East Coast Cities Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore Dominate the Top Ten

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Hotwire.com®, a leading discount travel site, today announced the results of the January 2010 Hotwire® Hotel Rate Report. This monthly report features the top 10 cities in North America 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. Philadelphia (with a 16( )percent drop) replaces Houston, which moves down to number six with a 13 percent drop after being in the top spot for three months.

Despite gloomy predictions for the travel industry from analysts in 2008, many hoteliers in Philadelphia and other parts of the Northeast were slow to adjust their prices to the economic climate, waiting until after January. As a result, Philadelphia tops this month's list. Newcomers Washington, D.C. and Baltimore (percentage drops of 15 and 14 respectively) join mostly because of the Presidential Inauguration last year, which caused room prices to spike. Hotel inventory has normalized and, due to slow seasonal trends typical of January, hoteliers in the region have lowered rates to fill rooms. This is a great time for travelers looking for an after holiday getaway as crowds are low in these historic locales and rates are even lower on Hotwire.

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

When compared to the same time last year, the top 10 hotel price reductions for January 2010 include:

                           Price
    Rank    Hotel Market    Drop  Example of a Current Hotwire Deal, US$/Night

    1    Philadelphia, PA    16%      3.5-star                    $77
    2    Washington, D.C.    15%      4-star                      $90
    3    Columbus, OH        14%      4-star                      $72
    4    Baltimore, MD       14%      4-star                      $87
    5    San Diego, CA       14%      4-star                      $89
    6    Houston, TX         13%      4-star                      $80
    7    Miami, FL           11%      3.5-star                    $82
    8    New Orleans, LA     10%      4.5-star                    $94
    9    Orlando, FL         10%      4.5-star                    $98
    10   Seattle, WA          9%      4-star                      $96

"Although analysts are predicting that 2010 will be a better year for the economy, plenty of locations will still be offering exceptional travel deals, especially at the beginning of the year," said Clem Bason, President of the Hotwire Group. "Business and leisure travel are still down right now, which means great rates and availability in top destinations."

For more information about the Hotwire Hotel Rate Report, visit: www.hotwire.com/hotelratereport.

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.

    Contact:
    Chris Fucanan
    Atomic PR
    (415) 439-4219
    chris.fucanan@atomicpr.com

SOURCE Hotwire.com

Back to top

RELATED LINKS
http://www.hotwire.com