Hotwire Reveals Hotel Rate Report for June 2011

SAN FRANCISCO, June 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Hotwire.com®, a leading discount travel site, today announced the results of the June 2011 Hotwire® Hotel Rate Report. The report features the top five cities in North America where hotel rates have dropped the most and the top five cities where rates have experienced the biggest price increases. While one report guides customers to the destinations that will maximize their travel dollars, the other highlights places where using Hotwire to save money is even more essential.

Top Five Price Drops:

Travelers looking for great summer destinations where prices continue to fall are in luck.  In the number one spot with an 11 percent drop, Williamsburg is a great city for everything from an educational getaway to a thrill-seeking theme park adventure.  With colonial recreations, historic shipyards, water parks, and Busch Gardens all in a compact area, an excellent family vacation comes ready-made in this popular Virginia destination.  Meanwhile, and unlike what's happening in some other Florida cities, Fort Meyers is dropping rates due to new hotel players offering deeper discounts than in previous seasons.  Prices are 4 percent lower than the already low prices of 2010, so look to this great little city for access to awesome beaches and warm ocean currents without the huge crowds.

Syracuse saw another seven percent price drop this month as new inventory continues to become available.  San Antonio jumps back on the list this month with a six percent decrease, where a slow start to summer demand is causing hotels to aggressively drop rates to attract business travelers.   And to round out the list, Oklahoma City has popped up again, and is lowering prices due to a slow convention season and less than ideal weather recently.

When compared to the same time last year, the top five hotel price reductions for June 2011 include:

Top Five Price Increases:

Popular summer destinations dominate the top five price increases this month.  Rates can increase quickly when a city experiences a strong return in both business and leisure travel.  New Orleans and Myrtle Beach can be big targets for vacationers this time of year, but booming convention turnout is really spiking demand.  West Palm Beach and Oahu, on the other hand, are seeing more and more leisure demand to support their baseline business bookings. Either way, customers looking to visit these cities should target rooms during midweek, where good deals can still be found, or wait until later in the summer when temperatures rise and general demand slows down.

San Francisco is the only cooler weather destination on the list this month, with a 19 percent price increase. A rise in convention attendance such as Apple's recent World Wide Developer's Conference is causing group business rates to increase.

When compared to the same time last year, the top five hotel price increases for June 2011 include:

"When prices increase in certain destinations, it creates opportunities for travelers to try a new destination while getting similar experiences for less," said Clem Bason, president of the Hotwire Group. "Also, don't give up on popular cities when general prices increase because discount travel providers like Hotwire will oftentimes still find pockets of great deals."

Over 1.8 million hotel rooms go unsold across North America every night, and for over 10 years, Hotwire has worked with hotels, airlines and car rental companies to fill this unsold inventory. As a result, Hotwire offers travelers amazing deals, every day of the year, across a variety of markets. Through Hotwire's deep understanding of the industry and unique relationships, consumers have been able to save millions of dollars on all their travel needs.

About the Hotwire Hotel Rate Report

The Hotwire Hotel Rate Report will run results during the second 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 charts 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.  Hotwire is an award-winning website and operating company of Expedia, Inc. CST# 2053390-50.  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.  © 2011 Hotwire, Inc.  All rights reserved. CST# 2053390-40.

Contact:
Andrew Reynolds
Atomic PR
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SOURCE Hotwire.com