Orbitz Teams up with MADD® to Encourage St. Patrick's Day Party-goers to Book a Room Instead of Getting Behind the Wheel

CHICAGO, March 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Orbitz (www.orbitz.com) has identified the top ten destinations for St. Patrick's Day celebrations, and in the spirit of keeping the weekend both fun and safe, will donate $1 to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)(1) for every download of the Orbitz Hotels app for iPhone or iPad so that celebrants can enjoy the holiday, easily book a hotel room after a day of festivities and even keep a little green in their pockets by finding great hotel deals for the night.

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Among the cities with the best parades and celebrations:

• Chicago – The Windy City takes the top spot for St. Patrick's, where the Chicago River flows green and parties form from Wrigleyville to River West.
• Savannah – Coming in at number three, Savannah may not seem like the obvious choice for finding the luck of the Irish, but the city has held St. Patrick's Day celebrations for almost two centuries and is home to the second-largest St. Patty's parade in the country.
• Dublin, Ohio – In aptly-named Dublin (population 41,000), residents claim "Irish is an attitude;" just last year the popular parade was highlighted by a green-teen flash mob.

KEEP THE LUCK OF THE IRISH ON YOUR SIDE…BOOK A ROOM

For many, enjoying Spirits is a tradition surrounding various holidays. More and more consumers are taking advantage of their smartphones to find safe and affordable alternatives to getting behind the wheel.  This year, Orbitz is taking extra steps to encourage revelers to play it safe this St. Patrick's Day weekend. For every download of the Orbitz Hotels app for iPhone or iPad over the St. Patrick's Day weekend, Orbitz will donate $1 to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

"We have historically seen a lift in same-day hotel bookings around events like New Year's Eve, Super Bowl and St. Patrick's Day," said Orbitz.com Senior Travel Editor Jeanenne Tornatore. "People realize that with just a few taps on their phone they can find and book an affordable hotel room blocks from where they're standing. Why risk getting on the road when you have such a safe and easy option right at your fingertips?"

"MADD encourages people to plan ahead for a safe way home or an overnight stay anytime they're going to celebrate with alcohol including St. Patrick's Day," said MADD National President Jan Withers. "But if they haven't made arrangements ahead of time, we want them to know there are always alternatives to getting behind the wheel."

Terms and Conditions

(1)Orbitz will donate $1 to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) up to $20,000 for every download of the Orbitz Hotels app for iPhone or iPad from noon on March 16, 2012 to noon on March 18, 2012.

About Orbitz.com

Orbitz.com is a leading online travel company that enables travelers to search for and book an array of travel products and services, including flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, and vacation packages. Since launching its website in June 2001, Orbitz.com has become one of the largest online travel sites in the world and has led the industry with innovations including the Orbitz Matrix Display and Orbitz Price Assurance. The Matrix Display revolutionized the way the travel industry displayed fares and makes it quick and easy for consumers to compare flights, rental cars and vacation packages. The Price Assurance program gives travelers confidence that they have the lowest Orbitz price on their flight or hotel. With Price Assurance, if another Orbitz customer books the same flight or prepaid hotel for less, we'll send you a check for the difference -- automatically. Orbitz.com also offers "Insider Steals" a weekly, members-only flash sale that provides exclusive deals of 50% or more off of handpicked hotels in top destinations around the world. On Orbitz.com consumers can search a broad range of suppliers worldwide. Orbitz.com is owned by Orbitz Worldwide. Stay connected to Orbitz.com with sale alerts, exclusive promotions and engaging conversations by following Orbitz on Facebook, Twitter and the Orbitz Travel Blog.

About Orbitz Worldwide

Orbitz Worldwide is a leading global online travel company that uses innovative technology to enable leisure and business travelers to research, plan and book a broad range of travel products. Orbitz Worldwide owns a portfolio of consumer brands that includes Orbitz, CheapTickets, ebookers, HotelClub, RatesToGo and the Away Network. Also within the Orbitz Worldwide family, Orbitz Worldwide Distribution delivers private label travel solutions to a broad range of partners including many of the world's largest airlines, and Orbitz for Business delivers managed corporate travel solutions for corporations. Orbitz Worldwide uses its Investor Relations website to make information available to its investors and the public at http://investors.orbitz.com. You can sign up to receive email alerts whenever the company posts new information to the website.

About Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Founded by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD) is the nation's largest nonprofit working to protect families from drunk driving and underage drinking. With the help of those who want a safer future, MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving® will end this danger on America's roads. PowerTalk 21® is the national day for parents to talk with their kids about alcohol, using the proven strategies of Power of Parents, It's Your Influence™ to reduce the risk of underage drinking. And as one of the largest victim services organizations in the U.S., MADD also supports drunk and drugged driving victims and survivors at no charge, serving one person every nine minutes through local MADD victim advocates and at 1-877-MADD-HELP.  Learn more at www.madd.org or by calling 1-877-ASK-MADD.

SOURCE Orbitz