Get me out of this deep-freeze. That seems to be the sentiment echoed by consumers in priceline.com's (Nasdaq: PCLN) Top 50 Destinations for Presidents Weekend 2007 (February 17-19), with three-quarters of the list dominated by warm-weather and beach locations.
To compile its list of top Presidents Weekend destinations, priceline.com looked at a sampling of more than 30,000 hotel room booking requests made by priceline.com customers for the long weekend. Since the priceline.com study is based on actual booking requests, and not on consumer preference polls or votes, priceline.com believes the study is one of the more accurate predictors of future travel trends.
'After a warmer than average start to the winter, the recent cold snap across major sections of the U.S. appears to have convinced many Americans to spend a few days in the sun,' said Tim Gordon, priceline.com's Senior Vice President, Hotels. 'This is particularly good news for areas like Florida that had their regional economies affected by the hurricanes not so long ago.'
Florida was a big winner, taking 16 of the 50 spots on the Presidents Weekend list. New Orleans scored high on the list, taking the #8 and #10 spots. California, led by San Diego and Los Angeles, occupied 12 places on the list. Hawaii enjoyed one of its strongest performances on a priceline.com Top 50 list, taking 5 spots. In all, warm-weather destinations took three-quarters of the spots on this year's Presidents Weekend list.
Priceline's Presidents Weekend 2007 Top 50 Destinations
#1 Baltimore, Inner Harbor Area
#2 Las Vegas, Strip Vicinity
#3 San Francisco, Union Square West
#4 New York City, Upper Midtown/Central Park South
#5 New York City, Midtown East
#6 New York City, Midtown West
#7 Orlando, Universal Studios/Sea World Area
#8 New Orleans, Downtown/Convention Center
#9 Miami, Miami Beach
#10 New Orleans, French Quarter
#11 Key West
#12 Oahu, Waikiki Beach Area
#13 Maui, Wailea/Makena
#14 San Francisco, Union Square East/Embarcadero
#15 Las Vegas, Convention Center/UNLV Area
#16 Orange County, Disneyland Area
#17 San Diego, Coastal Area
#18 Orlando, Disney World Vicinity
#19 Orlando, Sand Lake Corporate Park Area
#20 New York City, Soho/Financial District
#21 Miami, Coral Gables/Coconut Grove
#22 Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Lauderdale Beach Area
#23 Naples, Sanibel & Captiva Islands
#24 Orlando, West Disney Area
#25 Los Angeles, Hollywood
#26 Ft. Lauderdale, Downtown
#27 San Juan
#28 Miami, South Beach
#29 San Diego, East County
#30 Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage/Indian Wells
#31 Las Vegas, West of Strip Area
#32 Oahu, Waikiki Marina Area
#33 San Diego, Point Loma/Shelter Island/Old Town
#34 St. Petersburg/Clearwater, St. Pete Beach/Treasure Island
#35 Ft. Lauderdale, Miramar
#36 Rochester (MN)
#37 Chicago, Millennium Park/Loop/Grant Park
#38 London, Mayfair/Soho
#39 St. Louis, Downtown
#40 Oahu, Waikiki City Central
#41 San Antonio, Downtown/Riverwalk
#42 Oahu, Waikiki South
#43 Orange County, Laguna Hills/Mission Viejo
#44 Miami, Airport Area
#45 Los Angeles, Beverly Hills/West Hollywood
#46 San Diego, Downtown/Harbor Island
#47 Ft. Lauderdale, West Ft. Lauderdale/Plantation
#48 Tampa, Airport and Westshore Area
#49 Los Angeles, Downtown
#50 London, Bloomsbury/Marble Arch
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