Thread: Top 10 cities of summer

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) -- Travelers are booking hotel rooms in cities closer to home this summer, with the exception of two European magnets, according to a new survey.

Las Vegas scored the most July and August room reservations for the second year in a row, while another gambling mecca, Reno, along with Honolulu moved onto the top 10 list for the first time, according to a tally of seasonal bookings from Hotels.com (ROOM: news, chart) .

Orlando displaced the Big Apple in the No. 2 spot, San Francisco moved up a notch into fifth place and Miami dropped out of the running, likely due to a decline in international tourism, Hotels.com president Bob Diener said.

Hotel bookings in general are running "much stronger" than the 8 million room-nights the company sold last year, and the summer destination rankings prove several points, he said.

"The drive markets are stronger than the fly markets, and No. 2, people are headed to where the bargains are," Diener said. "The trend was that way last year, but it's even more so this year."

Overall summer travel is expected to rise 2.5 percent this year, with 83 percent of Americans planning at least one trip and 28 percent planning to travel more than last year, according to studies from the AAA and the Travel Industry Association. See full story.



The must-visit list :

The cities receiving the most room reservations, according to Hotels.com, are:

1. Las Vegas -- same as last year

2. Orlando -- one-upping New York City

3. New York -- switching places with Orlando

4. New Orleans -- same as last year

5. San Francisco -- bumping Paris from last year

6. Chicago -- where San Francisco was in 2002

7. London -- same as last year

8. Honolulu -- Chicago's lowlier turf last year

9. Reno -- instead of Miami

10. Paris -- bumping Boston from its 2001 spot

Hotels in the above cities charge $115 to $120 a night on average, Diener said.


Las Vegas cashes in :


Perched atop the most desired vacation list is Las Vegas, which has successfully pitched itself as an alternative family destination even in the desert's hottest months, Diener said.

"There's a roller coaster at New York, New York," he said. "Las Vegas is almost like a theme-park city. Almost every hotel has a theme park inside it, so there's a lot to do for families."

Paris' slip to No. 10 from No. 5 last year wasn't surprising given some Americans' resentment of France's lack of support for U.S. policy in Iraq, Diener said. But the omission of Boston was unexpected, especially in a year where patriotism is a resounding theme in travel marketing, he said.

Diener thought that Rome would have surpassed Paris this year, he said. "Paris is actually stronger than we thought it would be. Americans are not totally shunning (Paris,) but it would've been much stronger had there not been the whole issue with the French."

Meanwhile, an increase in domestic visitors helped offset Orlando's foreign tourist decline, he said, and New Orleans held its own because of its seasonal deals. "It's a great value in the summer. Rates are lowest in July and August."

Those who want to travel for the summer are wise to book soon, particularly as the Memorial Day weekend approaches, after which rates could go up or rooms in high-demand areas may already be sold out, Diener said. "The last several months it was smart to book last-minute. But today it's smarter to book in advance."



Kristen Gerencher is a reporter for CBS.MarketWatch.com in San Francisco