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J.D. Power and Associates Ranks Hotwire.com Top Travel Site for Third Consecutive Year in 2008 Independent Travel Web Site Satisfaction Study(SM)

Posted on: Tuesday, 9 December 2008, 07:03 CST

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- For the third consecutive year, discount travel site Hotwire.com(TM) has been awarded J.D. Power and Associates' highest ranking in customer satisfaction among independent travel Web sites. This marks the first time an independent travel web site has been named the top travel site three consecutive years in the history of the study. The J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Independent Travel Web Site Satisfaction Study(SM) found that Hotwire(R) again outperformed the competition for competitiveness of price and ease of navigation. Hotwire also achieved the highest ranking for 2008 in ease of booking and appearance/design of the Web site.

"We're excited to be recognized by J.D. Power and Associates for the third consecutive year as the top independent travel site," said Eric Grosse, president, Hotwire Group. "We're especially honored to rank highly for our competitiveness of price year after year because, at Hotwire, we continually strive to bring deep discounts to our customers."

Hotwire has special relationships with major airlines, hotel suppliers and car rental companies to help them fill airline seats, hotel rooms and rental cars that would otherwise go unsold. This results in deeply discounted room rates consumers won't see on other travel sites.

This year's J.D. Power and Associates top ranking brings two new category highest rankings for Hotwire.com in customer satisfaction: ease of booking and appearance/design of the Web site.

"Over the past year we've introduced several new features and enhancements to improve our customer experience, such as introducing a new air search interface, non-airport car rentals, and new tools like Trip Watcher," said Ravi Chandrasekaran, vice president of product management.

Based on responses from 7,667 consumers who booked their travel reservations through independent Web sites from May 2007 to October 2008, the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Independent Travel Web Site Satisfaction Study(SM) measures customer satisfaction with online booking for airline, hotel or rental car reservations made on seven major independent travel Web sites. Six factors are examined to measure customer satisfaction, including: competitiveness of price; ease of booking; usefulness of the information on the Web site; availability of booking options/travel packages; appearance/design of Web site; and ease of navigation.

About Hotwire

Hotwire.com(R) is a leading discount travel site with low rates on airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises and vacation packages. Launched in 2000, Hotwire(R) negotiates deep discounts from its travel suppliers to help travelers book unsold airline seats, hotel rooms and rental cars. J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Independent Travel Web Site Satisfaction Study(SM) recognized Hotwire for ranking "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Independent Travel Web Sites, Three Years in a Row." Hotwire is an operating company of Expedia, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXPE). CST: 2053390-40. NST: 20003-0209. For more information, visit http://www.hotwire.com/.

About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on cell phone ratings, car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

Hotwire and Hotwire.com are registered trademarks of Hotwire, Inc., in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners. (C) 2000-2008 Hotwire, Inc. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Hotwire.com

Source: PR Newswire

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