- A new ranking has identified which popular US bachelor destinations provide the best and worst value for money this year
- Each city was scored according to its entertainment value, social scene, accommodation availability, and affordability
- Las Vegas reigns supreme, providing the best experience for the cost, while St. Louis came out as the worst for value
- Groomsmen can expect to spend at least $799 for a long weekend away, based on the average cost of visiting the top cities
A new ranking has named the best and worst cities to visit for a bachelor party this year – with Las Vegas reigning supreme.
The ranking, created by marketing experts Searchbloom, scored 15 of the most popular bachelor party destinations across four categories: entertainment value, social scene, accommodation availability, and affordability.
Each city’s performance was compared to the daily spending for three pints of beer, a midrange hotel room, an inexpensive meal, and a taxi fare to see which places provide the best experience for the money – with Las Vegas crowned top.
Groomsmen can cover the above costs for an average of $133 a day, a third (33%) cheaper than the average reported across all analyzed cities ($199.89).
Sin City doesn’t compromise on experience with this value for money, as it was the second highest-scorer for entertainment value behind New York City.
Entertainment value considers visitor ratings for tourist attractions, alongside the availability of stereotypical bachelor activities, including beer tasting, breweries, golf courses, sights and landmarks, and live performances.
Vegas is home to eight breweries, 12 beer tours, and 48 golf courses, while its top attraction – The Strip – is rated ‘excellent’ across 60% of TripAdvisor reviews.
The second-best bachelor destination is Chicago, which was the top performer for the social scene. This considers the number of restaurants and bars in the area and the proportion rated five stars by visitors, along with monthly Google search volume.
Chicago has 145 fine dining restaurants, with more than 1 in 10 rated at least five stars (11%) and 112 bars – a fifth of which are rated five stars and up (20%).
It’s also likely to be lively as it’s an attractive destination, with people searching for the city an average of 624k times each month – 37% above the average (445.9k).
The third-best bachelor destination also performed well in the social scene category, with Milwaulkee boasting 22 fine dining establishments and 44 bars – 18% and 16% of which were top-rated, respectively – as well as 415k monthly Google searches.
Milwaukee also scored highly for accommodation availability, with half of the Airbnbs available for a week this summer considered ‘guest favorites’, while 16% of hotels that accommodate group bookings were rated ‘superb’ on booking.com.
Fourth is Houston, which was the most affordable destination to visit. The city costs just $120.86 to cover the above daily expenses – two-fifths (40%) below the average.
Groomsmen visiting the city can enjoy up to 23 breweries, 29 golf courses, and 137 sights and landmarks – or visit one of the 65 bars or 105 fine-dining restaurants. It was also the second-most Googled city, with an average of 992k monthly searches.
Rounding out the five best bachelor destinations is New York City,which was the frontrunner for entertainment value and one of the top scorers for the social scene.
The Big Apple excels for sights and landmarks, with TripAdvisor showing 606 in the area and 65 live performances to enjoy. There are also 487 fine dining restaurants – with 1 in 10 rated at least five stars – and a whopping 205 bars.
The ten best bachelor party destinations this year
On the other side of the scale, the city that provides the worst value for money came out as St. Louis, which costs a moderate $185 to visit but scored comparatively poorly for entertainment value, social scene, and accommodation availability.
The city has a limited availability of the analyzed activities, with two beer tours, just 50 restaurants, and 38 bars to choose from. And of the nine Airbnbs available for a group booking one week this summer, none are considered guest favorites.
The most affordable bachelor city is Houston, while Key West is the most expensive, with a daily cost of $390.55. New York City provides the best entertainment value, while Chicago has the best social scene. Orlando has the most accommodation.
The typical bachelor attendee can expect to spend at least $199.89 a day or $799.58 for a long weekend. This cost doesn’t account for any activities – such as golf or seeing a show – or flights and only covers a conservative three pints of beer daily.
Regarding the findings, Cody Jensen, CEO and Founder of Searchbloom, said: “As wedding season approaches, many grooms-to-be will be planning their bachelor party and are likely to visit one of the popular cities analyzed in this study. When deciding where to go, it’s important to consider the following factors: ease of securing accommodation, day-to-day expenses, activities, and the social scene.
“Not everyone will have the same budget when attending a bachelor party, so consider the value for money when picking a destination; otherwise, attendees may feel like they’ve spent a significant sum for a subpar experience.”
***
You Might Also Like These From The Good Men Project
 |
 |
 |
 |
Join The Good Men Project as a Premium Member today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.
A $50 annual membership gives you an all access pass. You can be a part of every call, group, class and community.
A $25 annual membership gives you access to one class, one Social Interest group and our online communities.
A $12 annual membership gives you access to our Friday calls with the publisher, our online community.
Register New Account
Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.
—
Photo credit: iStock
