A Trip on Uncle Sam? Room Key Names Top U.S. Destinations for a “Tax Return” Vacation

Looking to take a trip on Uncle Sam? San Antonio, Kansas City, Memphis, Washington D.C. and Denver have been named the top U.S. destinations for a “tax return” vacation, according to a new ranking by Room Key®, an experience-tailored hotel search engine created by six of the world's leading hotel companies. The ranking, compiled by Room Key’s team of industry insiders, is based on overall trip value.

“While filing your taxes may not be fun, choosing what to do with your refund can be,” said Room Key Chief Marketing Officer Stephany Verstraete. “Using your tax return for a vacation gives you memories that will last a lifetime.”

There are many quick and cost-effective trips that are perfect for a weekend getaway on a budget. Cities that are pedestrian-friendly with many free attractions are a great way to get the best value out of a trip. Here are Roomkey.com’s five favorite destinations this year:

San Antonio

This southern Texas town is steeped in culture and history. While the Alamo might be the most recognizable, hosting over 2.5 million visitors each year, there are four other famous missions to visit as well. Spanish influence is seen throughout the city, and the River Walk is a great place to take it all in. Water taxis are a fun way to travel down the river, but visitors can also walk more than five miles of walkways with many outdoor restaurants, shops and San Antonio hotels.

Kansas City

Kansas City, well known for jazz and barbecue, is a Midwest town that couldn’t be more welcoming. Ranked #1 on Travel+Leisure’s “Best Cities for Affordable Getaways,” the Missouri side of the city has great, free art museums. You can check out one of many cool tours, such as the tour of Boulevard Brewing Company. The Power & Light District is a trendy spot for dinner and drinks with abundant options and features many great Kansas City hotels.

Memphis

As one of the best places in the country for street performers, Memphis is a great city to get your fill of music on a budget. The likes of B. B. King, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash all got their start in Memphis. Stroll along Beale Street, and you could hear the next big thing.

Washington D.C.

The nation’s capitol seems an appropriate place to spend your tax refund. The National Mall, the National Zoo and 19 Smithsonian Museums are all free; there is no lack of exhibits to explore. Getting between monuments and attractions is easy with the Metro subway and the D.C. Circulator bus line, which only costs $1.

Denver

For the outdoorsy type, this is the perfect affordable getaway. There is no charge for hiking and pretty views, and the downtown area is very accessible for pedestrians. If you want to take the whole family – including man’s best friend – there are plenty of pet-friendly Denver hotels.

About Room Key®

Room Key is an experience-tailored hotel search engine created by six of the world's leading hotel companies. The personalized service enables travelers to quickly and easily compare value for their stay – based on specific attributes and preferences most important to individual guests – and book directly with more than 100 leading hotel brands in 159 countries around the world. With a continued focus on providing consumers the best, personalized value for their trip, Room Key also allows travelers to compare properties based on the pricing and benefits associated with their respective hotel frequent guest programs – something that cannot be done on any other online travel booking site.

Room Key was founded in 2012 by Choice Hotels International (NYSE: CHH), Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H), InterContinental Hotels Group (NYSE: IHG), Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) and Wyndham Hotel Group, part of the Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN), or their respective affiliates.

Through a collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), Room Key makes it easy to join the fight against cancer: for every stay booked on www.Roomkey.com, Room Key will donate $1 to SU2C through February 2017, accelerating vital research, delivering new therapies to patients and helping to save lives now. Visit the campaign website for more information: www.Roomkey.com/StaytheNight.

For more information about Room Key, visit www.Roomkey.com. You can follow Room Key on their blog, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.