FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Comparison Shopping Trends for Puerto Rico’s Popular Vacation Destinations
by Lodging Directory Rentalo.com

Rentalo.com Reveals Traveler’s Trends on Hotels versus Vacation Rentals Comparison Shopping, Vacation Planning, and Themes for Travelers Visiting San Juan, Rincon, Isabela, and Vieques

Miami, FL. March 1, 2010 – Rentalo.com, a leading lodging and vacation rental directory that facilitates comparison shopping for trip planners in the US and abroad, is publishing the results of a recent trend analysis on its database of 7,538 opted-in travelers searching for vacation rentals in Puerto Rico’s top destinations from July 2008 to January 2010.  Below you will find insightful findings that confirm consumer’s high demand for comparison shopping, as well as other study findings on vacation planning and vacation themes for these popular vacation destinations in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico’s Top Vacation Destination: San Juan

Seventy-seven percent of the vacation planners who inquired for a place to stay showed interest in comparison shopping among San Juan vacation rentals, bed breakfasts, motels, and hotels.  57 percent were also interested in receiving lodging offers from other metro area cities including Condado, Isla Verde, Rio Mar, Loiza, Dorado, Carolina, and Rio Grande.
Based on the stats, 44 percent of the travelers were early planners who started their vacation planning 2 or more months in advance from the travel dates, 25 percent of the inquiries were from travelers who inquired 1 to 2 months in advance, and 29 percent were from last minute travelers inquiring within the last 30 days prior to the arrival date.  
Puerto Rico’s most popular vacation theme is family vacations since 32 percent of the traveler’s inquiries requested accommodations for groups of more than 4 adults, 27 percent for families with children, 31 percent for couples, and 10 percent for people traveling alone.

Puerto Rico’s Top Surfer’s Vacation Spot: Rincon

According to the study, 85 percent of the trip planners showed interest in comparison shopping among Rincon vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts, hotels, and resorts.  57 percent were also interested in comparing quotes from nearby cities including Aguada, Anasco, Aguadilla, Mayaguez, and San Sebastian.
Vacation planning stats for Rincon show that those who started their vacation planning for Rincon 2 or more months in advance (e.g. early planners) from the travel date account for 38 percent, while 22 percent of the inquiries were sent 1 to 2 months in advance, and 38 percent were from last minute travelers inquiring within the last 30 days prior to the arrival date.  
PR’s most popular vacation theme is surfing and romance with 37 percent of the traveler’s inquiries requesting accommodations for 2, 37 percent for groups of more than 4 adults, 27 percent from families with children, and 7 percent for people traveling alone.

Puerto Rico’s Most Beautiful Natural Beach: Isabela

According to stats, 92 percent of the vacation planners showed interest in comparison shopping among Isabela vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts, hotels, and resorts.  11 percent also were open to staying within the vicinity of Isabela which includes towns like Quebradillas, Aguadilla, San Sebastian, Hatillo, Aguada, and Anasco.
Vacation planning is dominated by early planners with 41 percent of the inquiries coming from those who started their vacation planning 2 or more months in advance from the travel date, 19 percent of the inquiries were sent 1 to 2 months in advance, and 38 percent were from last minute travelers inquiring within the last 30 days prior to their arrival date.
Isabela’s most popular vacation theme is family vacation with 36 percent of the traveler’s inquiries requesting accommodations for families with children, 31 percent for couples, 27 percent for groups of more than 4 adults, and 4 percent for people traveling alone.

Puerto Rico’s Most Fun Island Destination: Vieques

Study revealed that 85 percent of the travelers who searched for short term accommodations showed interest in comparison shopping among Vieques vacation rentals, bed breakfasts, and hotels.  Only 7 percent showed any interest in staying in nearby cities such as Ceiba, Culebra, or Fajardo.
Stats showed that 56 percent of the travelers were early planners who started their vacation planning 2 or more months in advance from the travel dates, 19 percent of the inquiries were from travelers who inquired 1 to 2 months in advance, and 25 percent were from last minute travelers inquiring within the last 30 days prior to the arrival date.  
Vieques’s most popular vacation theme is family or group vacations with 48 percent of the traveler’s inquiries requesting accommodations for groups of more than 4 adults, 27 percent for families with children, 27 percent for couples, and 4 percent for people traveling alone.

“At www.rentalo.com, travelers can easily and quickly compare quotes from vacation rentals, hotels, and bed and breakfasts.” says Alfredo Purrinos, president and founder of Rentalo.com “Rentalo’s free destination-based inquiry service because they can get quotes from properties that meet their specific needs.”

Rentalo’s free destination-based “Inquire Now” inquiry service offers huge time-savings to trip planners by providing direct access to quotes from inventory owners in close to 15,000 destinations worldwide. Additional consumer statistics is available on Rentalo’s opted-in database of 1 million travelers and vacation rental listing owners.  Travel editors, experts, and other media publications interested in similar data pertaining to other vacation destinations, or additional consumer data statistics and facts such as budget, amenities, length of stays, peak seasons, and inventory data should contact Rentalo directly.   Over 400,000 inquiries for vacation rentals, hotels, and bed and breakfasts were received in 15,000 destinations worldwide since July of 2008.

About Rentalo.com
Rentalo.com is a leading online travel lodging and vacation rental website. Its broad inventory of vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts, and hotels is available online and via RSS feeds, affiliate distribution partners, as well as thousands of journalists and editors through e-mail, press releases, and travel publications. Through selected partnerships, Rentalo's inventory is available to an online audience of more than 100 million travelers in the United States and abroad.  For more information, visit http://rentalo.com or call 1(305) 558-5577.

Media Contact:
Carolina Plata
c.plata@rentalo.com
1-305-558-5577 ext 607

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