Hotwire.com listed Aspen and Vail among its top 10 destinations where Memorial Day travelers can find the best combination of hotel discounts and summer fun.
Hotwire identified the top ten destinations based on their value and potential for vacation enjoyment. When compared to Memorial Day weekend in 2010, the following hotspots showed significant hotel price reductions in 2011:
Location ..................................................... Price Drop ..... Hotwire Price (per night)
1. Whistler, Canada .................................. - 27% ............... $77
2. Aruba .................................................... - 25% ............... $80
3. Hilton Head, S.C. .................................. - 20% ............... $93
4. Mount Rushmore, S.D. ........................ - 18% ................ $70
5. Napa, Calif. ........................................... - 17% ............... $133
6. Puerto Rico .......................................... - 15% ............... $100
7. Maui, Hawaii ........................................ - 15% ............... $147
8. Aspen, Colo. ........................................ - 13% ............... $102
9. Vail, Colo. ............................................. - 8% ................ $88
10. Orlando, Fla. ...................................... - 8% ................. $54
"A recovering market doesn't mean you have to endure higher prices or sacrifice the desirability of your destination over Memorial Day," said Clem Bason, president of the Hotwire Group. "Travelers can take advantage of price drops on a variety of trip types. Dream beach destinations before the dog days of summer set in, mountain resorts for hiking, water sports and other outdoor activities, and even some bucket-list trips can all be had for prices even lower than last year."
Here is the rest of the Hotwire press release:
Aspen's downtown
Troy Hooper
Those yearning for warmer weather should head to one of the four island options on the list. With airfare and gas prices up, hotels in places like Aruba and Puerto Rico have to discount costs on the ground in order to compete with other closer destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico. Hilton Head has seen some of its family tourists shift to nearby Myrtle Beach, so they're offering great deals to lure them back. Meanwhile in the Pacific, Maui is one of the only Hawaiian Islands to see rates drop this Memorial Day, as some of its larger resorts are discounting rooms significantly.
If staying active and enjoying some of the most beautiful vistas in the world are top of mind instead, Aspen, Vail and Whistler offer good deals and plenty of local activities beyond their winter peak seasons. Whistler added a slew of rooms for the Olympics, and now that the buzz has died down a bit, hotels are lowering rates to keep the flow of visitors coming to enjoy both the snow conditions on the peaks and the wealth of outdoor action on the ground. In a similar move, popular destinations in the Rockies have also lowered their rates to attract skiers to some of the best end-of-season snow conditions in decades. And don't forget those world-class spas.
Speaking of spas, a popular bucket-list destination that made the top ten is also well known for them. Napa-Sonoma wine-country resorts and tours have become a must-do for thousands of people. On the other side of the spectrum, one of our country's greatest national parks at Rapid City – Mt. Rushmore is also discounting heavily this year. So why not cross them off your list while prices are so low?
Lastly, Memorial Day in Orlando is always a busy time. It's a huge leisure destination with lots of flights, rooms and huge car rental fleets. The difference this year is that hotels are being more aggressive by opening up discounted deal availability earlier than normal. After previous down years, it's a better option than risking any unused capacity.
Over 1.8 million hotel rooms go unsold across North America every night, and for over 10 years, Hotwire has worked with hotels, airlines and car rental companies to fill this unsold inventory. As a result, Hotwire offers travelers amazing deals, every day of the year, across a variety of markets. Through Hotwire's deep understanding of the industry and unique relationships, consumers have been able to save millions of dollars on all their travel needs.
