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Hotwire.com: Nation's steepest hotel price drops are in Tampa

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By TED JACKOVICS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: April 15, 2009

Updated: 04/15/2009 10:00 am

TAMPA - Tampa is showing the nation's steepest decrease in hotel prices in April with a 31 percent decline, Hotwire.com reported in its monthly Hotel Rate Report.

"Florida has some hot deals in Tampa, Orlando and Miami/Fort Lauderdale," Hotwire.com said in a release.

The company requires customers to pay for a room that is identified by its price and rating of up to four stars locally, but the identity of the hotel is not provided until the deal is consummated with a credit card purchase.

That allows hotels to sell rooms to a deep-discount broker like Hotwire without revealing prices that could be listed higher elsewhere.

A four-star hotel in Tampa Westshore area was available for $75 a night, not including taxes, the on-line travel service reported for the weekend of April 24. Possible brands included Hyatt, Inter Continental and Omni.

A three-star hotel in the Busch Gardens area was available at $58, with possible brands including Radisson, DoubleTree and Holiday Inn.

And a two star hotel in Oldsmar was offered at $41, with Comfort Inn, LaQunita and Days inn the possible brands.

Local travelers looking for bargains elsewhere could turn to the remainder of the top 10-declines: San Antonio, Vancouver, B.C., New York, Portland, Ore., Orlando, Chicago, Toronto, Miami/Fort Lauderdale and Las Vegas.

Those declines ranged from 30 percent to 19 percent.

Results are calculated by comparing Hotwire prices within the same star rating categories against the same month in the previous year.

Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 259-7817.

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