Hotwire Reveals March 2012 Travel Savings Indicator

SAN FRANCISCO, March 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Hotwire.com®, a leading discount travel site, today released the March 2012 Hotwire® Travel Savings Indicator, which features the top five cities in North America where hotel, air and car rental rates have dropped the most compared to this time last year. Using extensive pricing research to cover the three most popular travel products, the report helps guide travelers to the best destinations to maximize their travel dollars each month.

"As we exit winter and temperatures begin to rise we're seeing warm-weather locales like Southern California and Dallas offering great prices to entice travelers looking to get a head start on their spring vacations," said Clem Bason, president of the Hotwire Group. "We're also happy to report that one of the top value cities on our recently released 2012 Travel Value Index – Albuquerque – is proving its worth with big decreases in air and car rental prices this month. However, prices in many destinations on this month's list may increase as we head into summer, so book now to take advantage of these deep discounts."

Hotel Price Drops

Atlantic City tops the hotel list this month with a 21 percent price drop. The beginning of the year tends to be slow for the Vegas of the East, so hotels always offer deeper discounts to fill their rooms. However this year, several new properties have been causing some stiff competition in the area, resulting in even lower rates.

In 2011 Dallas hosted the Super Bowl, causing hotel prices to skyrocket. This year, however, new hotels have increased the number of hotel rooms, driving down prices and putting the Dallas-Fort Worth area at second place with a 15 percent decrease.

Reno-Tahoe, Halifax and Washington, D.C., round out the list. Last month Reno-Tahoe topped this list at first place, and although it drops to third in March with a 12 percent price drop, the city continues to be a deal market due to a weak winter demand. Halifax, Nova Scotia, makes its debut on the Travel Savings Indicator with a nine percent price drop. Known as a beautiful leisure destination in Canada, the city is experiencing a slower tourist season than usual due to the cold winter weather. Washington DC makes a welcome return to round out the top five as the city is experiencing a lighter legislative calendar than last year, prompting less business travel and a dip in prices, especially during midweek.

When compared to this time last year, the top five hotel price reductions for March 2012 include:

Air Price Drops

Folks needing sunshine are in luck, because sunny Southern California is a deal market for airfare this month. Palm Springs tops the list with a 13 percent price drop and Los Angeles boasts an 11 percent decrease. Chicago maintains its presence for the second consecutive month with a 13 percent decrease and an overall value city for 2012 as reflected in Hotwire's recent Travel Value Index, Albuquerque saw an 11 percent decrease this month. Baltimore rounds out the top five air decreases with a seven percent price drop.

When compared to this time last year, the top five airfare price reductions for March 2012 include:

Car Price Drops

Boston and Washington, D.C., swapped places this month, but both continue to hold strong at first and second place with a 60 and 58 percent decrease, respectively. Two newcomers to the list, Milwaukee and Fort Myers follow as overall value city Albuquerque rounds out the list with a 46 percent decrease.

When compared to this time last year, the top five car rental price reductions for March 2012 include:

For over 10 years, Hotwire has worked with hotels, airlines and car rental companies to fill 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 Travel Savings Indicator

The Hotwire Travel Savings Indicator runs results during the second week of each month. Results are calculated by looking at Hotwire booking data 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 categories (e.g., star rating, class of car) for consistency, and the percent change in price for each region is generated as an overall average of the changes in those categories. The hotel prices in the charts above are examples for a particular Hot Rate® deal within that market. The airfare and car rental prices are average prices based on bookings across all car and seat classes. Actual prices may be higher or lower than the examples that are 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 sites operates in 8 countries worldwide: www.hotwire.com, www.hotwire.com/uk, www.hotwire.com/ie, www.hotwire.com/au, www.hotwire.com/nz, www.hotwire.com/se, www.hotwire.com/no and www.hotwire.com/dk.   In addition to Hotwire, The Hotwire Group of websites includes: www.hotwire.com, www.travel-ticker.com, www.carrentals.com.  

Hotwire, Hotwire.com, the Hotwire logo and Hot Rate are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotwire, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2012 Hotwire, Inc.  All rights reserved. CST# 2053390-40.

Contact:
Andrew Reynolds
Atomic PR
(323) 648-5425
[email protected]

SOURCE Hotwire.com