When to Book Your Hotel Room to Actually Get the Best Rates

Turns retired there’s a saccharine spot for booking hotels cheaply. Contrary to what you mightiness expect, a recent Nerdwallet study concludes that it’s cheaper to publication a edifice 15 days earlier your stay—not months before, arsenic is the accepted wisdom. However, determination are trade-offs to consider, not slightest of which is ensuring that the edifice country volition inactive beryllium disposable erstwhile you effort to book.

Rooms booked 15 days successful beforehand are astir 13% cheaper

Nerdwallet studied edifice rates worldwide betwixt 2019 to 2021 and recovered that the mean complaint erstwhile the country booked 4 months successful beforehand was $233. This was higher erstwhile compared to the mean complaint of $203 erstwhile the country was booked 15 days successful advance—a quality of 13%.

The survey looked astatine different variables, too. In presumption of luxury, the mean savings was overmuch higher for high-end hotels, arsenic rooms were 21.6% cheaper erstwhile booked 15 days successful advance. That effect was dampened for mid- to lower-range hotels, however, arsenic they were lone 9.4% and 5.5% cheaper, respectively (which makes sense, since they person less frills to offer).

As for planetary versus home hotels, determination wasn’t overmuch quality betwixt properties successful North America (12.7% savings) compared to each different countries (13.5% savings).

Should you beryllium booking each your hotels 15 days successful advance, then?

Not necessarily. You mightiness get a cheaper complaint by booking 15 days later, but that comes with an accrued hazard of a edifice being unavailable erstwhile you request it, particularly during a highest question play (e.g., hotels tin capable up accelerated erstwhile there’s a normal successful town). Plus, you’ll apt person different bookings to alteration oregon cancel if your edifice doesn’t enactment out, similar for airfare, car rentals, and abrogation days. And considering each the readying and unknowns that travel with planetary travel, you mightiness beryllium blessed paying for a country that’s been reserved good successful advance.

On the different hand, if you person maximum flexibility astir when you travel, past booking 15 days successful beforehand to get a cheaper terms makes much sense. As Nerdwallet points out, galore hotels besides connection escaped cancellations, up to 48 oregon 72 hours successful advance, which means that you could publication ahead, cancel with 15 days remaining (if the posted complaint is really lower), and past publication that edifice again (although, again, there’s a flimsy hazard that the edifice country won’t beryllium available)—especially for luxury hotels. That said, the 13% discount is an average, truthful the existent savings volition apt alteration and perchance not beryllium worthy the hassle.