TripAdvisor TripIndex Room Service: Tunis and Cape Town offer best value room service for Malaysian Travellers
Kuala Lumpur, 26 March 2014 – Tunis offers the best value for Malaysian travellers this year when it comes to the common incidental costs while staying in a hotel, according to a cost comparison report released today by TripAdvisor™.
The results are taken from the second annual TripAdvisor TripIndex Room Service report, which compares the cost of room service items in 48 popular destinations around the world. The study takes into account the cost of a club sandwich ordered through room service, the dry cleaning of one shirt and from the mini bar: a bottle of water, peanuts, a mini bottle of vodka and a can of cola.
The combined cost of these room service items will set you back RM60.65 in Tunis – almost five times less than at the costliest destination, Helsinki, where the price totals RM293.07. South Africa’s Cape Town follows closely as the second best value destination for room service at RM75.66, while another Scandinavian city, Oslo, is revealed as the second most expensive at RM288.59.
“The room rate alone doesn’t give an accurate picture of what the full cost of staying at a hotel can be, especially when you see the wide range of prices for everyday room service items between destinations around the world. TripIndex Room Service gives travellers a useful snapshot of where their money will stretch the furthest when it comes to the cost of these items,” commented TripAdvisor spokesperson, Jean Ow-Yeong.
Shell out in Scandinavia, see savings in Africa
This year’s results show that if you’re heading to northern Europe, you’re likely to pay a lot more as four Scandinavian cities make it into the world’s top ten most expensive destinations.
Europe as a whole dominates the most expensive list laying claim to six of the top ten. Helsinki in Finland and Oslo in Norway take first and second place respectively while Zurich, Stockholm and Paris are placed fourth, fifth and sixth. Seoul is the only non-European city to be ranked within the top five most expensive destinations.
Malaysian travellers looking to bag a bargain should head to Africa where three of the continent’s destinations feature in the top five places offering the best value – Tunis in Tunisia, Cape Town in South Africa and Marrakech in Morocco. In Asia, the least expensive city destination for room service is Jakarta, where a full set of basket items (RM91.74) will cost almost a third of the price of the equivalent items’ cost in Helsinki (RM293.07).
Malaysia is fifth best value destination for combined costs of room service and hotel room rate
According to TripIndex Room Service, Malaysia falls outside the top ten most affordable destinations for room service items, coming in fifteenth. In Kuala Lumpur, a club sandwich is RM35.01, a bottle of water is RM11.21, a can of coke is RM10.18, a mini bottle of vodka is RM18.93, a packet of peanuts is RM9.54, and to dry clean a shirt is RM18.40. Altogether, the basket of items costs RM103.27.
However, when combined with the room rate, Malaysia comes in fifth as one of the top destinations for best value overall, making it a more affordable option than cities such as Budapest, Cape Town and Beijing. The average cost of one night’s stay in Kuala Lumpur is RM334.58, making it a total cost of RM437.85 for the hotel room and room service items.
Jakarta best value for room service and room rates combined
While Tunis is revealed as the number one destination for best value room service, when you consider the cost of room service and room rate combined, at RM615.64, the North African destination drops down to eighteenth place in the league table. With a total combined cost of RM390.92, Jakarta in Indonesia replaces Tunis as number one destination for value overall.
In the most expensive list, it seems that pricey room service and pricey hotel room rates go hand-in-hand as eight of the costliest destinations remain in the top 10. This time however, New York City replaces Helsinki as the most expensive with a total cost of RM1,421.90 compared to Helsinki’s RM953.53, taking it down to eighth place in the league table.
About The Author
Juhan Kamaruddin has spent years sharing and editing stories that inspire people to explore the world with greater curiosity and purpose. Passionate about travel, culture, and meaningful connections, he works closely with tourism stakeholders, media partners, and industry leaders to showcase the best of Malaysia and beyond through storytelling, strategic content, and collaborative partnerships.
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