FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Vacation Rentals Versus Hotels Comparison Shopping Trends for Texas’s Top Leisure Destinations
by Lodging Directory Rentalo.com
Rentalo.com Reveals Consumer’s Trends on Hotels versus Vacation Rentals Comparison Shopping, Vacation Planning, and Themes for South Padre Island, North Padre Island, Galveston, and Corpus Christi
Miami, FL. March 8, 2010 – The leading lodging web site Rentalo.com reveals the results of a recent trend analysis study conducted on 20,342 opted-in travelers who searched for vacation rentals in Texas’s top leisure destinations from July 2008 to January 2010. This study data confirms last year’s forecasts made by travel experts on consumer’s increasing interests in comparison shopping. Additionally, the lodging directory reveals interesting findings on traveler’s vacation planning habits, and destination’s vacation themes for these popular vacation destinations in the state of Texas.
Trends for Texas’s Top Leisure Destination: South Padre Island
Comparison Shopping Trends for South Padre Island: According to the study, 66 percent of the vacation planners who inquired for a place to stay showed interest in comparison shopping among South Padre Island vacation rentals, bed breakfasts, and hotels.
Planning Trends for South Padre Island: 40 percent were from last minute travelers inquiring within the last 30 days prior to the arriving to their lodging in South Padre, 33 percent of the travelers were early planners who started their vacation planning 2 or more months in advance from the travel dates, and the remaining 25 percent from travelers who inquired 1 to 2 months in advance.
Vacation Themes for South Padre Island: South Padre Island’s most popular vacation theme is family vacations and reunions with 43 percent of the inquiries requesting accommodations for families with children, 43 percent for groups of more than 4 adults, 20 percent for couples on romantic getaways, and 5 percent for people traveling alone.
Trends for Texas’s Top Leisure Destination: North Padre Island
Comparison Shopping Trends for North Padre Island: According to the study, 63 percent of the trip planners showed interest in comparison shopping among North Padre Island vacation rentals, cabins, bed and breakfasts, and hotels. 18 percent showed interest in staying in the vicinity of North Padre Island which includes Portland, Corpus Christi, Ingleside, Odem, and Aransas Pass.
Vacation Planning Trends for North Padre Island: 50 percent were from last minute travelers inquiring within the last 30 days prior to the arrival date, 27 percent were early planners who started their vacation planning 2 or more months in advance from the travel date, and 23 percent of the inquiries were sent 1 to 2 months in advance.
Vacation Themes for North Padre Island: The most popular vacation theme for North Padre Island is family reunions with 49 percent of the traveler’s inquiries requesting accommodations for groups of more than 4 adults, 42 percent for families with kids, 28 percent for couples, and 2 percent for people traveling alone.
Trends for Texas’s Top Leisure Destination: Galveston
Comparison Shopping Trends for Galveston: According to stats collected, 57 percent of the vacation planners showed interest in comparison shopping among Galveston vacation rentals, bed and breakfasts, hotels, and resorts. 73 percent showed interest in comparing quotes for other lodgings in Galveston area including Tiki Island, Surfside Beach, Texas City, Port Bolivar, and Crystal Beach.
Vacation planning Trends for Galveston: 50 percent of the inquiries came from last minute planners who started their vacation planning within the last 30 days prior to their travel date, 25 percent were from early planners inquiring 2 or more months in advance, and 25 percent of the inquiries were sent 1 to 2 months in advance.
Vacation Theme Trends for Galveston: The most popular vacation theme for Galveston is family vacations with 49 percent of the inquiries requesting accommodations for families with children, 39 percent for groups of more than 4 adults, 18 percent for couples, and 4 percent for people traveling alone.
Trends for Texas’s Top Leisure Destination: Corpus Christi
Comparison Shopping Trends for Corpus Christi: 64 percent of the travelers who searched for short term accommodations showed interest in comparison shopping among Corpus Christi vacation rentals, bed breakfasts, and hotels. 63 percent showed interest in staying in nearby cities such as Portland, North Padre Island, Ingleside, Odem, and Aransas Pass.
Vacation Planning Trends for Corpus Christi: According to this study, 47 percent were from last minute travelers inquiring within the last 30 days prior to the arrival date, 31 percent of the travelers were early planners who started their vacation planning 2 or more months in advance from the travel date, and 22 percent of the inquiries were from travelers who inquired 1 to 2 months in advance.
Vacation Theme Trends for Corpus Christi: Corpus Christi’s most popular vacation theme is family vacations and reunions with 50 percent of the traveler’s inquiries requesting accommodations for families with children, 33 percent for groups of more than 4 adults, 28 percent for couples, and 4 percent for people traveling alone.
“Most vacation planners want instant access to rates and availability right away” says Frank Suarez, Customer Service Manager for Rentalo.com. “At Rentalo.com, travelers can compare value offers from vacation rentals, hotels, and bed and breakfasts that meet their specific lodging needs.”
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.
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