According to a survey by hotel provider Cheaphotels.org, Carmel-by-the-Sea, a small beach city on the Monterey Peninsula, is the priciest summer destination in California for hotel stays in 2023.

The survey compared the cost of hotel accommodation across 30 popular California destinations. For each one, the average price for the cheapest available double room during July and August 2023 was established. Only hotels located close to a beach or in the city/town centre, and with three or more stars, were considered for the survey.

With an average rate of $305 per night for the most affordable double room, Carmel-by-the-Sea came out as the priciest destination.

Only slightly more affordable are Santa Monica and Pismo Beach, with average rates of $287 and $280, respectively.

Palo Alto, meanwhile, is the priciest "non-beach" destination with rates of $231 per night.

At the other end of the scale, with rates of just $115 per night, San Francisco in northern California emerged as the cheapest destination recorded in the survey – a 30% decrease compared with 2019.

A project that is set to increase tourism within the state is the California High Speed Rail, a $450mn construction that will stretch from the north to the south of the state.

California has recently been hit by hospitality worker strikes, due to the high housing costs in the region which mean that many low-wage earners find it challenging to live near their jobs.