SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to luxury five-star travel, only 24 percent of U.S. travelers have stayed at a five-star property more than once within the last five years, according to a new "Luxury & Holiday Travel Survey."* The average retail rate for five-star hotel rooms nationwide within the last year was $318,** so it's not surprising the survey concluded the high cost associated with five-star hotels is the number one reason travelers seek alternate accommodations.* Hotwire®, a leading online travel site, is seeking to change those stats—and just in time for the holidays.

"Today, Hotwire is kicking off something kind of crazy--a Million Dollar Sale: five-star hotels in Las Vegas for just $50," explains Hotwire President Neha Parikh. "I know it might sound too good to be true, so you may ask yourself, 'What's the catch?' But it's real. I believe Hotwire is a different kind of travel site, a different kind of company. I am putting my money where my mouth is in terms of showing the incredible value we bring to people who love to travel, and inviting everyone to experience our amazing Hot Rate deals—and luxury five-star travel—for themselves."

Parikh's Million Dollar Sale allows Hotwire to temporarily drop their already-low Hot Rates® even lower by investing $1 million to further offset room costs; the $50 five-star hotel rate for Las Vegas will remain in place until the company has hit the million-dollar spend. These ridiculously low rates are good for travel between Dec. 8-28, 2017, and with the average retail rate for five-star hotels in Las Vegas next month landing at $432, will be saving travelers more than $350 per night per room! With demand high during the holidays—taking a quick getaway was the most-often-cited choice for relieving holiday stress according to the "Luxury & Holiday Travel Survey"—Hotwire expects the Million Dollar Sale to sell through in just a few days.

The "Luxury & Holiday Travel Survey" was conducted online within the United States by CITE Research (www.citeresearch.com) on behalf of Hotwire from Nov. 10-11, 2017 among 1,000 census-based adults 18 and older. The survey aimed to shed light on U.S. travel habits in relation to overnight stays at five-star hotels and as a stress-reliever during the hectic holiday season. Other key survey findings include:

• Younger Audiences Love Luxury: Millennials 34 and younger are nearly three times as likely to have spent one or more nights in a in a five-star hotel during the last five years their 55 and older counterparts (35 vs 13 percent).
• Sticker Shock Remains an Obstacle: High cost was the number one cited reason for not staying at a five-star hotel more often, with 67 percent of survey takers saying high cost prevents them from staying at a five-star hotel; cost is a more commonly cited factor in this decision for women than for men.
• We Need a Holiday from Our Holiday: More than half (58 percent) of survey takers ages 18-54 stated they want to take a quick get-away or vacation this holiday season to relieve stress; 62 percent in the same age bracket stated cost would prevent them from doing so.
• People May Actually Love Their In-Laws: Singles are more likely to travel to relieve holiday stress than married couples.
• Holiday Stress is Real: A fortunate few – a mere six percent – of survey takers 18-54 were stress-free for the holidays.

Since jumping onto the travel scene in 2000, Hotwire has partnered with thousands of hotels, airlines and car rental companies to help sell their remaining inventory. It is because Hotwire regularly offers deals on travel inventory that would otherwise remain unsold that they get some of the "hottest" rates in the industry, and can pass these savings along to the consumer as Hot Rates. Hot Rates—like this one for $50 five-star hotels—provide customers with the hotel rate and key destination details, such as neighborhood, hotel amenities, hotel star rating and both Hotwire and Trip Advisor reviews; the only thing not seen prior to booking is the hotel name. This feature allows Hotwire to partner with premium brand-name hotels that typically don't offer discount pricing, meaning Hotwire is one of the only places travelers will find such outrageously low deals.

"Hotwire has been a go-to for travelers for nearly two decades," continues Parikh. "During that time our customers have booked tens of millions of Hot Rate deals – for an estimated savings of more than $1.8 billion. The Million Dollar Sale is our way of saying 'thank you,' by putting luxury five-star travel within everyone's reach."

For more details on the Million Dollar Sale, or to book a five-star hotel room for $50, visit Hotwire.com.

*The "Luxury & Holiday Travel Survey" was conducted online within the United States by CITE Research (www.citeresearch.com) among 1,000 census-based adults 18 and older Nov. 10-11, 2017. This online survey is not based on a probability sample; therefore, no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact hotwire@kiterocket.com. 

**Based on 5-star Hot Rate hotel bookings between Oct 1, 2016 and Sept 30, 2017.

About Hotwire

Hotwire.com is a leading discount travel site inspiring spontaneous travel through Hot Rate® deals. Launched in 2000, Hotwire, Inc. obtains deep discounts from its travel suppliers to help travelers book unsold airline seats, hotel rooms and rental cars. Hotwire.com is an award-winning website, and Hotwire, Inc. is an operating company within Expedia, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.hotwire.com.

©2017 Hotwire, Inc. All rights reserved. Hotwire, Hot Rate and the Hotwire logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotwire, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. CST # 2053390-40.

Press contact:
Amanda Whitver
Kiterocket for Hotwire
awhitver@kiterocket.com
206-456-3434

SOURCE Hotwire