 4 da rich ,aint life a bitch ,like a persistent itch , life is hell ,when yo can't pay for an expensive Hotel ,pray tell ,I want to cry ,how can they jus-ti-fy ,the prices sky high , they defy , why da need ,for this greed , breakfast and bed ,a place to rest ones; weary head ,but instead , a mortgage needed ,and ones pockets bleeded.

Had the prices been at a reasonable level (50%) I'd say we've come a long way in the few years of our existence. The level of service and accommodation have to be improved drastically to even approach the hutzpa-like prices being asked. But the suckers keep coming & us, the local suckers keep overpaying on EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME!

I am an American living in Israel, center Tel Aviv, off Borgashev street and can attest to what 'Robert from Chicago' is saying regarding Israel and the African migrant epidemic. As soon as the sun sets, the beach is full of Africans, as are the streets of Floretin where most youth and tourists go to experience nightlife. It is by no means modern, just last week a building collapsed in Florentin. When dining out, you almost always have to buy bread to go with your pasta or salad and there are no refills on soft drinks. Just because you saw a handful of high rises in Tel Aviv online, you assumed just to make a comment. If I wasn't Jewish, I would not have come to live or visit Israel because it is very expensive.

you get what you pay for. You want a cheap vacation? Go to Pakistan. PS: your whining will not convince nor impress TelAviv hoteliers who are looking at high-occupancy figures. People don't vote with their mouth - they vote with their wallet.

Why does this thread turn to Illegals? Illegal immigrants are an issue in any city anywhere-- this is not limited to Israel-- these people only come because it's the best country in the area; and the only country known to have rescued large numbers of Africans. Lack of competition is the core of what this whole article is about. And note that New York is among the most expensive cities in the world. It is where most North American tourists embark on their trips, and home to millions of Jews so it is to be expected that prices in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv reflect NY prices. I detest any comparison between Israel and south africa. And your Tuberculosis joke is baseless because Israel, unlike s afrika, provides immunization to it's citizens. It's still a very new country in it's current form and some things take time to refine; I'm sure hotel service in America was less than stellar in the 1870s. To walk in Florentin and see blacks here and there, I'd take that over walking through a Mexican neighbourhood in LA any day of the week. It's safer and it's the only place where we as Jews can stand without the fear of discrimination or persecution. Sad to say but if it was less expensive, it would become totally overpopulated absorbing 7 million more Americans.

#7 Antisemites not wanted. Italy is even more expensive.

This article merely states that in comparison to other comparable cities, Tel Aviv is the most expensive with least amount to offer. I am an Israeli and I agree. I was born and raised in Israel (Hod HaSharon) and have never encouraged my American friends to visit me, not just because I prefer to visit them in US, but also because I know their hard earned money can be spent better in Mexico, Dominican Republic or even in Miami. Those places are much cheaper, far more luxurious than anything Tel Aviv can offer and for less expensive. And as far at the African issue goes- it is mentioned because it is a huge deterrent for tourists because the news abroad often mentions the sexual assaults female tourists encounter here. So why would a 22 year old college graduate come to Tel Aviv when she can go to Punta Cana?

I don't agree with you , but you pretty much said the same thing my dad did when he came to visit. his exact words" i feel like im in Johannesburg, not Tel Aviv. " only he says it cause he used to live in israel 30 years ago, and as a comparison to then and now! not as a reason not to visit, as you yourself had put it! The areas between the new and old Central bus stations is filled with African refugees! you are Absolutely right, for the price you are paying, Israel is definitely not worth it for a racist person such as yourself! you would definitively, enjoy yourself better in the Caribbean, or mexico; cheap and close to america.

of Tourism Accomadation No shortage of Premium Rooms but a distinct shortage of Standard Rooms - and given the success of Holiday Inn Express and Premier Inns in the UK that end of the market can also be highly profitable for operators but needs large scale investment to realise economies of scale But whats also needed are not only affordable Hotel Room but affordable Inclusive Holiday Centres that cater for families with children Whilst there is little scope to locate these on the Med Coast the potential for a series of such Inland Centres modelled on say Centre Parcs in the UK and based in the North Negev is enormous Of course there are established International Operators - from Warners to Centre Parcs....but they need to be approached and reassured that for them to invest Connectivity, Water Supply, Security are all in place

What can we say- its all bureaucratia. That;s the problem with 99% of the issues in this country.

you do get breakfast which gets you thru till dinner. In other places it is often instant coffee and a piece of bread

Ill certainly vote with my wallet. Spent close to 10,000 in two weeks in Israel (including airfare). Got second rate Leonardo Hotels for 5 nights, the rest of the time in a Tzimmer in the North. Both hotels needed a lot of TLC, both had outrageously expensive wifi. breakkfasts, tho, were great. Found food generally in israeli to be expensive. Car rental, tho, surprisingly reasonable, but.. as with everything, else, very difficult to deal with. Try to get a taxi for a short distance. No one wanted to take us. One rude driver in TA told me to walk, as its not far...Next vacations will be in Europe next week,and Hawaii. May get back to Israel in another 10 yrs...