My wife and I traveled to Germany at Christmas in 2001, 2002 & 2003. I am now finding that hotel prices this year are 2 to 4 times higher, excluding the Euro to US dollar currency exchange. For example the hotel that we stayed at in Munich in 2002 and 2003 was 95 Euros a night. It is now 250 Euros. I found the same situation in Nurenburg and Rothenburg.
Does anyone know why the rates have gone up so much?

You can still find nice hotels in the 60-100 euro range in all these places over Christmas. You might check on HRS.com.

http://www.hrs.com/web3/

We are going the first 10 days in December and paying 58 to 99 euros per night in several locations, including Rothenburg and Munich.

Regards, Gary

We are going from Nov 25 until December 7 and are not paying more than 100E per night for 4 star hotels in Berlin, Nuremberg and Munich.

This is less than we paid in 2005, 2007.

Hi,
take a look at this web-site : motel-one.com (it's not a motel chain but very clean and modern hotels I always stay with).

Yes, motel one is a chain, not sure why you don't think it isn't. A quite nice budget hotel.

I meant that is not a MOTEL chain as one can find in the US (motel 6 for example) even if the name is Motel One. It's more like a hotel as we know it in Europe.

Hotel rates did not generally increase. Must be a matter of chance in your case.

Otherwise, another vote for www.hrs.de.

I have never found www.hrs.de to have the best prices but I will continue to check them out.

hrs.de will have even better rates for Germany, if you own a credit card from Lufthansa (milesandmore.com) and book on that site entering your credit card number for identification first.

I'd bet on it, that they would also accept credit cards from partner airlines.

https://www.miles-and-more.kartenabrechnung.de/
Chose "Nur Vorzugskonditionen", you can change the Language later.

My wife and I traveled in Germany in May/June 2009 -- starting at a hotel near Frankfurt, then on to spotless B&Bs and
hotels near Stuttgart, Bayreuth, Dresden, the Harz Mountains, Hamburg. We never paid more than 70 Euros per night for very nice doubles with breakfast included. All arrangements were made over the internet.