City life at a bargain price

Paris for less than £100

£93 - be price-and style-conscious at the Hotel Thérèse, near the Metro Pyramides, with touches of Philippe Starck in its contemporary interior. Rooms have internet access.

£59 - long-stayers will find something at Citadines, which has 16 one-bed studio apartments in central Paris, equivalent to three-star hotel facilities, with sofabed, bathroom, kitchenette, TV, stereo, telephone and safe. A 30-day booking works out per day at the price above.

£50 - another cheap-chic option is on the edge of the Marais. The Hotel Beaumarchais (nearest Metro is Filles de Calvaire) is basic, with nice touches such as a patio deck for breakfast. Be warned that there is another, similarly named, but twice-the-price hotel nearby.

Frankfurt for less than £60

You can stay in Frankfurt and pay budget hotel prices, but rates soar during trade fairs.

£55.95 - there is less of a sting at the Turm Hotel, where normal rates rise to e143 (about £98) during a fair. It's close to the Stock Exchange, its designer rooms have modem connections and downstairs is the comfy Collins cocktail bar.

£52 - rates at the Miramar top e210 (about £144) during a fair. The hotel is pleasantly modern, centrally located near Romer Platz, and all rooms have high-speed internet connections. Miramar, Berliner Strasse 31, 60311 Frankfurt am Main (00 49 69 92 03 97 0, www.miramar-frankfurt.de).

£30 - stay longer near the city's exhibition centre west of Frankfurt, at the Hotel Mercure & Residenz, a big modern place with five meeting rooms, Jacuzzi, sauna, restaurant and bar. A 30-day booking works out per day at the price above. Hotel Mercure & Residenz, Voltastrasse 29, 60486 Frankfurt am Main (00 49 69 79260, www.mercure.com).

Manchester for less than £110

£105 - four-star comfort at just over £100 is best at Alias Hotel Rossetti, spitting distance from the train station and with airy rooms, great basement bar and a pantry on each floor for midnight munchies. All rooms have broadband and DVDs. Alias Hotel Rossetti, 107 Piccadilly (0161 247 7744, www.aliashotels.com).

£73 - rooms in the three-star Jurys Inn Manchester are equally central, next to Bridgewater Hall and the G-Mex, and have all you'd expect, including modem and restaurant. Jurys Inn Manchester, 56 Great Bridgewater Street (0161 953 8807, www.jurysdoyle.com).

£65 - Days Serviced Apartments is a new block in the city centre offering one-bed apartments with separate bedroom, dining room and kitchen.

A 30-day booking works out per day at the price above. Book through the Apartment Service (020 8944 1444, www.apartmentservice.com).

£49.95 - you can't get much cheaper than the Travel Inn in the city centre. It has a fantastically central location in Portland Street and cosy bar/restaurant area on the ground floor. Rooms have TV and tea- and coffee-making facilities. Travel Inn, The Circus, 112-114 Portland Street (0870 238 3315, www.travelinn.co.uk).

Milan for less than £115
Milan's hotel rates also soar during trade fairs, from January until June.

£111 - creature comforts at the four-star Novotel Milan Nord Ca Granda, a little more than two miles from the city centre, with pool and fitness centre.

£82 - centrally located one-bed apartments in the spacious rooms inside the four-star Hotel Residence Borjonuovo. A 30-day booking works out at the price above. Its sister property on the outskirts of the city, the Hotel Residence Siloa, is half the price (£65) but also half the space.
A tram ride will get you into town within 30 minutes. Hotel Residence Borjonuovo, 1 Milan, 20121 (00 39 0 26 42211, www.puntocongesti.et).

£63 - the Best Western City is a smart, centrally located three-star budget hotel near the cathedral and the Corso Buenos Aires shopping area. Metro stop outside and walking distance to the railway station. Soundproofed rooms with safes.