Hotwire prez talks about deals, hotel ratings, client satisfaction
Clem Bason is the president of Hotwire.com, the discount travel Web site. I asked him about the outlook for bargains in the second half of the summer, and to address some of the consumer complaints about so-called 'opaque' travel sites.
Q: What do you expect to see during the second half of the summer? Will the bargains continue?
Bason: Hotels will continue to struggle with occupancy and the deals should remain great, especially in hard hit markets like Las Vegas, Arizona and Florida. We'll also continue to see lower airfares through summer's end, but I don't expect these prices to last. With capacity cuts planned for the fall, now is a good time to book.
After spiking in July (above $40 on average), the car rental market will retreat in late August, then fall back to more normalized levels in September. The good news is that opaque inventory should still stay strong through that time and beyond.
Q: On average, how much can people save when they work with an opaque site like Hotwire?
Bason: It's really no exaggeration when we say you can find four-star hotels at two-star prices at Hotwire. Our hotel savings go as high as 55 percent off other leading travel sites.
People can also trust us for deep discounts on airfares, with up to 35 percent off last-minute Hot Rate airfares. And of course, we have no booking fees.
Rental cars are available on our site from $13.95 per day, and we often represent some of the lowest going rates on the market.
External Source - For the complete interview click here
Source - SDNN
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