Hotwire Reveals August 2012 Travel Savings Indicator

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Hotwire.com®, a leading discount travel site, today released the August 2012 Hotwire® Travel Savings Indicator, which features the top five cities in North America where hotel, air and car rental rates have dropped the most as compared to the same time last year. Using extensive pricing research to cover the three most popular travel products, the report helps guide travelers to the best destinations for maximizing their travel dollars each month.

"With the weakening of the Euro against the dollar, many Americans are traveling further abroad, resulting in less traffic to popular Canadian cities like Vancouver and Montreal," said Clem Bason, president of the Hotwire Group. "In addition, the hotter than normal temperatures across the US are also prompting price drops in many domestic destinations, making cities like Las Vegas a fantastic deal for a late-summer getaway."

Hotel Price Drops
Folks looking for a last minute summer trip are in luck as Las Vegas returns to the top of the list this month with a big 11 percent price drop. Las Vegas, a great destination year-round, has its best deals in the summer off-season. With fewer conventions and fewer visitors, hotels are competing for business, driving rates down and making it easy for travelers to score a great deal.          

Tucson, Ariz. and newcomer Lexington, Ky., are both seeing nine percent drops with Tucson climbing up the list to second place. Tucson continues to experience a hotter than normal summer, which is deterring tourist and driving down prices. But folks who like  the heat will get a great deal and can take advantage of relaxing at one of the many luxury resorts and spas or venture downtown to visit a variety of art galleries, museums and local shops, minus the crowds. For a little southern hospitality, folks can head to Lexington or the "horse capital of the world," to try their luck at one of two historic horse tracks, Keeneland and Red Mile Harness Track, or stroll down main street to visit historic attractions like First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln's family home.

Rounding out the top five hotel deal markets are two of the most popular and beautiful Canadian cities, Vancouver and Montreal, with eight and five percent price drops, respectively. Despite a decline in international tourists and a lack of large events and conventions in the area this summer, these Canadian hot spots are a steal, especially when paired with steep airfare drops. 

When compared to this time last year, the top five hotel price reductions for August 2012 include:

Air Price Drops
Montreal joins the air price drop list for the first time this year with an 18 percent drop, complementing its place on the hotel price drop list as well. Newcomer Colorado Springs, Colo., dropped 12 percent this month. Home to Pike's Peak, Colorado Springs is the perfect end-of-summer spot for hiking, fishing and other outdoor activities. Birmingham, Ala., returns to the list with an 11 percent drop, which is a great destination for football fans to kick-off the season with the annual Labor Day classic. Lastly, Vancouver, B.C., and Tampa, Fla., round out the top five largest airfare decreases with 10 and nine percent drops.

When compared to this time last year, the top five airfare price reductions for August 2012 include:

Car Price Drops

There are stellar car rental deals all over the country, but this month's list includes some particularly steep drops in several new cities.  Topping the list with a 46 percent drop is Flushing, N.Y., home of the New York Mets' Citi Field. Number two ranked Daytona Beach, Fla., and number three ranked Newark, N.J., have 36 percent and 29 percent price decreases, respectively. Billings, Mont., drops down the list from third to fourth place with a 25 percent decrease, while newcomer Jacksonville, Fla., joins at number five with a 24 percent drop.

When compared to this time last year, the top five car rental price reductions for August 2012 include:

For over 10 years, Hotwire has worked with hotels, airlines and car rental companies to fill unsold inventory. As a result, Hotwire offers travelers amazing deals, every day of the year, across a variety of markets. Through Hotwire's deep understanding of the industry and unique relationships, consumers have been able to save millions of dollars on all their travel needs.

About the Hotwire Travel Savings Indicator
The Hotwire Travel Savings Indicator runs results during the second week of each month. Results are calculated by looking at Hotwire booking data 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 categories (e.g., star rating, class of car) for consistency, and the percent change in price for each region is generated as an overall average of the changes in those categories. The hotel prices in the charts above are examples for a particular Hot Rate® deal within that market. The airfare and car rental prices are average prices based on bookings across all car and seat classes. Actual prices may be higher or lower than the examples that are 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.  Hotwire is an award-winning website and operating company of Expedia, Inc. CST# 2053390-50.  NST: 20003-0209.  For more information, visit http://www.hotwire.com. Hotwire operates sites in 8 countries worldwide: www.hotwire.com, www.hotwire.com/uk, www.hotwire.com/ie, www.hotwire.com/au, www.hotwire.com/nz, www.hotwire.com/se, www.hotwire.com/no and www.hotwire.com/dk.   In addition to Hotwire, The Hotwire Group of websites includes: www.hotwire.com, www.travel-ticker.com, www.carrentals.com.  

Hotwire, Hotwire.com, the Hotwire logo and Hot Rate are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotwire, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2012 Hotwire, Inc.  All rights reserved. CST# 2053390-40.

Contact:
Andrew Reynolds
Atomic PR
(323) 648-5425
[email protected]

SOURCE Hotwire.com