Priceline.com Express Deals(SM) Hotel Service Offers Family Friendly Winter Getaways For Up To 45% Off

NORWALK, Conn., Feb. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- School break is coming up and you still haven't figured out what to do with the kids?  Well, priceline.com (Nasdaq: PCLN) has an answer.  Using priceline.com's Express Deals hotel service, families can save up to 45% on their hotel accommodations without bidding.  Savings are good for a long weekend, or a whole week.  And travelers will find these winter bargains all the way from the Florida and California beaches, to the nation's biggest cities.

"Families will find very attractive fares and rates for travel over this year's school breaks," said priceline.com's in-house Travel Ekspert Brian Ek.  "The average national airfare for the latter half of February is up a modest 2% over last year.  Rental car rates in some locations are as low as $12 a day for a compact car.  And hotels are offering compelling discounts to attract winter travelers."

Where are the best bets for a family trip?  "Florida is offering some great deals right now, and that goes for the beaches, and for Orlando," said Ek.  "For shorter getaways, take a look at the big cities, like New York, San Francisco and Washington, DC, where there are lots of things to do and see for little or even no money.  If you've been house-bound for awhile, just about any getaway will be appreciated by the entire family."

For families, Ek recommended trying priceline.com's Express Deals hotel service.  "Like Name Your Own Price®, you don't receive the name of the hotel until the reservation is made, but that's where the similarities end.  Express Deals is tailored for parents who need specific amenities – and a wallet-pleasing rate.  Just choose the city, neighborhood and star-level hotel you want.  You can see all of a hotel's amenities, including whether it has a pool, on-site restaurant, whether it's pet-friendly, and more.  You can even choose a star-level hotel that offers more than one bed in a room.  This way, families get what they need, along with a rate that's been pre-discounted up to 45% over published rates."

Here are some examples of Express Deals that were shopped on February 14^th  (prices and availability can change at any time.  Quote price is rate-only and does not include taxes and fees):

For a long weekend (February 22-24)

• Washington, DC.  3-star hotel in the Convention Center/Capitol Hill area. Choice of 1 or 2 beds for $99 a night.  Hotel also offers a pool, on-site restaurant and fitness center.
• Boston.  4-star hotel in the Boston Common/Theater District area.  Choice of 2 double beds or 1 queen for $78 a night.  Hotel is pet friendly and also offers an on-site restaurant and fitness center.

For a week (February 17-24)

• Orlando.  3-star hotel in the Universal Orlando Resort/International Drive North area.  $96 a night for 1 bed, $119 a night for a 2-bedroom suite.  Hotel is pet friendly and also has a pool, free parking, an on-site restaurant and fitness center.
• Orange County, CA.  4-star hotel in the Newport/Huntington Beach area.  $99 a night for choice of 1 or 2 beds.  Hotel is pet friendly and offers a pool, free airport shuttle, and an on-site restaurant and fitness center.
• Daytona Beach.  2.5-star hotel in the Ormond Beach area. $196 a night for 2 queen beds.  Hotel offers a pool, micro-fridge, free breakfast, free Internet, free parking, a fitness center, and is pet friendly.

Here are some examples of rental car savings that were obtained recently by travelers using priceline.com's Name Your Own Price® rental car service (quoted prices are rate-only and do not include taxes and fees.  Rates and availability are subject to change at any time).

• Miami, compact car, $12 a day.
• Fort Lauderdale, economy car, $14 a day.
• Tampa, economy car, $15 a day.
• San Francisco, compact car, $14 a day.
• Los Angeles, compact car, $15 a day.

For flights, travelers can choose from hundred of published-price itineraries, or use priceline.com's Name Your Own Price® airline ticketing service that can save up to 40% over published fares.  For more information, visit www.priceline.com.  Priceline.com also offers a free Priceline app for iPhone, iPod touch, iPad and Android that lets travelers on the go book their hotel rooms, airline tickets and rental cars, even at the last-minute.

About The Priceline Group

The Priceline Group (Nasdaq: PCLN) is a leader in global online hotel reservations, with over 270,000 participating hotels worldwide. The Group is composed of four primary brands - Booking.com, priceline.com, Agoda.com and Rentalcars.com - and several ancillary brands. The Priceline Group provides online travel services in over 180 countries in Europe, North America, South America, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Africa.

Booking.com is the number one online hotel reservation service in the world, offering over 260,000 hotels (as of January 1, 2013), and is available in 41 languages. More recent hotel counts are available on the Booking.com website. Priceline.com gives leisure travelers multiple ways to save on their airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, vacation packages and cruises. In addition to getting compelling published prices, travelers can take advantage of priceline.com's famous Name Your Own Price® service, which can deliver the lowest prices available, or the recently added Express Deals^SM, where travelers can take advantage of hotel discounts without bidding.

Agoda.com is an Asia-based online hotel reservation service that is available in 38 languages. Rentalcars.com is a multinational car hire service, offering its reservation services in over 6,000 locations. Customer support is provided in 40 languages.

SOURCE Priceline.com