Auto Rental News
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

‘Value Destinations’ Rise in Popularity for Labor Day Weekend, Hotwire Reports

Southeast cities are rising in popularity, while California destinations fall, according to a Hotwire travel report.

by Staff
August 15, 2012
2 min to read


Hotwire.com announced Aug. 14 the top 10 most popular destinations that travelers are visiting this Labor Day weekend. This year, many are opting to travel to off-season destinations where they can get more for their money, but top leisure markets, like New York City and Boston, still reign supreme, according to the report.

Making their way onto the list for the first time are some of the Southeast's biggest and most affordable cities including Orlando, New Orleans and Atlanta. While the popularity of value destinations seems to be on the rise, urban centers with close ties to the holiday including New York, Boston and Chicago maintain their statuses as favorite holiday hotspots.

Ad Loading...

These value destinations' rise in popularity has knocked Dallas, Toronto and San Diego, which are more expensive, higher-season cities, off the top 10 list completely, and have pushed San Francisco, which has also been expensive this summer, down to No. 10.

However, cities with close ties to the holiday continue to remain popular as well, with New York returning at No. 1 on the list, Chicago — also a value destination — moving from No. 3 to No. 2, and Boston dropping from No. 2 last year to No. 4. These three cities have some of the oldest Labor Day celebrations in the country.

The 10 most popular Labor Day weekend destinations by bookings and average nightly hotel prices for each are listed below:

City

Avg. Hotel Price on Hotwire

1. New York City, New York        

$185

2. Chicago, Illinois                       

$102

3. Las Vegas, Nevada                   

$95

4. Boston, Massachusetts              

$127

5. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada  

$103

6. Orlando, Florida                                  

$56

7. New Orleans, Louisiana       

$96

8. Atlanta, Georgia                    

$76

9. Washington, D.C.                   

$87

10. San Francisco, California     

$136


"With the economy still in flux, it's no surprise more travelers are being price conscious this year, opting to spend Labor Day in destinations that offer greater values. This price-conscious shift has moved more expensive cities lower in ranking or off the list completely, but it has not knocked the more traditional markets from the top spots," said Clem Bason, president of the Hotwire group.

The 10 most popular Labor Day weekend destinations and average prices are based on hotel bookings made on Hotwire.com between June 15 and July 31, 2012 for travel between Aug. 30 and Sept. 4, 2012.

More Rental Operations

green and blue bar graphs compare fleet sales June 2025 versus June 2026
Fleet Acquisitionby Martin RomjueJuly 8, 2026

Rental Car Fleet Sales Show Mid-Year Strength

June gains ensured rental fleets closed out the first half of 2026 in positive territory.

Read More →
Close up of a row of white CUVs in the Surprice Mobility fleet at the Milan airport.

Surprice Mobility Opens Corporate Rental Station at Milan Malpensa Airport

The Milan opening is part of Surprice Mobility's broader strategy to expand its corporate operations while increasing the use of technology across its network.

Read More →
Julian Gritsch with an MBA class in a classroom.

Brazilian Executive MBA Targets Growing Domestic Rental Car Industry

Rental car companies face a unique combination of challenges that are rarely addressed in traditional programs.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Green Motion team with banner bearing Japanese flag.

Green Motion Expands Into Japan With Master Franchise Agreement

Japan's tourism industry, business travel market, and demand for vehicle rental services are reasons the country represents an important market for the company.

Read More →
ACRA Chairman Sharky Laguana on stage at the ICRS event in Grapevine, Texas.
Legal & Legislativeby Martin RomjueJune 24, 2026

ACRA Carrying Fuller Industry Load As AI and EVs Lurk In Future

The leading car rental professional business group details an active legislative, regulatory, and macro-trends agenda affecting car rental operators.

Read More →
Light blue horizontal bar graphs on a chart showing World Cup-related rental car booking trends.
Rental OperationsJune 23, 2026

World Cup Travel Data Shows Longer Car Rentals and More One-Ways

A recent analysis of FIFA bookings found varied demand patterns that influenced rental car pricing.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Side view of ICRS speaker Sanchit Garg at podium in front of a floor lit red curtain
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueJune 22, 2026

A Leveling Force: AI Morphs Into A Rental Car Profit-Seeker

Revenue managers can’t match the emerging AI tools gobbling lots of data that could counter the competitive race to the rate bottom.

Read More →
Photos of Martin Romjue and Denis Gjoni on opposite sides of large headline for the video.
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueJune 17, 2026

Stop Losing Money On Rental Tolls

Regardless of your rental fleet size and structure, fleet managers, executives, and owners can gain valuable insights into an often-overlooked area of fleet operations.

Read More →
Richard Lowden gesturing on stage in front of a red curtain at the Gaylord Texan Resort near Dallas.
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueJune 12, 2026

Rethink The Future To Avert A Race To The Bottom

Rental car operators heard a sobering industry message and a stern challenge at the close of the International Car Rental Show.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
John Possumato holding microphone while asking a question during a live conference session at the ICRS Show.

DriveItAway, Free2move Plan Shared Fleet Program for Independent Rental Fleet Operators

Vehicles would be placed with participating rental operations to support car renter demand and provide additional fleet capacity.

Read More →
Ad Loading...