Fueling D.I.Y. Travel: Coast Hotels and Zipcar Hit the Road for Inaugural 'Great Coast Road Trip'

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 14, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Coast Hotels, the refreshingly local™ North American hotel group, is announcing the start of the Great Coast Road Trip tomorrow, May 15, 2014. With Zipcar, the world leader in car sharing, as the exclusive transportation partner, the interactive campaign kicks off in Lethbridge, AB, with plans to cruise through 21 wonderfully unique cities across Canada and down the U.S. West Coast ending 2,650 miles later in Santa Barbara, CA on June 14.

"We're thrilled to kick off this interactive campaign and showcase our great accommodations, uniquely local experiences, and the adventurous spirit of the writers along the way," said Sarah Kirby Yung, executive director, marketing & communications for Coast Hotels. "This will be a truly memorable journey for those participating, and we hope it will inspire those at home to plan their own summer road trip getaways and keep an eye out for our bright and colorful Great Coast Road Trip branded Zipcar as it passes through cities from Lethbridge, AB to Santa Barbara, CA."

In April, Coast Hotels hosted a search for a budding blogger to join in this international journey, and has selected Shaun Robertson of This Life in Trips. Shaun submitted the winning application, which asked bloggers to fill out a short survey on what inspires them to travel and how they capture their memories. Shaun will join the seven other travel-savvy bloggers each completing one leg of the month-long promotion before handing off the Zipcar, a Ford Escape, to the next participant and keep the adventure going!

This select group of bloggers will capture their own on-the-road experiences through blog posts and photography that will be featured on the Great Coast Road Trip website and distributed via the brand's social media channels. Future guests can follow along to discover new travel inspiration and refreshingly local™ gems in Coast Hotels destinations for their own upcoming vacations. Participating bloggers include:

• Leg One
  • Blogger: Pit Stop for Kids
  • Cities: Lethbridge, AB; Medicine Hat, AB; Calgary, AB
  • Hotels: Coast Lethbridge Hotel & Conference Centre, Coast Medicine Hat Hotel and Coast Plaza Hotel & Conference Centre
• Leg Two
  • Blogger: Savoir Faire Abroad
  • Cities: Yellowknife, NT; Whitehorse, YT
  • Hotels: Coast Fraser Tower and Coast High Country Inn
• Leg Three
  • Blogger: Twenty-Something Travel
  • Cities: Revelstoke, BC; Kamloops, BC; Sun Peaks, BC
  • Hotels: Coast Hillcrest Hotel, Coast Kamloops Hotel & Conference Centre and Coast Sundance Lodge
• Leg Four
  • Blogger: Will Travel for Food
  • Cities: Kelowna, BC; Penticton, BC; Osoyoos, BC
  • Hotels: Coast Capri Hotel, Coast Penticton Hotel and Coast Osoyoos Beach Hotel
• Leg Five
  • Blogger: Globetrotter Girls
  • Cities: Vancouver, BC; Whistler, BC
  • Hotels: Coast Coal Harbour Hotel, Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites and Coast Blackcomb Suites
• Leg Six
  • Blogger: A Cruising Couple
  • Cities: Tsawwassen, BC; Nanaimo, BC; Victoria, BC
  • Hotels: Coast Tsawwassen Inn, Coast Bastion Hotel and Coast Victoria Habourside Hotel & Marina
• Leg Seven
  • Blogger: Hither and Thither
  • Cities: Seattle, WA; Wenatchee, WA; Portland, OR
  • Hotels: The Roosevelt, Coast Wenatchee Center Hotel and The Benson
• Leg Eight
  • Blogger: This Life in Trips
  • Cities: Burbank, CA; Santa Barbara, CA
  • Hotels: Coast Anabelle Hotel, Safari Inn and West Beach Inn

"The Great Coast Road Trip campaign highlights the beauty and uniqueness of a range of cities, from remote destinations like Medicine Hat to metropolitan areas like Seattle," said Brian Harrington, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Zipcar. "It's a great opportunity to remind people of the many things that make cities great places to be, and the importance of ensuring their long-term sustainability, which is at the core of the Zipcar mission."

Timed with the launch of the Great Coast Road Trip, Coast Hotels also unveiled its summer Stay Longer, Save More promotion. Early bird travelers who book by June 30 at www.coasthotels.com will receive 20 percent off a two-night stay, 30 percent off a three-night stay and 40 percent off a four-or-more-night stay at participating hotels. Anyone who joins the Coast Rewards program can also start earning points towards future free nights as the more guests stay, the more points they earn.

To learn more about the Great Coast Road Trip and follow the journey, visit www.greatcoastroadtrip.com, Twitter, Facebook and use #GreatCoastRoadTrip to post your own road trip photos for the opportunity to win prizes.

About Coast Hotels
Coast Hotels offers properties throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Northwest Territories, the Yukon, Alaska, California, Oregon and Washington. Coast owns, manages and franchises properties in cities large and small. As one of North America's growing – and Canada's largest – hotel brands, Coast owes its continued expansion to its friendly service, prime locations, value, and guest satisfaction. Visit coasthotels.com or call 1.800.663.1144.

About Zipcar
Zipcar, the world's leading car sharing network, has operations in urban areas and college campuses throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain and Austria. Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to residents and businesses looking for smart, simple and convenient solutions to their urban and campus transportation needs. Zipcar is a subsidiary of Avis Budget Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: CAR), a leading global provider of vehicle rental services. More information is available at www.zipcar.com.

More information, including how to become a Zipcar member, is available via the web at http://www.zipcar.com/join, on Twitter and on Facebook.

SOURCE Coast Hotels