SOARING hotel prices are damaging the British tourist trade, according to the latest edition of The Good Hotel Guide.
It claims the high level of charges - the most expensive in Europe - means visitors cannot afford to make a mistake when it comes to their choice of hotel.
The 2008 edition says prices are now so high it has dropped its budget hotel section and instead introduced a "value" category instead.
It points out that an overnight stay for a couple with dinner thrown in is approaching the £200 mark.
But VisitScotland last night rejected the criticism, saying providing value for money for visitors was one of their top priorities.
Lindsey Mowat, spokeswoman for VisitScotland, said: "It is about catering for everyone. There will be families looking for budget holidays and there will be those wanting the five-star treatment and prepared to pay for it. Scotland is a fantastic holiday destination and providing value for money is very important.
"It is also important visitors research properly and a good indicator is our Quality Assurance Scheme which spells out what exactly they are getting for their money and what price bracket the establishment is in."
Editors Desmond Balmer and Adam Raphael also note the number of premises which fail to welcome children, the playing of "hated" muzak in hotels and unhelpful staff.
The editors said: "Readers often comment on how much more expensive it is to stay in Britain than in continental Europe. This is backed by the guide's experience.
"The average cost to us of an anonymous overnight inspection of a hotel, including dinner for two with wine as well as bed and breakfast, was close to £200."
The editors also said too many British hotels continued to treat children as second-class citizens, with as many as 25% of the establishments in the guide having some form of age restriction on children.
"It is sad that we find it easier to compile a list of dog-friendly hotels than places which welcome children."
The guide described the background music in hotel lobbies - muzak - as a curse, saying that many readers hated it in hotels.
Other readers complained of poor welcomes at hotels, with one 86-year-old woman being left to carry her cases upstairs, through stiff fire doors and narrow corridors.
The editors said: "A poor welcome is one of the most frequent complaints. Another is the unhelpfulness often encountered by potential visitors when they telephone to make a reservation."
Scotland's Guest House of the Year title was won by The Dower House at Muir of Ord, near Dingwall, run by Robyn and Mena Aitchison.
Mrs Aitchison said: "I think we provide value for money. Being where we are in the Highlands things are going to cost a little bit more but obviously we are doing something right having won the title."
The "best value for money" section north of the border was won by Bealach House at Duror, between Oban and Glencoe in Argyll.
Jim and Hilary McFadyen's remote outpost in the Salachan Glen is accessible only by way of a dirt track and has bed and breakfast prices ranging from £30 to £55.
The Good Hotel Guide 2008 Great Britain and Ireland costs £20.
Top hospitality Hotels that offer the best value for money: The Victoria, London. Abbey House B&B, Abbotsbury, Dorset. Bealach House, Duror, Argyll and Bute, Scotland (A Highland hideaway, Jim and Hilary McFadyen's small house, once a shepherd's croft then a farmhouse, is the only dwelling in Salachan Glen).
Hotels where children certain of a warm welcome: The Trout at Tadpole Bridge, Buckland Marsh, Oxfordshire. The Evesham Hotel, Evesham, Worcestershire. Glenfinnan House, Glenfinnan, Highland, Scotland.
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