Hotwire Uncovers Memorial Day Deal Destinations in a Special Holiday Edition of the Hotel Rate Report

SAN FRANCISCO, May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Hotwire.com®, a leading discount travel site, today announced the top ten destinations where Memorial Day travelers can find the best combination of hotel discounts and summer fun.  Gas prices and the economic recovery have contributed to an overall rise in travel costs compared to 2010, but travel demand appears to be on the rise as well.  That can make finding a good deal even more difficult for consumers looking to stretch their travel dollars. In order to help, Hotwire® has done some deal-hunting as part of this month's special Hotel Rate Report.

Hotwire identified the top ten destinations based on their value and potential for vacation enjoyment.  When compared to Memorial Day weekend in 2010, the following hotspots showed significant hotel price reductions in 2011:

"A recovering market doesn't mean you have to endure higher prices or sacrifice the desirability of your destination over Memorial Day," said Clem Bason, president of the Hotwire Group. "Travelers can take advantage of price drops on a variety of trip types. Dream beach destinations before the dog days of summer set in, mountain resorts for hiking, water sports and other outdoor activities, and even some bucket-list trips can all be had for prices even lower than last year."

Those yearning for warmer weather should head to one of the four island options on the list. With airfare and gas prices up, hotels in places like Aruba and Puerto Rico have to discount costs on the ground in order to compete with other closer destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico. Hilton Head has seen some of its family tourists shift to nearby Myrtle Beach, so they're offering great deals to lure them back.  Meanwhile in the Pacific, Maui is one of the only Hawaiian Islands to see rates drop this Memorial Day, as some of its larger resorts are discounting rooms significantly.

If staying active and enjoying some of the most beautiful vistas in the world are top of mind instead, Aspen, Vail and Whistler offer good deals and plenty of local activities beyond their winter peak seasons. Whistler added a slew of rooms for the Olympics, and now that the buzz has died down a bit, hotels are lowering rates to keep the flow of visitors coming to enjoy both the snow conditions on the peaks and the wealth of outdoor action on the ground.  In a similar move, popular destinations in the Rockies have also lowered their rates to attract skiers to some of the best end-of-season snow conditions in decades.  And don't forget those world-class spas.

Speaking of spas, a popular bucket-list destination that made the top ten is also well known for them.  Napa-Sonoma wine-country resorts and tours have become a must-do for thousands of people.  On the other side of the spectrum, one of our country's greatest national parks at Rapid City – Mt. Rushmore is also discounting heavily this year.  So why not cross them off your list while prices are so low?

Lastly, Memorial Day in Orlando is always a busy time. It's a huge leisure destination with lots of flights, rooms and huge car rental fleets. The difference this year is that hotels are being more aggressive by opening up discounted deal availability earlier than normal.  After previous down years, it's a better option than risking any unused capacity.

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 special Memorial Day Hotwire Hotel Rate Report

Results are calculated by looking at Hotwire stay dates for select regions over the current three-day Memorial Day weekend, and comparing those average hotel prices against Hotwire prices over the same holiday weekend in the prior year. Prices are compared within the same three- and four-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 of an average price 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
(323) 648-5425
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SOURCE Hotwire.com