Four star hotels for three star prices causing internet rebound
After a rocky start of summer, major web travel sides have rebounded. Why?
Great deals are driving consumers to continue booking flights and hotel rooms, Orbitz President and Chief Executive Barney Harford told Businessweek.com.
At hotels, "occupancy is low, and that’s great for consumers," Harford said. He added:
"If you’re still working and you feel reasonably good about the economic outlook, being able to get a four-star hotel for a three-star price can be attractive."
One outcome is that Web travel stocks have gone up greatly in value this summer. Shares of Priceline.com are up more than two-thirds since the end of June. They are trading at their highest point since May of 2000.
Bookings rose 43.3 percent from a year earlier and revenues climbed 27 percent.
US consumers are still "restrained," ThinkEquity analyst Aaron Kessler says, but that can be good for online travel sites that allow consumers to compare various travel offerings.
"People are still looking for deals," Kessler said.
Online spending on travel in the US was up 9 percent in July compared to a year ago, said ComScore, an Internet marketing research company.
By David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Marginal increase for New York City tourism in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments