Yes, You Can Afford A Summer Vacation This Year

NORWALK, Conn., May 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Go ahead, give that staycation the boot.  Even with higher airfares and hotel rates expected this summer, it is possible – with a little looking – to find an affordable summer vacation, according to priceline.com's (Nasdaq: PCLN) Travel Ekspert Brian Ek. 

The national average airfare for summer travel (June 1 – August 31, 2012) is $378, which is 2% higher than last year, according to priceline.com's own statistics.  Airfares are being driven by a combination of high fuel costs and reduced capacity, as many airlines have cut the number of seats flown.  For hotels, STR (Smith Travel Research) recently reported that average hotel occupancy was 65.5% for the week of April 15th, while the average daily room rate increased 7.8% to $106.66.  If these trends continue, leisure travelers may see a combination of high rates and no vacancies in high-demand markets.

"Average fares and rates may be up, but there are exceptions where leisure travelers can still find bargains this summer," said Ek.  "The key is finding a destination where all components of your trip – airfare, hotel, and rental car – are attractively priced so that an expensive hotel rate, for example, doesn't cancel out your airfare savings." 

Flexible travelers will find they can increase their travel savings by trying priceline.com's Name Your Own Price® airline, hotel and rental car services, where consumers bid and then receive their itineraries if their bids are accepted by travel suppliers.  By bidding, consumers can save up to 60% on hotel rooms, up to 40% on airline tickets and up to 40% on rental cars compared to published rates and fares.  "Even with higher hotel occupancy and fewer airline seats, there are rooms, seats and rental cars available for summer travel at these very attractive discounts," added Ek. 

Here are some of The Travel Ekspert's recommendations for affordably priced summer vacations.  Examples below were all shopped on http://www.priceline.com on April 30 and May 1.  Prices and availability are subject to change.

• Chicago.  This summer, the Windy City is a bargain traveler's trifecta.  The average summer airfare to O'Hare is $339 (down 4.4% vs. last year), while Midway is an even more affordable $305.  Summer bidders using priceline.com's Name Your Own Price® rental car service are having success with $16/day bids for compact cars and $15/day for economy.  I found the Hotel 71, a 3.5 star hotel in downtown Chicago that rates 8.6 on our customers' satisfaction scale, at $163/night for a June 23rd check-in (and you don't pay for the reservation until your stay).  Priceline.com also gives guests the option of paying for their reservations at the time of booking.  And a two-night air & hotel vacation package, with round-trip airfare from St. Louis and accommodations at the 3-star Central Loop Hotel was $311.49 (July 14-16).

• San Francisco.  Summer airfares are down 3.4% to an average $402.  I'm seeing Name Your Own Price® rental car customers having success with $19/day bids for compact cars and $18/day for economy, so the savings are north of 60% compared to published rates.  Hotels are a little on the pricey side for the summer, although I found the 3-star Powell for $189/night for a June 23rd check-in.  A 2-night air & hotel vacation package with round trip airfare from Los Angeles and accommodations at the 4-star Parc 55 Wyndham on Union Square was $344.84 per person (July 14 check-in).

• Las Vegas.  The government is still frowning on its employees jetting off to Las Vegas, and that's good news for leisure travelers trying to score a cheap trip.  Airfares to Las Vegas this summer have dropped 3.3% over last year, to an average $366.  Rental car deals are impressive.  I'm seeing Name Your Own Price® customers having success with bids as low as $12/day for an economy car and $13/day for a compact.  Midweek is when you'll save the most money.  For check-in Tuesday, August 7, I found the 5-star Aria Resort & Casino had rooms for $119 a night.  Bargain hunters may also like the 3-star Excalibur for $38 a night.

• Florida.  Summer airfares to Ft. Lauderdale are down 3.1% year over year, to $299 on average.  West Palm Beach summer airfares are averaging $326, down 0.3%.  Watch out for Miami – summer airfares there are up almost 5%.  In Ft. Lauderdale, I'm seeing summer rental car customers using Name Your Own Price® having success with bids as low as $16 for an economy car and $17 for a compact, savings in both cases of more than 60%.  Hotel rates are attractive.  For example, priceline.com is showing the 4-star Crowne Plaza Hollywood Beach Resort for $109 a night.

• Take a cruise.  The industry is aggressively courting cruisers, and the prices reflect it, down 5% to 12% compared to last year, with savings up to 75% off the published rates.  Carnival is offering summer Caribbean cruises, departing from Miami, priced at $62 a night per person, and that includes stateroom, meals and entertainment.  Norwegian has Bahamas cruises from Miami for as little as $42 a night per person, and they're throwing in unlimited shore excursions for kids 2-12 when accompanied by a paying adult.  Royal Caribbean and Norwegian are offering drastically reduced cruise & air pricing to Europe, as well as onboard perks like limited-time pre-paid gratuities, free onboard spending credits, spa offers and more.  Priceline Cruises also is sweetening the deal with free hotel stays of up to 5 nights depending on length of cruise and stateroom selected.

• New York City.  Let's see if we can pull a rabbit out of a hat.  Actually, summer airfares into JFK are down 3.4% year over year, to $368 average, while Newark is down 1.4% to $367, and LaGuardia is up 2.3% to $308.  Best deal on a rental car is in Newark, where Name Your Own Price® customers are having success with bids as low as $19 for an economy car, and $20 for a compact.  As far as hotel, here's the big money saver.  Instead of booking in Manhattan at over $200 a night, try staying across the river in Jersey City and take public transportation into the city.  For a July 20th check-in, I found the 4-star Westin Jersey City Newport, which gets an 8.9 out of 10 satisfaction rating from guests, for a very affordable $166 a night.

Now to answer some other questions:

• Across the pond, or no?  I searched all over Europe and had a tough time finding destinations where the airfare didn't blow the budget, and that includes some of the PIIGS countries (Portugal, Ireland, Italy Greece & Spain).  I was attracted to a 6-night Ireland package, July 14-21, for $1,254.62 per person, that included round trip airfare from New York and 6 nights at the Finston Country House Hotel, a charming 45-acre property located 10 miles from Dublin Airport.  Also for those dates, I found a $1,379.28 per person Prague package that included airfare from New York and 6 nights at the 3-star Courtyard By Marriott Prague Flora, which scores 9 out of 10 with guests.

• Whither Mexico.  The good news is, priceline.com's most popular Mexico tourist destinations, including Cancun, Cozumel, Mexico City and Cabo San Lucas, are not under a travel warning.  And the deals are very interesting.  For example, for the week of August 11-18, I found an $818.45 per person air & hotel package that included airfare from New York and 6 nights at the Gran Melia Cancun Resort.  I also found an $83/night rate at the 3-star Coral Princess Hotel & Resort in Cozumel for a June 22nd check-in. 

About The Priceline Group
The Priceline Group (Nasdaq: PCLN) is a leader in global online hotel reservations, with over 210,000 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 160 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 185,000 hotels (as of February 27, 2012), 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.  Agoda.com is an Asia-based online hotel reservation service that is available in 37 languages.  Rentalcars.com is a multinational car hire service, offering its reservation services in over 4,000 locations.  Customer support is provided in 38 languages.

SOURCE priceline.com