Hotwire Reveals Hotel Rate Report for February 2010

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Hotwire.com®, a leading discount travel site, today announced the results of the February 2010 Hotwire® Hotel Rate Report. This monthly report features the top 10 cities in North America where hotel rates have dropped the most. When combined with Hotwire's already discounted prices, the Hotel Rate Report helps guide customers to the destinations that will maximize their travel dollars. Tampa is the only Florida city on this month's list, taking the top spot with a 16 percent drop. Last month's number one, Philadelphia, moves down to ninth with a seven percent drop.

The Tampa market continues to see lower occupancy and has reduced prices once again to compensate. Higher-end hotels have been particularly affected, where you can find deals on Hotwire as much as 40-60 percent off retail. However, frequent Top 10 Rate Report cities like Miami/Fort Lauderdale and Orlando have fallen off this month's list for varying reasons. Aggressive price reductions in Orlando throughout 2009 meant rates couldn't continue to fall. Meanwhile, the Miami area is experiencing increased demand due to city-wide events like the Super Bowl and NASCAR.

Outside of Florida, bargain hunters looking for snow instead of sun should consider a ski vacation near Salt Lake City, which makes its debut in the top 10 at the number eight spot with a seven percent drop.

Hotwire is able to find great deals because it works with hotels, airlines and car rental companies to fill unsold inventory. This means that customers will find deals that they won't see anywhere else.

When compared to the same time last year, the top 10 hotel price reductions for February 2010 include:

"The variation we're seeing in Florida's pricing trends may be a good example of what's going on in the rest of the country," said Clem Bason, President of the Hotwire Group. "In general, prices continue to drop year-over-year, but some markets are seeing pockets of stability. The good news is that deals are still incredibly strong across the board."

For more information about the Hotwire Hotel Rate Report, visit: www.hotwire.com/hotelratereport

About the Hotwire Hotel Rate Report

The Hotwire Hotel Rate Report will run results during the first 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 chart 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.

SOURCE Hotwire.com