Priceline Time to swap flowers and chocolate for a travel app. In a new survey commissioned by priceline.com, 82 percent of Americans say one of the sexiest things to give a significant other is a spontaneous, last-minute getaway.
And while almost everyone loves a spontaneous trip, better plan on making the reservations yourself. Sixty-seven percent of Americans in the survey said they, not their significant other, are the ones who have to reserve a last-minute getaway in order for it to happen.
Priceline.com also released its list of the top 10 destinations for Valentine’s Day 2015, based on actual hotel reservations made for the big day. This year, Las Vegas is number one, followed by San Diego and then New York City.
Valentine’s Day (February 14) falls on a Saturday this year. Combined with Monday’s Presidents Day holiday, the timing is ideal to turn a quick hotel stay into a romantic, long-weekend getaway. And Valentine’s Day has traditionally been a time for last-minute, mobile-savvy travelers to look for the opportunity for romance. Last year, 87 percent of all priceline.com mobile customers waited until the last two weeks before Valentine’s Day to reserve their rooms, with many waiting until the big day itself to make reservations. Sixty percent of same-day mobile customers waited until after 2:00 p.m. to make their reservations, while another 18 percent waited until after 9:00 p.m. to reserve a room.
The good news for significant others is these last-minute sweethearts have great taste in hotels. Fifty-six percent of Americans said they would be willing to splurge on a 5-star hotel for a romantic getaway, which typically feature amenities like top-quality bedding and bath products, gourmet restaurants, enhanced check-in, 24-hour room service, and on-site spas. For those looking to treat their valentines to a luxurious hotel experience this weekend and also score a smart deal, priceline.com has worked with its hotel partners to pull together an extensive list of 5-star-hotel Express Deals. Express Deals feature hotel rooms up to 60 percent below typical published rates. All of the key amenities (pool, on-site restaurant, free parking, free Wi-Fi, etc.) and general neighborhood of the hotel are displayed up front, while the specific hotel name is revealed after the reservation is made.
Here are some examples of the 5-star-hotel Express Deals that can be reserved through the priceline.com travel app for Android and iOS devices, and through priceline.com’s website www.priceline.com. In addition to hotel rooms, priceline.com also has flights, rental cars and complete vacation packages available for last-minute Valentine’s Day travelers. These 5-star deals are in high demand, and rates and availability are subject to change at any time.
SAN DIEGO, $211, Oceanside/Carlsbad area. Pool, pet friendly, fitness center.
LAS VEGAS, $226, Strip South. Pool, pet friendly, fitness center, free parking.
WASHINGTON, DC, $261, Georgetown/Foggy Bottom. Pool, pet friendly, restaurant, fitness center, free Wi-Fi.
PHILADELPHIA, $303, Rittenhouse Square. Pool, pet friendly, fitness center.
BOSTON, $311, Downtown/Harbor Front. Pool, pet friendly, fitness center.
CHICAGO, $312, North Michigan Ave. Pool, pet friendly, fitness center, free Wi-Fi.
ATLANTA, $345, Midtown. Pool, pet friendly, fitness center.
SCOTTSDALE, $352. Pet friendly.
ST LOUIS, $371, Downtown. Pool, casino, pet friendly, restaurant, fitness center.
LOS ANGELES, $403, Beverly Hills/Century City. Pool, pet friendly, fitness center.
MIAMI, $441, Downtown. Pool, restaurant, fitness center, free Wi-Fi.
SAN FRANCISCO, $458, SOMA, Moscone Center. Pool, restaurant, fitness center, free Wi-Fi.
ORLANDO, $585, Disney downtown/Lake Buena Vista. Pool, pet friendly, fitness center.
NEW YORK, $614, Central Park South Area. Pool, pet friendly, fitness center.
Based on actual hotel reservations made for Valentine’s Day 2015, the top 10 most popular destinations and their average daily hotel room rates are:
| Destination | Average Daily Room Rate for Valentine’s Day |
| #1 Las Vegas, NV | $163.35 |
| #2 San Diego, CA | $142.95 |
| #3 New York City, NY | $237.61 |
| #4 Chicago, IL | $145.45 |
| #5 Orange County, CA | $133.71 |
| #6 Orlando, FL | $114.38 |
| #7 New Orleans, LA | $305.69 |
| #8 San Francisco, CA | $152.12 |
| #9 Houston, TX | $125.16 |
| #10 Atlanta, GA | $145.13 |
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 Last-Minute Travel Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 1,000 nationally representative U.S. adults, ages 18+, between January 8 and January 14, 2015, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. adult population 18+. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.
