Why You Should Wait Until 4 P.M. To Book A Last-Minute Hotel Deal (2023)

FAQs

Is it better to wait for last minute hotel deals? ›

While it's almost always cheaper to book a room last-minute, how much cheaper is it, really? Turns out, though a bit cheaper, don't expect the bargain bin here. Rooms average 13% less when booked last-minute than booked four months in advance.

On average, travelers saved about $30 per night by booking last-minute, which can really add up. The savings were even higher for luxury hotels: About 22% cheaper when booked 15 days out. However, if you're traveling to a popular destination or during a busy travel season, you risk not snagging your first-choice hotel.

The ideal amount of time to book a hotel room is only 15 days before your trip, according to a 2021 NerdWallet study. Looking at more than 2,500 hotel room rates between 2019 and 2021, NerdWallet found rates were about 13% cheaper when booked 15 days before compared to four months before.

However, if you are trying to find last minute hotel deals, the best time to book a hotel is after 4pm. This is when hotels will drop their prices to entice travelers to fill their rooms for the night. For those who are dedicated budget hunters, the best time to book hotel for lowest prices is after 8pm.

Bargain hunters often say hotel prices go down at night. And they may be on to something. “Hotels often greatly discount their overnight rates a few hours prior to check-in to get the occupancy rate up and an extra 'head in a bed,'” says Yannis Moati, CEO of HotelsByDay.

Once you find the lowest available price at the hotel you want to visit, call the hotel's reservation desk. Many hotels will meet or beat the best internet rate when you book with them. They'd much rather skip the commission to the travel site and book your stay directly.

Best time to book a hotel on the day of your stay

Prices usually plummet around 4 pm as hotels work to entice customers to their empty rooms. If you're bold enough to wait until after 8 pm, you'll find prices probably reduce by another 5-10% again.

Though it's best to phone ahead, you can negotiate on arrival. If you walk in without a reservation and are unhappy with the rate you are quoted, tell the desk clerk and ask if there is a lower rate or offer a rate that you are willing to pay.

Hotels.com and Expedia (also common ownership) return hotel lists in differing order, and they steer some apparently random user groups toward higher-priced hotels. Everyone sees the same prices, however, so the researchers conclude there is no price differentiation.

Advantages of Booking a Hotel Directly

You can often find better rates by booking directly, too — a concern for budget-conscious travelers. By calling a hotel directly, you find out about any specials perks or packages they have available. In some cases, you can get a better room for the same amount of money.

What is the cheapest way to book a hotel? ›

You can usually book a hotel at all hours of the night but you may be required to book over the phone or in person if you are trying to book a hotel for the “night” that began the previous calendar day. In some instances, you might also be able to negotiate a discount with the front desk.

Book close to arrival

That's not just a fluke. Kayak data shows rates tend to drop the closer it gets to check-in time — but not too close. “Our data shows that waiting until you're about two weeks out from checking in is when we do see prices sort of starting to drop,” Clarke said.

Essentially all you need to do is divide the total sales price by the number of rooms to arrive at a PPR (Price Per Room) value.

Depending on the hotel, it's possible to book from 2 hours up to a full day. Regardless of the time you want to relax, you can choose and book a hotel room for a few hours to meet your expectations.

The “secret price” is a discount available on some hotels to any Rewards member. If you're logged into your account while searching, you'll see the discounted price when you search for hotels.

Customer service: If something goes wrong with your trip or your stay, you'll get better customer service if you book directly through the hotel. That's because hotels give priority to reservations made directly with them since they didn't have to pay a commission fee.

The more expensive the hotel, the more likely it is to be open to negotiation. Sometimes you can get a good rate by doing your negotiating toward the end of the same day you want to stay, but you are taking a chance that nothing will be available or the person with the power to make the decision will not be in.

The more often you travel or book travel arrangements for others, the more valuable it is to understand why hotel room rates fluctuate. At any hour of any given day, the same hotel room can be one rate on one site, another on a second website, and a completely different price on the hotel's page.

How do you negotiate a good hotel rate? ›

The definition of price gouging is “the practice of setting vastly inflated prices to exploit a surge in the demand for a product”. From a travel perspective it's most commonly seen in accommodation bookings and flights — but it can arise in the case of any products or services that surge in demand.

What is the best day of the week to book a hotel room? The best day of the week to book your hotel at the lowest rate is Saturday for domestic travel and Friday for international travel, according to travel aggregator Kayak, which analyzed hotel searches conducted between January 1 and September 8, 2021.

Expedia. Those looking for steeply discounted hotel bookings should use the Expedia app. It comes with exclusive deals you may not find when booking on its website. This includes deals up to 40% off as well as the app-only Expedia Rewards rate of 2 points per dollar.

While your hotel's management usually won't be able to see the contents of your communications, they can easily find out what websites you visit and how much time you spend browsing the Internet. Doesn't sound like private browsing, does it? Check out our video on hotel Wi-Fi below.

If it's feasible, wait until the day you need the hotel room to book it. The later in the day, the better. After 4 p.m., hotels know the odds of selling a room are pretty slim, so you're more likely to get an even lower rate. On average, the same-day rate of a hotel room is 10% cheaper than booking in advance.

Timing plays an important part. Specifically, plane tickets usually don't get cheaper closer to the departure date. Instead, flights tend to be the most inexpensive when you book between four months and three weeks before your departure date.