Hotels.ca unveils first-ever Canadian Hotel Price Index revealing room rates
at lowest level in five years

    
    - Global hotel prices down by 17 per cent; Canadians take advantage of
    low prices in top domestic and international destinations -
    

TORONTO , Sept. 15 /CNW/ - According to the first-ever Canadian Hotels Price Index(TM) (HPI) report issued today from hotels.ca(TM), part of the hotels.com(TM) worldwide group of sites, the average price of a hotel room around the world fell by 17 per cent in the first six months of 2009 - proving to be at the lowest levels in five years. The report found Canadian travellers reaped the benefits of the global decline in hotel prices, paying up to 27 per cent less in the first half of 2009 for a one-night stay in some of the most expensive cities than they did in the same period in 2008.

The hotels.ca HPI(TM) tracks the real prices paid per hotel room rather than advertised rates. It is based on prices actually paid by customers for 78,000 hotels across 13,000 locations around the world. The HPI report issued today examines hotel prices for the period January to June 2009 , compared to the same period the year before. The HPI tracks the real prices paid per room by hotels.ca and hotels.com customers around the world using a weighted average based on the number of rooms sold in each of the markets in which the company operates.

"The Hotel Price Index demonstrates that for savvy Canadian travellers who pick the right destinations, there are some great bargains to be found," said David Roche , President of hotels.com worldwide. "For those who can, there has never been a better time to travel with hotel prices at their lowest level in five years."

Some key findings featured in the inaugural Canadian edition of the HPI report include:

    
    -  Whistler experienced the nation's steepest decline in room rates
       during the first half of 2009 with a 27 per cent drop compared to the
       same period in 2008. Jasper and Collingwood followed with a
       22 per cent and 15 per cent decrease in average room rates
       respectively. Despite the fall in hotel prices, these destinations
       still ranked among the top 10 most expensive Canadian destinations,
       with prices averaging between $173 and $182 per night.

    -  European cities such as Munich, Stockholm and Barcelona marked the
       greatest falls in average hotel room spend year over year by Canadian
       travellers. For U.K. hotels, Canadians spent 17 per cent less per
       night on average due in part to the weaker British Pound.

    -  Of all the destination cities booked on hotels.ca, Canadian travellers
       spent the most on hotel rooms in Cancun, Mexico, even though the
       prices for rooms did fall from their level in 2008. On average,
       Canadians spent $254 per night in the first half of 2009, despite the
       initial outbreak of the H1N1 virus in Mexico.

    -  For Canadians eager to discover locations closer to home, Toronto
       topped the list of favourite domestic destinations for Canadian
       leisure and business travellers, followed by Montreal and Vancouver.
       Though major city centers led the pack, Niagara Falls and Banff also
       rounded out the top 10 domestic destinations.

    -  Canadians love taking a bite out of the Big Apple and it was more
       affordable in the first six months of the year as prices fell 16
       percent for Canadian travellers from an average nightly price of $290
       to $242. As a result, New York City topped Canadians' list of top
       international destinations, followed by Seattle and Las Vegas.
    

Full details of the Hotel Price Index can be found at: http://www.hotels.ca/promos.do?PromoID=6807

Notes to Editors:

Fourteen editions of the HPI are published globally. Country versions reflecting hotel prices in local currencies are available for the U.S., Canada , U.K., Ireland , France , Germany , Spain , Portugal , Italy , Netherlands , Norway , Sweden , Finland and Denmark .

About hotels.ca

Hotels.ca, part of the hotels.com worldwide group of sites is a leading provider of worldwide accommodations to Canadians, offering reservation services through its website at www.hotels.ca and its toll-free call centre at 1-800-CA-HOTELS (1-800-224-6835). Hotels.ca offers travellers the widest selection of accommodations - from traditional hotels to vacation rentals - at over 99,000 properties in Canada , the United States , Europe , and around the world. The company offers a one-stop shopping source for hotel availability, amenities and pricing in Canadian dollars. Hotels.ca is a brand owned and operated by Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE).

Hotels.com, Hotels.ca, Hotel Price Index and HPI are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotels.com, LP, a subsidiary of Hotels.com. (C)2009 Hotels.com, LP. All rights reserved.

For further information: or to request an interview, please contact: Melissa Legaspi, [email protected], [phone] ext. 272; For country specific information, please contact: EMEA: [email protected], APAC: [email protected]