SAN FRANCISCO, June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Hotwire.com®, a leading discount travel site, today announced the results of the June 2010 Hotwire® Hotel Rate Report. This monthly report features the top 10 cities in North America where hotel rates are recovering the slowest. When combined with Hotwire's already discounted prices, the Hotel Rate Report helps guide customers to the destinations that will maximize their travel dollars. With a six percent hotel rate drop, Madison makes its first appearance on the list at the number one spot. Madison is followed by another seat of state government, Sacramento, with a four percent drop.

A decline in group business combined with new inventory in the area is contributing to the overall low hotel rates for Wisconsin's two largest cities Madison and Milwaukee. Milwaukee hotel prices are currently on par with the dramatically discounted rates of 2009 while Madison continues to see falling prices. New Orleans, ranking fifth with a three percent drop, also continues to deal with a slow recovery in group travel this year in addition to more competition from smaller hotel markets nearby.

Just in time for the summer break, top leisure destinations are back on the list as well. This includes Miami/Fort Lauderdale at the number three spot with a four percent drop, and Oahu, Hawaii, ranked fourth with a three percent drop. Hotels in these popular destinations are trying to take advantage of recovering consumer travel demand by lowering prices at the start of the summer traveling season to spark traveler interest.

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

                                                  Example of a Current
                                     Change in
    Rank Hotel Market                  Price      Hotwire Deal, US$/Night

    1      Madison, WI                      - 6% 3.5-star                $68
    2      Sacramento, CA                   - 4% 3-star                  $64
    3      Miami/Fort Lauderdale, FL        - 4% 4-star                  $82
    4      Oahu, HI                         - 3% 3.5-star                $84
    5      New Orleans, LA                  - 3% 4.5-star                $83
    6      Houston, TX                      - 2% 4-star                  $90
    7      Columbus, OH                     - 1% 4-star                  $73
    8      Milwaukee, WI                       0% 4-star                  $97
    9      Dallas/Fort Worth, TX               0% 4-star                  $67
    10     Virginia Beach, VA                 +1% 3.5-star                $96

"As we're starting to see a slight upswing in hotel rates nationwide, the role of discount travel sites may become more important," said Clem Bason, President of the Hotwire Group. "For some markets we're not going to see hotel prices as low as we saw last summer, but that doesn't mean you can't still find a great deal."

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.

    Contact:
    Chris Fucanan
    Atomic PR
    (415) 593-1400
    chris.fucanan@atomicpr.com

SOURCE Hotwire.com