Hotwire list highlights biggest hotel price drops

Nov 20, 2012 | News

Online hotel deals make some cities attractive, inexpensive travel destinations

By Katherine Ward

The online travel deal website, Hotwire, released its November report Tuesday on some of the best hotel deals in Canada.

In comparison to last year, this month the city with the biggest accommodation price drop is Moncton. On average, users of the website could expect costs to decrease by about eight per cent. That means that anyone booking a room in a 3.5 star hotel in that city might expect to pay an average cost of about $111.00 per night.

Other cities that made the top five for users of the site include Regina, Whistler, Charlottetown, and Toronto. Comparing rates to this time last year, price drops in these cities ranged anywhere from three to seven per cent.

“With hotels across the country bringing more of their inventory to sites like Hotwire, and pricing more competitively, we’re seeing new value destinations emerge like Regina, as well as big discounts in ever-popular destinations like Whistler,” Pierre-Etienne Chartier, vice president of the Hotwire Group, said in a press release.

Source Data

Cost Matters

“What this means for the traveler is better deals, more options and the opportunity to take more trips,” he said.

And some travelers said they agree.

“Generally I go to a destination spot when I go away,” Christopher Brown, a second year Humber radio student, told Humber News.

“But if there were great deals to random places in Canada, it would definitely entice me. I have always wanted to see more of this country and price is always a large factor of determining where I go.”

However, travel industry professionals have some concerns for those who book hotels and vacations online.

“With Hotwire, you might find an affordable price, but you don’t know where you are going to be staying until the last minute,” Mila Angna, a travel consultant with St. Clair Travel in Toronto, told Humber News.

“Promotional rates can be attractive, but it is always best to book through a travel agent because they have the knowledge and expertise to guarantee a worry free vacation, and you have someone to contact if you need assistance.”

Angna said not all the best rates for hotels might be available online.

“Sure there are great deals that you can find on the internet, but agents have access to others that are not listed on the web.”