NEEDHAM, Mass., Jan. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TripAdvisor^®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced its Top 10 spots in the greater San Francisco Bay area to save on hotels for the golden anniversary of the "Big Game." Football fans headed there on February 6-7, 2016 can expect to pay $380 per night on average², with some of the most affordable options available in Santa Cruz and Oakland. The study also highlights 10 popular, low-cost lodging spots near Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara as well as average airfares for fans flying out to experience all the football festivities.

"Football fans looking to score tickets or just get a piece of the action in San Francisco can still find a wide selection of reasonably-priced rooms available to book on TripAdvisor," said Brooke Ferencsik, director of communications for TripAdvisor. "Bargain-hunting travelers can save up to 50 percent if they are willing to hike more than 20 miles from the stadium in spots such as Oakland or San Bruno compared to closer destinations like San Jose or Mountain View." 

The Big Game has driven prices up dramatically to almost triple the normal rate within 10 miles of the arena, particularly in the already pricey Silicon Valley area. This year's rates are 38% more expensive than Phoenix area hotels were for the 2015 Big Game and almost double (83%) what hotel rates were near New York City for the Big Game in 2014.⁴

Surrounding Areas for Super Savings

• With rooms booking for around $273 per night, the least expensive destination for travelers headed to the Big Game is the beach town of Santa Cruz, which is roughly 30 miles from the stadium.
• Oakland is the second least expensive location ($286 per night) but is also among the farthest destinations from the stadium included on the list (30 miles).
• Located approximately 20 miles from Levi's Stadium, Pleasanton is the third most affordable destination, available for $319 per night on average.

Silicon Valley Convenient, but Pricey

• Cupertino, located about six miles from the stadium and best known as Apple's headquarters, is the most expensive destination on the list, with rooms booking for more than $1,117 a night.
• With an average nightly cost of $783, Sunnyvale (three miles from the stadium) is the second priciest destination.
• Located 15 miles from the stadium, Redwood City has the third highest average nightly cost at $654.

Football fans can score lower hotel rates the farther away from the stadium they stay. Average nightly hotel rates for the Big Game weekend:

• 0-10 miles: $562
• 11-25 miles: $423
• 26-50 miles: $345

Travelers looking to save money should also consider where and when they fly into the area. With an average national roundtrip fare of $243, touching down in Oakland International Airport is the least expensive option for those traveling by air. Other nearby flight options include:

• Monterey Regional Airport — $299 avg. roundtrip rate
• San Francisco International Airport — $600 avg. roundtrip rate
• Mineta San Jose International Airport — $716 avg. roundtrip rate

Notes to Editors
¹Popular destinations for the Big Game looks at the average nightly hotel rates in 10 popular lodging destinations near Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Destinations within 50 miles of the stadium were selected based on the number of accommodations available (minimum of 10).

²Hotel prices shown reflect the average nightly rate of a hotel found on TripAdvisor within each destination for the Big Game weekend (February 6-7, 2016). Rates were sourced on January 5, 2016.

³Average airfare includes the U.S. national average round-trip airfare to four nearby airports for February 5-7, 2016 based on searches conducted through TripAdvisor Flights.

⁴Reflects the average rate for stays in hotels within 50 miles of Santa Clara, California; Glendale, Arizona and East Rutherford, New Jersey on Super Bowl weekend for 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016. Rates were sourced on January 13, 2016.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to plan and book the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers advice from millions of travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools that check hundreds of websites to find the best hotel prices. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching 350 million unique monthly visitors**, and more than 290 million reviews and opinions covering 5.3 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 47 countries worldwide.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP) manages and operates websites under 23 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com, www.iens.nl, www.besttables.com and www.dimmi.com.au), www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com, www.viator.com, and www.virtualtourist.com.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, July 2015

**Source: TripAdvisor log files, average monthly unique users, Q3 2015

CONTACT:
Ellie Botelho
(781) 800-5542
ebotelho@tripadvisor.com