Survey of hotel booking sites shows AAA offers lowest hotel online rates 66 percent of the time

PORTLAND, Ore. – Travelers who visit AAA.com to book a room are more likely to find a better rate there than on other leading websites, according to a recent survey. A direct comparison of hotel rates on competing sites showed AAA.com offered the lowest rate available 66 percent of the time.

The survey of lodging rates was conducted by PhoCusWright Inc. and compared rates available on AAA.com to Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, AARP, as well as the hotel brand or individual hotel website. The online audit reviewed rates for stays in a standard double room at AAA Diamond® Rated properties. It looked at the top 20 U.S. metro areas for leisure travel. Stays were booked 14 to 21 days in advance for the same dates of travel. Bookings were not priced the week before or after any major holidays. Corporate, military, government and industry discount rates were excluded. AAA membership is required to be eligible for member discounts.

“While no company can claim to offer the best rate all the time, we are pleased that AAA.com continues to provide AAA members with access to the some of the best online hotel rates available,” says Doreen Loofburrow, Director of Travel for AAA Oregon/Idaho.  ”The challenging economy means many Americans are looking for ways to trim their travel budgets. They want the best value possible, whether traveling for business or pleasure. We′re thrilled AAA can help.”

In 2009 AAA members saved more than $300 million with the AAA member rate. In addition to the member discounts, the AAA rate requires no pre-payment, is eligible for loyalty program points accrual and is backed by AAA′s Assured Stay® satisfaction guarantee with participating hotel chains. AAA recommends making advance reservations for any hotel stay to ensure availability of rooms.

AAA members enjoy numerous benefits including travel services backed by more than 1,100 offices, with qualified AAA Travel Agents. AAA’s travel offerings mix the convenience of online booking with personal customer service. Additional benefits include searchable TourBook® guides featuring AAA Diamond Rated hotels and restaurants and AAA′s TripTik® Travel Planner, an interactive mapping, routing and travel planning tool that is available free at AAA.com. You can go directly to the hotel booking page at AAA.com/hotels.