Calgary Tops the Hotel Rate Report for the Third Consecutive Month

SAN FRANCISCO, March 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Hotwire.com®, a leading discount travel site, today announced the results of the March 2010 Hotwire® Canadian Hotel Rate Report. This monthly report features the top five cities in Canada where hotel rates have dropped the most. When combined with Hotwire's already discounted prices, the Hotel Rate Report helps guide customers to the destinations that will maximize their travel dollars. For the third consecutive month, Calgary tops the list with a drop of 10 percent.  Also making the top five are Edmonton, London and first-timer Ottawa, which saw drops of seven, two percent and one percent respectively.  

With many Canadians in a post-Winter Olympics hangover, travel demand and prices have dropped throughout the great white north. Spring ski enthusiasts can continue to find incredible deals in Calgary as low corporate travel continues to fuel the city's stay at the top of the Hotel Rate Report. Those looking to visit the popular sightseeing cities Ottawa and Montreal instead can take advantage of lower prices this month as well. In later spring, these two cities are expected to see higher demand than last year, so now is a good time to take advantage of lower prices. Also, travelers should keep an eye out for west coast cities, like Vancouver and Victoria, to jump back on the list soon as many hotels will start dropping rates in reaction to the post-Olympics slump.

Hotwire is able to find great deals because it works with hotels, airlines and car rental companies to fill unsold inventory, which means that customers will find deals that they won't see anywhere else, especially in cities like those on the Hotel Rate Report where prices are unseasonably low.

When compared to the same time last year, the top five hotel price reductions for March 2010 include:

    
    
                                       Example of a Current
                                          Hotwire Deal,
    Rank   Hotel Market     Price Drop      CAD$/Night
    1      Calgary, AL         10%       3-star       $96
    2      Edmonton, AL         7%       4-star       $97
    3      London, ON           2%       3-star       $74
    4      Ottawa, ON           1%       3-star       $85
    5      Montreal, QB         1%       3.5-star     $83
    
    
    

"Travel within Canada has slowed down with the close of the Winter Olympics," said Clem Bason, President of the Hotwire Group. "This is a great time for travelers looking for an early spring escape to find great deals, especially because there will be smaller crowds at many popular tourist locations across Canada now."

About the Hotwire Hotel Rate Report

The Hotwire Hotel Rate Report will run results during the first week of each month. Results are calculated by looking at Hotwire stay dates for select regions in the current month, and comparing prices in the current month against Hotwire prices in the same month in the prior year. Prices are compared within the same star rating categories for consistency, and the percent change in price for each region is generated as an overall average of the changes in those categories. The prices in the chart above are examples for a particular star rating category within that market, and actual prices may be higher or lower than the example that is provided.

About Hotwire

Hotwire.com is a leading discount travel site with low rates on airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises and vacation packages. Launched in 2000, Hotwire negotiates deep discounts from its travel suppliers to help travelers book unsold airline seats, hotel rooms and rental cars. J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Independent Travel Web Site Satisfaction Study(SM) recognized Hotwire for ranking "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Independent Travel Web Sites, Three Years in a Row." Hotwire is an operating company of Expedia, Inc. CST: 2053390-40. NST: 20003-0209. For more information, visit http://www.hotwire.com/.

Hotwire, Hotwire.com and the Hotwire logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotwire, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners. © 2010 Hotwire, Inc. All rights reserved. CST# 2053390-40.

SOURCE Hotwire.com

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