Not many of you decide where to go strictly on the basis of prices - after all, you’d “save” the most money by staying home, and you could find inexpensive hotels and restaurants in almost any nearby small town. Still, relative value is important to many of you, and the good folks in the travel industry are happy to guide you in your destination search.
The latest report comes from Hotwire, the large online travel agency, conducted with Harris Interactive. The overall finding was that, yes, “49 million Americans (21 percent) intend to be more deal-conscious when booking travel in 2014.” And in support of this finding, Hotwire nominates the 10 “best value” destinations from a list of the country’s 10 top leisure destination cities. Hotwire’s ratings are based on a composite score for low prices on airfare, car rentals and hotel accommodations (50 percent of the score), discounts on airfare, car rentals and hotel accommodations (25 percent), and “affordable (inexpensive)” entertainment (25 percent). The ranked list, in descending order, also notes which scoring category was outstanding for each destination:
Atlanta (low prices)
Orlando, Fla. (low prices)
Tampa, Fla. (low prices)
Phoenix (entertainment)
Dallas-Fort Worth (low prices, discounts)
Raleigh, N.C. (low prices)
St. Louis (discounts)
Kansas City (discounts)
Albuquerque, N.M. (low prices)
Nashville, Tenn. (entertainment)
As one of the country’s largest online specialists in discounted travel services, Hotwire is in an excellent position to mine its vast database of actual sales for realistic price information. In addition to occasional reports such as this, Hotwire posts ongoing historical airfare and hotel price data on many popular routes and at many popular destinations. Even if you’ve already decided where you want to go, check out Hotwire’s “Trip Starter” data at hotwire.com/ tripstarter/index.jsp to determine the best times to travel.
Earlier this year, Trivago.com, another big online hotel search system, published a list of the best-value destinations. Trivago focused on smaller cities and remote areas. Trivago’s ratings were based on its price search results, together with the area’s “overall hotel reputation,” as determined by traveler reviews. Trivago’s top 10 destinations are different:
Port Charlotte, Fla.
Manitou Springs, Colo.
Logan, Utah
Brunswick, Ga.
Burlington, Vt.
Eureka Springs
Sioux Falls, S.D.
Branson
Ashland, Ore.
Boise, Idaho
Obviously, the two rankings were not in conflict. Instead, they focused on two completely different approaches to the definition of “destination” and “value.” And understanding the differences is key to the use of the two reports. If you’re looking for a city with a diverse smorgasbord of activities, check the Hotwire list. If you’re looking for a unique set of activities and attractions, check out Trivago.
But, in the final analysis, not many of you will make a decision solely on value. Instead, you have to consider your real interests first, then - maybe - look at value to decide where best to pursue them. If you’re into country music, for example, you’ll find Branson less expensive than Nashville, but the full experiences are quite different.
And even if you really want to head someplace relatively expensive, you can always minimize your travel budget wherever you choose. Where hotels and restaurants are expensive, go down market a bit. If you head for New York, avoid the “best” restaurant lists. You can eat very well at much more modest spots.
Send email to Ed Perkins at eperkins@mind.net
Travel, Pages 50 on 04/06/2014