Business travelers in Chicago, New York and other major cities have noticed the significant rise in the cost of hotel rooms … and Sacramento too has been part of the trend. Daily room rates rose nearly 8 percent in the first 10 months of this year, compared to the year prior. It’s gone from an average of $96 a room to $103. Nationally, rates are up because leisure travel has recovered from 2001 … and business travelers are on the road again in big numbers. Locally, about 500 hotel rooms were added during the past year … which makes the increase in rates even more noteworthy.