Midsized Cities Fill Up the Top 10 as They Follow Trends Set By Larger Destinations

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Hotwire.com®, a leading discount travel site, today announced the results of the November 2009 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. Following last month's findings, Houston again tops the list with a year-over-year price drop of 24 percent. Again, the drop in Houston's hotel rates are due to a large increase in area prices as hotels were filled to capacity in 2008 with people seeking refuge after Hurricane Ike.

Midsized cities continue to follow the trend established by larger tourist destinations, such as Las Vegas and New York, by deeply discounting their hotel rates. Nashville, Austin and Minneapolis all make November's list with drops of 20, 15 and 14 percents, respectively. In addition, Canada has dropped out of the top 10 after placing on the last 8 Hotel Rate Reports for its big year-over-year price drops, largely due to a fluctuating Canadian dollar.

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 November 2009 include:

    Rank    Hotel Market     Price Drop   Example of a Current Hotwire Deal,
                                                      US$/Night
    1       Houston, TX          24%           4-star     $74
    2       Tampa, FL            24%           4-star     $65
    3       Miami/
            Fort Lauderdale, FL  21%           4-star     $89
    4       Nashville, TN        20%           3-star     $68
    5       Oahu, HI             18%           3-star     $73
    6       San Diego, CA        16%           3-star     $72
    7       Austin, TX           15%           3-star     $77
    8       Minneapolis, MN      14%           4-star     $72
    9       Phoenix, AZ          14%           4-star     $72
    10      Las Vegas, NV        13%           4-star     $87

"Minneapolis is back in the top ten after topping the list in September, along with Austin and Nashville, which are taking the spots of larger metropolitan areas," said Clem Bason, President of the Hotwire Group. "Many of the hoteliers in these cities waited up until early 2009 to adjust their rates to be competitive in the current economic climate. We've seen this trend grow since September and may continue to see more of these mid-market destinations move their way up to the top 10 in the coming months."

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. © 2009 Hotwire, Inc. All rights reserved. CST# 2053390-40.

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

SOURCE Hotwire.com

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