Sonoma Valley named most expensive summer destination

Sonoma Valley ranks as the most expensive place in the U.S. to book a hotel this summer, with an average room rate of $417 a night, according to online travel site Hipmunk.

The area topped Napa Valley, with an average price of $338 a night, and Santa Barbara, at $311 a night, the company reported Friday. The three California communities were listed as the nation’s most expensive summer hotel destinations.

“In close proximity to some 400 wineries, and perennially hot in the summer, Sonoma is an immensely popular vacation destination,” Hipmunk observed in a press release. “The Northern California hotspot has a limited number of hotels, so in the summer, prices accordingly skyrocket.”

The findings were based on a review of same-month bookings in 2014. Web analytics firm Priceonomics conducted the review for Hipmunk.

The U.S. cities with the biggest summer savings were Scottsdale, Ariz., at $97 a night, a 64-percent discount off winter rates, and Miami, at $136 a night, a savings of 58 percent off winter rates.