Hotwire Reveals Hotel Rate Report for September 2010

Hotwire.com®, a leading discount travel site, today announced the results of the September 2010 Hotwire® Hotel Rate Report. The report features the top five cities in North America where hotel rates have dropped the most and the top five cities where rates have experienced the biggest price increase. While one report guides customers to the destinations that will maximize their travel dollars, the other helps inform travelers where using Hotwire to save money will be even more essential.

Top Five Price Drops:

It's been nearly a year since a Canadian city has appeared on the North American Hotel Rate Report, but this month Canada makes a strong return with two great cities. Calgary, still suffering from slow business traffic, tops the list with an eight percent drop while Vancouver comes in at number three with a three percent drop. As a major leisure destination, hoteliers in Vancouver are dropping rates to compensate for a slower than expected summer season.

Las Vegas holds onto the number five spot this month as new inventory comes online, adding more pricing competition in the city. This, coupled with their intensely hot summer season, continues to keep prices down.

When compared to the same time last year, the top five hotel price reductions for September 2010 include:

Rank
Hotel Market
Price Drops
Example of a Current Hotwire Deal, US$/Night

1
Calgary, AB
- 8%
3-star
$99

2
Madison, WI
- 4%
3.5-star
$69

3
Vancouver, BC
- 3%
3.5-star
$91

4
Salt Lake City, UT
- 2%
4-star
$83

5
Las Vegas, NV
- 2%
4-star
$72

Top Five Price Increases:

New Orleans hotel prices have the largest price increases this month with rates in the "Big Easy" rising by 22 percent. The city is seeing a huge boost in occupancy over last year due to a number of factors. Conventions are returning to town and attendance is up versus last year. In addition, hotels in the area are also filled with many workers who are dealing with the oil spill cleanup, providing those properties with consistent business. As a result, casual travelers are faced with higher rates.

As we expected last month, San Francisco and Toronto continue to make the list. This month San Francisco climbs to the number two spot with a 20 percent increase due to strong convention business. Meanwhile, Toronto drops two spots from last month coming in at number five with a 15 percent increase. Rate increases in Canada's largest city are primarily driven by corporate visitors, who are flocking back to this financial hub.

When compared to the same time last year, the top five hotel price increases for September 2010 include:

Rank
Hotel Market
Price Increases
Example of a Current Hotwire Deal, US$/Night

1
New Orleans, LA
22%
4-star
$92

2
San Francisco, CA
20%
3-star
$100

3
Miami, FL
19%
4-star
$84

4
Portland, OR
17%
3.5-star
$86

5
Toronto, ON
15%
3.5-star
$90

"This month is a great time for travelers to visit some of the best leisure destinations in North America, especially those up North in Canada where prices are dropping to compensate for a slow summer," said Clem Bason, President of the Hotwire Group. "As for destinations that are seeing price increases, consumers will have to be more vigilant to find good deals and should aim for weekend getaways when prices are generally lower due to the lack of business travelers."

Over 1.8 million hotel rooms go unsold across North America every night. Hotwire is able to deliver great deals across all types of markets because it works with hotels, airlines, and car rental companies to fill unsold inventory.

About the Hotwire Hotel Rate Report

The Hotwire Hotel Rate Report will run results during the second week of each month. Results are calculated by looking at Hotwire stay dates 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 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 charts above are examples for a particular star rating category 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. J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Independent Travel Web Site Satisfaction Study(SM) recognized Hotwire for ranking "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Independent Travel Web Sites, Three Years in a Row." Hotwire is an operating company of Expedia, Inc. CST# 2053390-40. 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. © 2010 Hotwire, Inc. All rights reserved. CST# 2053390-40.

Contact:

Chris Fucanan

Atomic PR

(415) 593-1400

chris.fucanan(at)atomicpr.com