The temperatures are beginning to drop and the leaves are starting to change, which means fall is finally here. While the peak summer vacations months are behind us, it’s convention season, so corporate travel is keeping airfare and hotel prices high.
So, can you still find a good price on travel?
The short answer is yes. To help, I’ve put together an overview of what’s trending this fall – what to expect when you’re booking, deal markets and markets to avoid.
What to Expect for Fall Travel
Corporate travel to cities and leisure travel to warmer resort destinations, are pushing prices for hotels and air tickets up, particularly during the first part of the season when group trips are most popular.
According to our research, hotel prices are currently up 9 percent and air fares are up 4 percent compare to fall 2013. Car rentals are currently down 7 percent for this same time period.
Not to worry, there’s some good news. Since many corporate events happen on the weekends, hotels are dropping prices over some weekends in order to entice leisure travelers. You just have to be flexible when you’re searching travel dates to score the biggest savings. Additionally, while flights within the U.S. are more expensive now, there are deals to international locations, where airlines have been increasing capacity. Finally, those looking to rent a car this season can not only expect low prices, but can look forward to a wide variety of different car options to choose from thanks to recalls which left rental companies with a surplus of inventory.
Deal Markets
If you’re looking for the best savings across the board – and are perhaps nostalgic for summer – then a fall getaway to Hawaii is the best option. Maui is currently experiencing an 11 percent drop on hotels and a 25 percent drop in airfare, while Kauai and The Big Island are experiencing 14 and 15 percent drops for airfare, respectively. When it comes to car rentals, Maui and The Big Island are averaging at an affordable $30 a day.
Have passport, will travel? Cities such as Milan, Italy, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and Taipei, Taiwan, are experiencing deeply discounted rates. Some have dropped up to 17 percent from last year. If you feel like staying closer to home, look no further than our neighbor to the north. Canadian cities such as Montreal and Toronto, are seeing discounts up to 18 percent.
Markets to Avoid
The impact on convention season can be felt most in Northern California and Seattle. San Francisco, San Jose and Seattle are all seeing about a 25 percent increase in hotel prices, while Seattle’s airfare is up 36 percent.
Hotel and air prices are also on the rise in major Florida cities like Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando and West Palm Beach, where they are up as much as 19 percent.
Note: all sample rates reflect searches in September 2014 for bookings made for fall 2014. Average daily rates reflect bookings across star-categories (hotels) or vehicle classes (cars) made on Hotwire U.S. points of sale between 8/15/2014 to 9/5/2014 for travel between 9/1/2014 to 11/30/2014. Air fare pricing and capacity data is provided by Expedia, Inc. for the same booking and travel periods stated above.
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