Hotel Rates in the Western Region of the U.S. Drop Dramatically According to hotels.com Hotel Price Index
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DALLAS, TX USA
The Western region still dominates as a favorite area for domestic and international travelers
DALLAS, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- According to the latest hotels.com Hotel Price Index(TM) (HPI(TM)), Hawaii, Alaska, Washington state and California were all ranked among the top 10 U.S. cities with the highest hotel rates. However, with the exception of Washington state, these states were also found to have some of the greatest price falls in average hotel prices. Nevada rates dropped the greatest of all the states with a decrease of 29 percent bringing average rates in the state down to $77 a night. Each state in the Western region did see a drop in prices by 10 percent or more.
With some of the lowest hotel rates and entertaining tourism activities, Las Vegas took the top spot as the most popular domestic destination for U.S. travelers in the first half of 2009. San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Seattle followed closely behind making the Western region of the U.S. a highly popular area for travelers.
"The Western region of the U.S. especially in Nevada, is offering travelers deals and packages like we've never seen before," said Steve Dumaine, senior director of merchandising at hotels.com®. "The range of destinations and activities continues to make it one of the most popular regions in the U.S. and the drop in prices makes it even more appealing."
Some of the notable findings about destinations in the western region in the latest HPI report include:
-- Las Vegas overtook New York City as the favorite domestic destination for U.S. travelers in the first half of 2009, with room rates in the city just $82 a night on average with rates dropping by 30 percent.
-- The two states outside of the continental U.S., Hawaii and Alaska, were among the most expensive states, with Hawaii ranking third and Alaska number eight.
-- Anchorage (22 percent drop) and Juneau (26 percent drop) were among the U.S. cities with the greatest price falls.
-- San Francisco, Seattle and Honolulu were listed among the top U.S. destinations for international travelers. A favorable exchange rate has helped bolster interest from Asian travelers to Hawaii.
-- Prices fell dramatically in Nevada, down by 29 percent which meant that it became the least expensive state for travelers to find a room for the night. Hotel prices in Nevada now average just $77 per room.
-- California remained a U.S. travel favorite with three cities - San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego - among the top 10 favorite domestic destinations.
The hotels.com HPI tracks the real prices paid per hotel room rather than advertised rates, using a weighted average based on the number of rooms sold in each of the markets in which hotels.com operates. The HPI report issued today examines hotel prices paid at 78,000 hotels across 13,000 locations around the world for the period January to June 2009, compared to the same period the year before.
The international scale of hotels.com in terms of both customers and destinations makes the HPI one of the most comprehensive benchmarks available, as it incorporates both chain and independent hotels, as well as specialty lodging options such as vacation rentals and bed and breakfast properties. For more information on the HPI please visit http://hotels.mediaroom.com/HPI.
About hotels.com
hotels.com(®) is a leading provider of lodging worldwide, offering an extensive selection of more than 85,000 properties ranging from traditional hotels and vacation rentals to bed and breakfasts and all-inclusive resorts. hotels.com serves as an advocate for guests before, during and after their property stay. To help travelers choose the right property for each trip, the company provides a variety of tools and features, including property descriptions, rate calendars, maps, virtual tours, and more than one million guest reviews. hotels.com offers additional value for guests through its Price Match Guarantee, Risk-Free Booking(TM) and welcomerewards(TM) programs. For more information, please visit hotels.com or call 1-800-2-HOTELS. hotels.com is an operating company of Expedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPE).
