Optimal Timing for Booking Hotel Rooms: Insights from Travel Experts

Whether you’re looking for a budget option or a luxurious five-star experience, accommodations often rank among the highest costs of any journey—sometimes even exceeding airfare—and no one wants to overspend.

Fortunately, you can employ various strategies to uncover lower rates, largely centered around timing. Hotel prices can fluctuate significantly based on how far in advance you plan your trip, the season you choose to travel, and the current demand in your chosen destination.

Whether it’s a vacation or a spontaneous weekend trip, knowing the ideal time to book a hotel room can help you avoid overspending on your stay. From seizing last-minute deals to aligning your travel with cheaper days of the week, here are reliable tips for securing a better price on your next hotel booking.

What’s the best day of the week to secure a hotel room reservation?

According to travel aggregator Kayak, the best day to book your hotel for the lowest rates is Saturday for domestic trips and Friday for international ones. This analysis was based on hotel searches from January 1 to September 8, 2021, the latest study by Kayak.

Conversely, Kayak also reports that Tuesday is the priciest day for domestic hotel bookings, while Sunday tops the list for international stays. As the week progresses toward the weekend, hotel searches can decrease by up to 30 percent, leading to lower rates.

Interestingly, travel booking site Tripadvisor provides different insights, suggesting that Tuesday is actually the cheapest day to book hotels for both domestic and international stays. Meanwhile, travel-planning tool Skyscanner recommends Friday for domestic bookings and Thursday for international.

Although it can be perplexing when sources present conflicting information, we recommend using these insights as a starting point and doing some comparison shopping to uncover the best hotel deals. Always check prices on multiple websites, and consider setting alerts for price drops if rates seem high.

What is the most affordable day of the week for check-in and check-out?

Before the pandemic, Kayak indicated that Sunday was the cheapest day to check into a hotel, typically when weekend travelers return home before the Monday rush for business check-ins. However, as of 2021, Kayak now reports that Tuesday is the most affordable day of the week for hotel check-ins, both domestically and internationally.

That said, if you're traveling domestically and plan to arrive on a Friday or Saturday and depart on a Sunday, expect to pay premium rates. Internationally, Thursday ranks as the priciest day for check-ins, closely followed by Friday. Therefore, if your schedule allows you to steer clear of the weekend rush, you can save money.

How far ahead should I book my hotel room?

This question can be a bit more complex. According to Hopper’s 2023 Travel Booking Hacks Guide, if you’re aiming for a leisure destination like Las Vegas or Miami, booking at least three months in advance can save you 50 percent or more on your hotel costs.

However, for city stays, waiting to book can actually work to your advantage. “Hotels in major cities compete with numerous similar establishments for reservations,” notes Hopper. If you book within three weeks of your travel date, you could enjoy savings of around 30 percent on your booking.

Likewise, Kayak discovered that if you're willing to take a risk and can wait until the last minute—say one to four days before your intended check-in—you can save a significant amount. Many hotels offer discounted rates on booking platforms for rooms that would otherwise remain vacant.

Most hotels have a cancellation policy of 24 to 48 hours and often see last-minute cancellations from guests trying to avoid fees. Instead of letting these rooms go unoccupied, hotels typically lower prices to fill them.

The downside of this approach is that the selection and categories of available rooms at lower rates may be limited. However, if you're up for a little gamble for a great deal, travel sites like HotelTonight can be particularly helpful for finding last-minute offers.

If you prefer not to wait until the last moment for hotel deals, comparison site Trivago recommends selecting a few hotels within your budget a couple of months prior to your trip. Monitor their prices over the weeks to find the best rate, and secure your booking when you're happy with the price. Trivago found that booking more than two to three months in advance for international travel often results in higher costs.

Think about booking during a less busy season.

To maximize your savings on hotel rates, booking during the off-season is key. This means steering clear of popular domestic or European hotspots in the summer and opting for visits in spring or fall instead. Similarly, you won’t find many bargains in Palm Springs, Mexico, or the Caribbean during winter. The same principle applies to sought-after holiday destinations and major events—think Christmas in Hawai‘i, New Year’s Eve in New York City, or Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

Tips for Securing the Best Hotel Rates

In summary, remember that scoring the best hotel deal hinges on a few simple guidelines: book on favorable days of the week (like Tuesday or the weekend), consider last-minute reservations if possible (perhaps make a backup booking with a flexible cancellation policy and check for any last-minute offers), travel off-peak whenever you can, and try to avoid Friday check-ins.

This article was originally published in 2019 and was updated on May 1, 2023, to reflect the latest information. Erika Owen contributed to this report.