Priceline NORWALK, Conn., April 20, 2015 . . . Here’s one way to lose your BFF status in a flash: decline to shell out money to attend your friend’s bachelor or bachelorette getaway. In a new survey from priceline.com, part of the Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN), approximately 15 percent of Americans polled said they had been kicked out of the wedding party for not attending the pre-wedding occasion due to costs.
And, it’s not always an affordable affair! Survey respondents who have attended a bachelor or bachelorette trip in the last five years said that their friends’ tastes definitely leaned toward the more extravagant side. Thirty percent said they felt pressured by the bride or groom to stay in a luxury hotel and one in three party-goers (32%) said they have spent upwards of $850 or more on travel-related costs. As a result, 29 percent of respondents said that the destination choice was responsible for causing the most drama, prompting another 45 percent to skip the event altogether due to travel costs.
In addition, 28 percent of respondents said food and drinks ring in as the highest ticket items on these types of trips, followed by entertainment (19%), airfare (18%) and hotels (16%). Forty-four percent said they are most likely to look for deals on hotels and airfares as the best way to keep expenses in line.
Fortunately, priceline.com offers several different ways to trim the cost of a bachelor or bachelorette event without scrimping on the experience. “Whether you’re dreaming of a getaway for your last hurrah or you’re partying like a local, priceline.com provides value for all your friends, on any budget,” said Flavie Lemarchand-Wood, Vice President of Communications for priceline.com. “For smaller groups, priceline.com’s Express Deals allows wedding parties to book 4- and even 5-star hotels for up to 60% off, and airfare via Express Deals. If you’ve got a large party and time to plan, group deals allow travelers pick their desired destination and have multiple hotels submit specially discounted offers.”
To help those planning pre-wedding festivities, priceline.com pulled rate ranges for 3- to 4-star hotels and average airfares for the following popular bachelor and bachelorette party destinations for May 2015. For the most bang for your buck, party-goers can head to Vail, Miami Beach and Las Vegas where they can score a 3.5 star hotel for anywhere from $109 to $124 per night. Those who can afford to splurge may want to check out Charleston and San Juan, which offer 4-star hotel room rates under $380 a night. Hotel rates were available as of April 9 for stays between May 1st and May 22nd. Airfares are roundtrip and from New York, with the exception of New York, which departs from Chicago.
| Destination Airfare | 3-Star Hotel Rates | 3.5-4-Star Hotel Rates | Average |
| Asheville, NC | $113 – $247 | $218 – $262 | $416 |
| Charleston, SC | $107 – $258 | $282 – $324 | $336 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $83 – $227 | $124 – $292 | $287 |
| Miami Beach, FL | $86 – $449 | $114 – $699 | $261 |
| Napa, CA | $99 – $264 | $152 – $597 | $271 |
| Nassau, Bahamas | $162 – $350 | $264 – $425 | $377 |
| New Orleans, LA | $137 – $287 | $149 – $380 | $295 |
| New York City, NY | $215 – $700 | $230 – $919 | $247 |
| San Juan, Puerto Rico | $106 – $179 | $109 – $380 | $366 |
| Vail, CO | $85 – $611 | $116 – $619 | $214 |
*Price and availability subject to change at any time.
For more information, please visit www.priceline.com/media or connect with priceline.com on Facebook and Twitter.
About priceline.com
Priceline.com, part of The Priceline Group [NASDAQ: PCLN], gives leisure travelers multiple ways to save on their airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, vacation packages and cruises. In addition to getting compelling published prices, travelers can take advantage of priceline.com’s famous Name Your Own Price® service, which can deliver the lowest prices available, or the recently added Express Deals®, where travelers can take advantage of hotel discounts without bidding.
About the Survey
The Priceline.com Bachelor & Bachelorette Party Season Survey, conducted using Google Consumer Surveys in March 2015, surveyed 1,020 nationally representative U.S. adults who have attended a bachelor or bachelorette party in the last five years. This survey is a combination of data from the Google Consumer Surveys Android panel and the Desktop panel
