Hotel rooms are a little pricier this summer. According to a new priceline.com survey of retail hotel room prices in 35 cities …
Hotel rooms are a little pricier this summer. According to a new priceline.com survey of retail hotel room prices in 35 cities for the June 15-August 15, 2005 period, the company found that, on average, hotel rates are up 9% year over year.
Destination choice is a big wild card this year as summer vacationers search out travel bargains. For example, in cities like New York, average hotel prices were up almost 25% compared to the same period a year ago. However, in Las Vegas, average retail hotel prices are down 5% year over year.
Vacationers will find the best deals this summer in places where average hotel prices have decreased or remained relatively constant, said Tim Gordon, priceline.com`s Senior Vice President, Hotel Services. This includes destinations like Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco and New Orleans.
Priceline.com now gives hotel customers a choice when booking their hotel rooms. They can pick the exact hotel and room type they want from a broad assortment of thousands of hotels, all with prices published up-front. Or, for even deeper savings, they can Name Their Own Price and let priceline.com find a hotel at the star level they want in the neighborhood they want. Either way, priceline.com has the hotel to make any vacation a special one.
Here are the results of priceline.com`s retail hotel pricing survey*:
* Priceline.com computed its average retail price changes based on rooms booked through priceline.com`s Travelweb business unit, which sells hotel rooms on a published-price basis.
In addition to picking destinations where summer pricing changes are favorable to consumers, Mr. Gordon offered these money-saving summer travel tips:
- Don`t wait. If you know where you want to go on vacation, book now when rooms are still available. Particularly in high-demand destinations, last-minute bookers may find their rooms gone.
- In the more expensive cities, try staying in the suburbs and rent a car or take public transportation. In many cases, the combined hotel/car cost will be less than the cost of a room in the city.
- Las Vegas travelers should consider booking mid-week, when prices are lower and they can often get a 5-star hotel for what they`d pay for a 3-star property on the weekend.
- Give the mid-range, 3-star hotels a good look. They`re less expensive than 4-stars and they offer solid accommodations at a good price.
- Book a vacation package that includes airfare and a hotel. Since the combined price of a package doesn`t reveal how much is for hotel and how much is for the airline ticket, travel suppliers are more inclined to sell their inventories at a discount. For example, priceline.com vacation packages typically sell for up to $200 less than if the air and hotel components were bought separately.
- Try bidding for a hotel through priceline.com. Check out priceline.com`s retail prices for the star level you want, then make an offer at a lower price. This works really well for people who want that 4-star, but can`t afford the current retail prices.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
