Travel Cheapometer from Cheaptickets

Wanted: a mini-vacation before or around Labor Day. Requirements: short, but cheap two/three-day excursion.

Therefore, I was really interested in a travel release from CheapTickets.com

I went to the company's website and discovered that Cheaptickets is part of a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. The company also partners with Priceline.com

On the Cheaptickets website two features caught my eye

1) The "Cheap of the Week" section
2)And the Last-minute Deals section....


Anyway: Here is the news release:

"CheapTickets.com Introduces New Pricing Guide


The Cheapometer is a new monthly pricing guide that analyzes where vacationers can get the most travel for their buck in the U.S. and abroad. The Cheapometer assesses and compares the cost of hotel rates, airfares and vacation packages vs. the average cost here in the U.S.

CheapTickets Travel Cheapometer Volume 1: European Hotel Analysis

The debut CheapTickets Travel Cheapometer provides an analysis of how the U.S. dollar stacks up in various European cities. This European Hotel Cheapometer calculates the average daily rate (ADR) of a 4-star hotel room in the United States compared to the ADR of 4-star hotel rooms in ten popular European travel destinations.

Average Daily Rate for a 4-Star Hotel

in the U.S. $158.39

in Poland $100.54
-37% (Percentage Difference relative to the U.S.)

in Germany $101.68
-36%

in Spain
$113.82
-28%

in Czech Republic
$125.33
-21%

in Austria
$126.84
-20%

in Greece
$127.70
-19%

in Italy
$144.51
-9%

in Netherlands
$144.76
-9%

in UK
$148.57
-6%

in Ireland
$151.00
-5%

Additional CheapTickets.com Travel Survey Findings


“The cost of a hotel room can be one of the biggest expenses during travel,” said Marita Hudson of CheapTickets.com’s Cheap Squad. “A less expensive hotel room is an indicator of how pricey the rest of the country or city might be during your stay.”

In addition to the finding mentioned earlier, other important survey information to note includes:

75% of Americans plan to take a vacation in the next 90 days

82% of travelers responded “No,” when asked if current economic conditions were impacting their vacation and travel plans over the next 90 days.

59% of Americans have plans to take an international vacation over the next 12 months.

Younger travelers are more likely to consider the value of the dollar in making travel plans.
46% of travelers aged 19-34
35% of travelers aged 35-54
30% of travelers aged 55+

Survey Methodology
This study was fielded by CheapTickets.com from July 14 -17, 2006 via the Internet using MarketTool’s online survey panel. 583 U.S. adults aged 18 or older were surveyed. All survey participants had traveled for leisure in the past twelve months and had taken at least one international trip in the past twelve months.


About CheapTickets

CheapTickets is a leading seller of discounted leisure travel products online through its Web site, www.cheaptickets.com.

CheapTickets provides consumers access to one of the largest selections of low fares, accommodations, customizable vacation packages, cruises, rental cars, condo rentals, and last-minute trips. Founded in 1986, CheapTickets is part of the Consumer Travel Americas group within Cendant's Travel Distribution Services Division.

Cendant Corporation's (NYSE: CD) Travel Distribution Services Division is one of the world's largest and most geographically diverse collections of travel brands and distribution businesses. The division, employing nearly 5,000 people in more than 116 countries, includes: .... leading online travel intermediaries (Orbitz, CheapTickets, Lodging.com, HotelClub.com and RatesToGo.com); Shepherd Systems, an airline market intelligence company; Travelwire, an international travel technology and software company; Travel 2/Travel 4, a leading international provider of long-haul air travel and travel product consolidator; online global corporate travel management solutions, through Travelport and Orbitz for Business.


1986
CheapTickets founded in Honolulu
1987
First call center opens
1997
CheapTickets.com launches, ahead of many competitors
1999
Initial public offering
2000
CheapTickets acquired by Cendant Corporation"