Hotwire.com Reveals Close-To-Home Destinations as the Travel Trend for Memorial Day

Customers opt for close-to-home drive destinations this Memorial Day, booking hotels within nearby cities. For example,Chicago is the top destination for those living inDetroit andLas Vegas is the top draw forLos Angeles residents. With soaring gas prices, consumers are shifting vacation plans as the airline industry continues to increase fares.

Chicago tops the list as the most popular Memorial Day destination for the second consecutive year, followed byLas Vegas andSan Francisco. New to the top 10 areLas Vegas,New York City,Seattle andOrlando.

The top Memorial Day weekend destinations, according to hotel booking data from Hotwire.com, include the following hot spots that attract tourism from neighboring cities (2007 rankings in parentheses):

    1.  Chicago, Illinois (1)           6.  Los Angeles, California (5)
    2.  Las Vegas, Nevada (22)          7.  Washington D.C. (2)
    3.  San Francisco, California (3)   8.  Toronto, Ontario, Canada (10)
    4.  New York City, New York (12)    9.  Boston, Massachusetts (7)
    5.  Seattle, Washington (16)        10. Orlando, Florida (11)

Chicago,Las Vegas andSan Francisco are the top close-to-home destinations, with at least 40 percent of hotel bookings being made by customers living within 250 miles from these cities. More than 57 percent of Chicago hotel bookings for example are made by customers living in the Chicago,Detroit,St. Louis, andMinneapolis areas.

"During this economic downturn, price-savvy consumers are attracted to close-to-home destinations with a wide range of free events and celebrations where they can make the most of their travel dollar," said Clem Bason, vice president of merchandising and travel expert at Hotwire.com. "Through our relationships with top travel brands, we can offer four-star hotel rooms for two-star prices as well as discount car rentals for as low as $13.95 per day."

Through deep discounts on car rentals offered by Hotwire(R), consumers can now rent that convertible and travel to the most popular close-to-home destinations. Consumers can also save big by booking hotel rooms through Hotwire.com. Below are examples of hotel rates recently available on Hotwire.com for Memorial Day weekend (May 23 - 27, 2008):*

Chicago: $89/night, 3.5-star hotel, North Michigan Avenue/Water Tower/Gold Coast

    Las Vegas: $114/night, 4-star hotel, Strip East
    San Francisco: $109/night, 4-star hotel, Union Square East
    New York City: $226/night, 4-star hotel, Downtown/SoHo
    Seattle: $112/night, 4-star hotel, Downtown /Pike Place
    Los Angeles: $96/night, 3.5-star hotel, Downtown
    Washington DC: $99/night, 4-star hotel, Dupont Circle/Embassy Row
    Toronto: $89/night, 4-star hotel, Downtown
    Boston: $139/night, 4-star hotel, Waterfront Area/South Boston
    Orlando: $45/night, 3-star hotel, Universal Orlando/I-drive North Area

The discount travel experts at Hotwire recommend booking travel now, to land the best travel deals for Memorial Day weekend. For more information, visit http://www.hotwire.com/.

*Hotel rates shown do not include applicable tax recovery charges and fees. However, total cost, including all applicable tax recovery charges and fees, is shown before bookings are made on Hotwire.com. All bookings are non-changeable and nonrefundable. Rates are subject to availability. Because rates change all the time, Hotwire customers are encouraged to check rates for themselves.

About Hotwire.com

Hotwire.com(R) is a leading discount travel site with low rates on airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises and vacation packages. Launched in 2000, Hotwire(R) negotiates deep discounts from its travel suppliers to help travelers book unsold airline seats, hotel rooms and rental cars. J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Independent Travel Web Site Satisfaction Study(SM) recognized Hotwire for ranking "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Independent Travel Web Sites, Two Years in a Row." Hotwire is an operating company of Expedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPE). 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. (C) 2008 Hotwire, Inc. All rights reserved.

     MEDIA CONTACT:
     Rachel Rogers
     Atomic PR for Hotwire
     rachel@atomicpr.com
     310-689-7585

SOURCE Hotwire.com

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Copyright © 2008, NewsBlaze, Daily News

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