Traveling During The Holidays? 7 Hotel Booking Hacks That Will Help You Save Money

Christmas is traditionally celebrated at home with the warm company of family and friends. We share an abundant Christmas feast, give presents, drink wine, and simply make the most out of this annual gathering. But if you’re looking to spice up this year’s Christmas celebration, why not book a hotel and spend it in a lovely holiday destination? 

Holidays, however, often give travelers a nightmare. Holiday trips are often associated with crowded terminals, restaurants, and tourist attractions, congested roads, and long queues, and of course, ridiculous rates in hotels, airfare, transportation, and tours, To avoid these inconveniences and expensive rates, planning your trip smartly is the key. 

Let’s start with the travel essential that’s often subject to unavailability and exorbitant rates during the holidays: your hotel accommodation. We recommend 7 holiday hotel booking tips that will help you save a lot of money. 

1. Book ahead of time 

If you start thinking about hotel booking for Christmas during the first week of December, we’re afraid it would be impossible to get a great deal. The golden rule is to book your December holiday accommodations at least three weeks prior to your target date to save up to 20%. The same goes for the other elements of your travel like flights and tours. 

2. Find the sweet spot

Of course, the sweet spot for hotel booking varies depending on where you are and where you’re heading to. Your chosen hotel in Enniscrone Ireland might still be too pricey if you book during October. You don’t want to book too early when the price hasn’t declined yet. There are months when hotel rates drop. 

Here’s a rough estimate of the best time to book depending on your destination: 

• US— book your stay in November, during the Thanksgiving week. 
• Europe — book your hotel mid-November to reap the decline of 5%.
• Asia — book after September. 
• Caribbean — book your hotel anytime
• Central America — book before August
• South America — book between September and December
• Middle East — book in November
• Africa — book in November
• South Pacific — book between mid-July and December

3. Be flexible 

If you want to find cheap hotel deals, you need to flexible in terms of your travel time, especially if you’re looking into holiday resorts and city breaks. Hotels often offer rooms cheaper during the midweek then the prices can rise sharply over the weekend. Try leaving on Tuesday and returning on Saturday. Scheduling your flights and tours during off-peak days will also save you a bunch. 

4. Pay attention to the local holidays

If you’re planning to avoid traveling in December, which is obviously a high season, to avoid pricey rates you might want to reschedule your trip in January or February. Just make sure you’re not traveling during a local holiday when crowds are blowing up and the hotel rates are increasing, 

5. Book during the last minute 

Okay, this sounds counterintuitive but procrastinating can actually save you a lot of money. It’s quite a risky undertaking since you’re concerned about availability (like, what if nothing’s vacant when you try to book last minute?) but if you’re lucky, you can land a cheaper hotel room.  

According to Mashable, average daily rates during Christmas week are around 4% less than the weeks leading up to the holiday. The biggest savings were for those who booked a hotel room, within 24 hours of arriving — it’s 9% less than booking three days in advance and 13% less than booking a week in advance. 

6. Book online 

Gone are the days when we pop up in front of an unfamiliar hotel, hoping that they have a vacant room for the night. We’ve got the technology to use to our advantage. Walk-in no more. 

Next to convenience, booking online allows you to see a plethora of options. You can book via a hotel aggregator app or directly from a hotel’s official website. You can also shop around and compare rates among hotels and among the booking platforms you use. 

7. Book business hotels during the holiday

Just because you’re going on a holiday trip with your kids doesn’t mean booking family-friendly resorts and beachside hotels are your best bets. These accommodation properties, obviously, can get too crowded and expensive during the peak season. One of the best alternatives is booking a business hotel. 

Hotels that cater to business travelers often find themselves with vacant rooms around the holidays. With this, they are willing to give leisure travelers deep discounts during periods when businessmen aren’t likely to travel (like weekends and holidays)

Author Bio: Carmina Natividad is a foodie and travel blogger who hates being locked up at home. Her fondness for travel, food, and cultural appreciation makes it easy for her to write inspiring pieces of content about them. To know more about hotels and travel blogs, you may visit Ocean Sands Hotel.