Top Top 10 destinations for Christmas and New Year's travel

During this time of the year we look forward to seeing our loved ones. For me, I’m traveling from the Midwest to my home in the great Northwest. I guess I’m eagerly awaiting the rain. Moreover, I’m more inclined to travel to a destination where I can relax and put my feet up in a sandy beach chair. My question to all of you is what are your favorite places to travel?  

In reviewing holiday plans I began to wonder what destinations do people like to go to the most. And are these destinations popular based on income? Popular excursions? Is it based on the romanticism of the city itself? Whatever the reason, we all desire that one destination where we know we are going to build our memories with our loved ones.  Here is a breakdown for hotels around Christmas time according to Orbitz.com.

Rank	Destination	Hotel Avg. Daily Rate 2012	Hotel Avg. Daily Rate 2011	YOY Change	Avg. Airfare 2012	Avg. Airfare 2011	YOY change
1	Orlando	$144	$155	-7%	$412	$430	-4%
2	New York	$354	$322	10%	$406	$386	5%
3	Fort Lauderdale	$198	$204	-3%	$457	$403	13%
4	Denver	$127	$122	4%	$421	$342	23%
5	Los Angeles	$164	$149	10%	$518	$452	15%
6	Tampa	$108	$111	-3%	$401	$395	2%
7	Fort Myers	$159	$149	7%	$470	$461	2%
8	Cancun	$409	$362	13%	$716	$707	1%
9	San Juan	$236	$269	-12%	$660	$558	18%
10	Phoenix	$121	$105	15%	$407	$384	6%

¹Top 10 Christmas travel destinations are based on Orbitz.com hotel bookings for travel from December 23 – 27, 2012

New Year’s is also a top traveling time.  So popular in fact that hotel rates often skyrocket and airports are full of travelers regardless of their destination.  So for those of you equally interested in the top New Year’s destinations take a look at the list below:

Top New Year's Destinations²

Rank	Destination	Hotel Avg. Daily Rate 2012	Hotel Avg. Daily Rate 2011	YOY Change	Avg. Airfare 2012	Avg. Airfare 2011	YOY Change
1	Orlando	$130	$140	-7%	$291	$317	-8%
2	New York	$435	$428	2%	$371	$381	-3%
3	Las Vegas	$216	$233	-7%	$337	$323	4%
4	Cancun	$349	$299	17%	$513	$546	-6%
5	Fort Lauderdale	$209	$212	-1%	$318	$288	10%
6	Los Angeles	$182	$160	14%	$488	$461	6%
7	Denver	$134	$152	-12%	$347	$291	19%
8	San Juan	$222	$239	-7%	$494	$414	19%
9	Maui (Island of Maui)	$373	$355	5%	$717	$603	19%
10	Fort Myers	$144	$134	7%	$290	$313	-7%

²Top 10 New Year's destinations are based on Orbitz.com hotel bookings for travel from between Dec. 30, 2012 and Jan. 2, 2013

Regardless of where you are headed we at Percipia Networks wish you a safe and happy holiday season and prosperous New Year!

Seasons greetings from Orlando!

Greetings from Percipia Networks and Orlando Florida! Our tech team, including myself just finalized an install in sunny Orlando, Florida! Escaping the cold Chicago weather was quite a blessing. Not only was the temperature outstanding, but the location of all the resorts on this Orlando strip were breathtaking. Some of them looked like giant monoliths from ancient Rome. What keeps them in business from what I gathered is that they are booked with people either taking in national conventions or attending the amusement parks. Needless to say, they were bustling with hundreds of guests each day. Coming away from our install, I realized that the hospitality of the staff at these hotels is incredible. It definitely created a good experience for the customer as well as the employee such as myself. Aside from the hospitality of the group, we had an excellent time installing our newest version of Parallax at the second largest in the chain of hotels. (That’s 300 rooms folks!) It is the third install for us with this group and we look forward to finishing the deal. (Only 3 more installs to go!) It was my first install and my first expenditure as a tech installer for Percipia Networks. 

I think the only thing that I can say that was completely mind boggling about this trip was seeing Christmas decorations set up in one of the largest tropical environments in the United States. I couldn’t help but laugh as Christmas carols were being belted at high volume in a city lined with palm trees. I’m a native to palm trees, but being able to travel to a destination like this during Christmas time was a bit relaxing if not a bit odd. The day I got back from Chicago, I was again wrapped like a Christmas present in layers of clothing. Hopefully we can do an install like this again, so I can wear tropical shorts with a Hawaiian shirt during one of the biggest holiday seasons of the year. So it is without further ado, a very Happy Holidays to all those travelers boarding the jets for these tropical destinations and a very Merry Christmas to those who are in need of some fantastic hospitality at one of the most renowned hotel areas in America. Seasons Greetings!