Hotel stays can make for a very relaxing and indulgent holiday indeed. There’s no denying the thrill of a bargain, however, and many Britons are keen to bag hotels at a good price. Booking your holiday on the right day can make all the difference to costs.
“The cheapest time to book depends on so many variables,” he exclusively told Express.co.uk.
“Where you’re travelling, how close to the date of departure, how popular the destination, is it high season, low season, shoulder season – these all impact the prices for flights and hotels.
“However, Priceline data analysts have looked at this particular question for hotels, and on the whole, the least expensive day to book a hotel room is Sunday, followed closely by Monday.”
Nagle also explained that your approach to booking flights and hotels should not be the same if you’re looking for a cheap break – and it might be worth booking them separately.
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“Flight and hotel prices also tend to behave differently,” he said.
“The closer you get to the date of departure, the likelier that a flight price will rise.
“This is basic supply and demand; as flights fill up, the remaining seats are priced higher.”
However, bargain-hunting holidaymakers should consider delaying booking when it comes to hotels.
“For hotels, the inverse is true,” explained Nagle. “The closer you wait to the day of check-in, the likelier the prices are to fall.
“This is true because there are infinitely more hotels than there are flights, and hotels compete every day and all day for business.
“Many hotels will actually lower their rates late in the day to try to secure last-minute check-ins.
“On the Priceline app we call these Late Night Rates, and flag them beginning at 9pm each night.”
He continued: “When it comes to particular destinations, you will pay the highest prices for hotels during high season and the lowest during the offseason.
“There is a sweet spot for pricing, however, called shoulder season.
“Shoulder season kicks in the moment high season ends. Hotel prices tend to drop dramatically, but the weather is often comparable to high season, so travellers secure real value by travelling to a destination in the weeks following the end of high season.
“For popular summer destinations in the United States, the month of September yields the most value in that regard, and the same pattern holds true for every popular destination the world over.”
