Hotwire.com Survey Reveals British Travel Booking Habits

LONDON, June 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- Poll finds Brits are planning to take more breaks this year and 9 out of 10 value prices over the brand of hotel(i)

When it comes to planning a holiday, Brits are keener than ever to bag a bargain and are becoming less brand conscious about where they stay. According to a survey released today by a leading discount travel website Hotwire.com(R), a massive nine out of 10 people (91%) agreed that if they found a great deal on their hotel accommodation the brand of the hotel wouldn't matter.

The Hotwire survey of 2,000 UK holidaymakers, that looked into consumers travel booking habits, revealed that nearly two thirds (58%) of respondents are planning to take at least as many if not more holidays than last year. Additionally, shorter breaks are becoming more popular than one lengthy getaway. 37% of those taking more holidays are taking more short breaks instead of one long trip.

"It's great to see that travellers are willing to be flexible on their accommodations in order to score significant savings because this year it's easier than ever to book a hotel at as much as half-off standard room rates(ii)," said Fulvia Montresor, Senior Director of Hotwire.com. "Holiday makers should feel confident that taking more breaks within budget is certainly possible, especially when you let sites like Hotwire help you stretch your travel money further."

The Hotwire survey also showed that the majority of us are leaving it later to plan and book our trips. 49% of us book only two to four weeks before we travel, while almost a fifth of us (18%) confirm holiday plans one to five days in advance.

"It seems like more and more holiday makers are learning the trick to bagging the best hotel deals - waiting a little longer to book," said Montresor. "At Hotwire we have the greatest hotel savings on offer around two weeks or less beforehand."

Hotwire has special relationships with over 25,000 leading hotels worldwide. When these hotels have unsold rooms, they use Hotwire to fill them, so consumers get up to 50% off standard rates(ii). Hotwire customers are given information about the hotel's star rating, amenities, neighbourhood and customer reviews of the hotel. Once the room has been booked, the name of the hotel is revealed.

About Hotwire

Hotwire.com is a leading discount travel site that helps travelers' book hotel rooms at significant savings you can't find on many other travel sites. Launched in the U.S. in 2000 and in the U.K. in 2011, Hotwire's unique partnerships with hotels worldwide offers travelers deeply discounted hotel rooms that would typically go unsold. 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 and Hotwire.com 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) 2011 Hotwire, Inc. All rights reserved.

    
    (i) Travel booking habits survey. On behalf of Hotwire.com, Vision
        Critical interviewed 2024 UK adults. The interviews were conducted
        the week of May 2, 2011.
    (ii) Savings percentage discounts are based on actual Hotwire Hot
        Rate booking rates for the previous month compared with lowest
        published standard room rates we've found on leading retail sites
        when we conducted our search.

    Media contact:
    Vojtech Horna
    +442070257551
    HotwireUK@atomicpr.com