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Best Hotel Deals? Fort Lauderdale, St. Pete, Sarasota/Bradenton

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By TED JACKOVICS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 8, 2008

CLEARWATER - Thrifty travelers seeking a Florida beach vacation might check out Fort Lauderdale, Sarasota/Bradenton and St. Petersburg/Clearwater if hotel pricing trends from the latest data hold true.

Hoteliers in glitzy Fort Lauderdale, with a glut of splashy hotels that have opened in recent years, reported an average daily rate (ADR) of $96.69 in August, the lowest among nine Florida beach destinations excluding the Panhandle.

The average daily rate data reported by Smith Travel Research, a Tennessee firm, reflects rooms that were sold during the month.

Sarasota/Bradenton reported the second lowest ADR at $100.87, and St. Petersburg/Clearwater the third lowest at $101.09.

The Florida Keys ranked highest with an ADR of $155.56.

"It is amazing that Fort Lauderdale is the lowest on the list," said DT Minich, executive director of Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater, Pinellas County's visitors bureau. "But a lot of new hotels have been built there in the past three years."

Hoteliers change room rates regularly, but autumn typically is Florida's slowest period and the season with the lowest rates.

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