Almost all travel advisors would recommend that you make hotel reservations as soon as you have finalized your travel plans. More times than not, special room options and discounts are given to those who make early reservations. But being an early mean does not automatically mean saving more on lodging because sometimes, those who book for last minute hotel accommodation get larger discounts.
Many businesses, hotels included, offer some great promotions and discounts as a way to survive the ailing economy. Many hotels and travel businesses offer last minute hotel accommodation discount deals because it is much better for them to drop the price than go out of business. Obviously, reducing their prices and having some people occupy the vacant rooms is better than maintaining the cost and have no one use up the empty suites.
Down payments, in general, are not a requirement in last minute hotel accommodation. Advance bookings, on the contrary, frequently requires a deposit. So if you’re still a bit strapped of cash, a last minute hotel accommodation might be a better option for you.
Those individuals who can afford to be flexible with their travel plans can very well opt for a last minute hotel accommodation. If you’re not flexible, though, last minute bookings can be quite risky. Vacation goers who need to cancel or change their travel plans for whatever reason might find themselves paying a top dollar for cancellation or rescheduling. So instead of being able to save money on accommodation, the exact opposite results.
If you’re planning to go on a peak season vacation, then you can’t go wrong with early hotel reservation. If you’re traveling on standard vacation, however, the best outcome can sometimes be achieved by booking somewhere in between “very early” and “almost late”. Board and lodging prices are generally the same if you reserve a room ten months before and two months in advance. Making a room reservation later than that usually means much less room options. The limited number of rooms typically results to higher room rates. Because of this, it is highly recommended that you make hotel bookings at least six to eight weeks before your most anticipated vacation.
There are pros and cons to both early hotel reservations and last minute hotel accommodation. This is basically the reason why sometimes, the best outcomes are attained when things are made anytime in between.