Value, Deals, Power and Free: Travel Industry Leaders Capture Summer Travel Outlook in Four Words

Best Western International, AAA and Cheapflights.com Address State of the
Industry, Forecast New Travel Trends at Annual Best Western Leisure Travel
Summit
NEW YORK--(Business Wire)--
Travel executives from Best Western International, AAA (American Automobile
Association) and Cheapflights.com convened last week to address the summer
travel outlook amid the recession. Four words summed up their summer travel
predictions: value, deals, power and free.

VALUE

Dorothy Dowling, Best Western`s senior vice president of sales and marketing,
said people today are savvier than ever about loyalty points and are always
looking for the best hotel for their dollar. Amenities such as free Internet
access, breakfast and parking at most North American locations are among the
value-added services that make Best Western hotels particularly attractive this
summer. Moreover, travelers are guaranteed to find the lowest room rates online
at Bestwestern.com.

"Consumers may still be interested in high design, but they are no longer
interested in paying for it. They want good service and basic amenities at a
great price," said Dowling. "Our year-over-year bookings in April indicate
people are seeking value like never before. With consumer confidence rising, we
are likewise confident that travelers won`t be staying home this year."

DEALS

The combination of last year`s high gas prices and a depressed economy have led
to the large number of deals offered today. Betsy Sell, managing director of
travel products for AAA, said these deals are the incentives needed to get
people traveling this summer.

"We have not seen this many deals since the period shortly after 9-11 and these
offers are even better," said Sell. "Never before in my 42-year career have I
seen the bargains that are available today, including destination resorts
offering seven-night vacations with free dining, cruises slashing prices in half
and hotel room rates dropping 20 to 30 percent. The bottom line is these deals
won`t last, so travelers need to take advantage of them while they can."

POWER

Though a return to normalcy is in the air, Carl Schwartz, chief travel officer
for the travel deals search engine Cheapflights.com, believes travelers are in
control and should utilize this power to take their family on a trip which might
have been out of their financial reach before.

"There has never been more power in travelers` hands than there is today," said
Schwartz. "In the past, travelers had to maintain not only a flexible schedule,
but also stay open about their destination if price was the deciding factor.
However, this year, they have the options and the power to choose where and when
they want to go for the price they want to pay."

FREE

Leisure and family travel expert Amy Graff, who also blogs for Best Western,
believes "free" is the key word that will pair travelers and travel-related
companies this summer. Hotel chains are offering rich summer promotions, such as
Best Western summer plans to reward travelers not only with a free hotel night
after completing two stays at any North American property, but also with Best
Western Rewards points at the same time. In addition, Alaska Airlines and Air
Tahiti are among carriers offering free flights for kids on special routes.
Convention and visitors bureaus across America are also promoting dozens of free
activities for travelers visiting their areas, such as Washington D.C.`s
National Gallery of Art and Chicago`s Lincoln Park Zoo.

"With gas prices expected to be $1.60 per gallon cheaper than they were last
summer, families will be packing up their cars and hitting the road-something
they were less able to do last year," said Graff. "Family vacations don`t have
to break the bank. My family will be touring the Great River Road which runs
parallel to the Mississippi River this summer, on a budget of $150 a day."

Other industry trends highlighted during the annual summit included:

* Top domestic budget destinations for the next 12 to 18 months include Hawaii,
Las Vegas, Florida, ski resorts in destinations Lake Tahoe, Calif., and Big Sky,
Mont., and hot weather destinations like Phoenix and Palm Springs, Calif.
* Top international destinations that are more affordable for travelers this
year include Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Great Britain, Canada and Eastern
Europe.
* Deals abound online. Travel brands are using Twitter and Facebook to offer
exclusive deals and promotions.

ABOUT BEST WESTERN INTERNATIONAL

Best Western International is THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN, providing
marketing, reservations and operational support to over 4,000* independently
owned and operated member hotels in 80* countries and territories worldwide. An
industry pioneer since 1946, Best Western has grown into an iconic brand that
hosts 400,000* worldwide guests each night. Best Western's diverse property
portfolio, its greatest strength, stems from a business model designed to give
owners maximum flexibility to address market-specific needs.

Equally committed to the business and leisure traveler, Best Western recently
embarked on a mission to lead the hotel industry in customer care. Since 2004,
Best Western has served as the Official Hotel of NASCAR. For more information or
to make a reservation, please visit www.bestwestern.com.

*Numbers are approximate and can fluctuate.

ABOUT AAA

As North America`s largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA
provides more than 51 million members with travel, insurance, financial and
automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit,
fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security
of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at AAA.com.

ABOUT CHEAPFLIGHTS.COM

Cheapflights.com is the best place to find cheap flight deals and up-to-date
travel information. As a leading U.S. travel search engine, the site publishes
one of the largest selections of airfare deals available online from a huge
range of flight providers. Every day, travelers can search more than one million
flight deals from both traditional and low-cost airlines, as well as smaller
specialty-travel providers, plus handpicked deals and flight offers exclusive to
Cheapflights.com. The Flight & Travel Info section and Flight News blog are
packed with more than 1,000 destination travel guides, travel tips, and the
latest news and information, to help flyers enjoy the best possible travel
experience, every time they fly. Sign up for the Cheapflights.com weekly
newsletter, which contains deals customized to travelers` specific preferences,
and follow Cheapflights on Twitter at Cheapflightscom.

Listen to a podcast from the Leisure Travel Summit at
http://www.bestwestern.com/ltspodcast.mp3

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available:
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Best Western International
Heather Wright, 602-957-5752
heather.wright@bestwestern.com
or
Allison & Partners
Jennifer Nichols, 415-277-4912
jnichols@allisonpr.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009