The best time to book a hotel

I can’t lie: I’m a chronically early hotel booker. I'm a professional travel writer who goes on over a dozen trips per year, and there’s just something about knowing I’ve got a reservation waiting that lets me relax and focus on the next trip I have to plan.

How early you want to book your hotel comes down to your comfort level, but you take some risks the longer you put it off. If you leave it too late, the hotel you want may be filled, or the rates might skyrocket as it gets closer to your travel date. Of course, last-minute hotel deals do exist, so here’s my advice for timing it right

A room with a floor-to-ceiling window on one side has wallpaper with a green tropical print; there is a tall dark wood desk with sculptures of pink flamingos. — Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, FL. EQRoy/Shutterstock

Book early, but opt for free cancellation

It is possible to book a hotel too early, which is why I always look for hotels that offer free cancellation. Travel plans change. Someone may back out of a trip, or something comes up and you have to change the dates or the destination. Sometimes you just hear about an even better hotel that you’d rather stay at. Whenever possible, and if it doesn’t cost significantly more, I always book a hotel that offers free cancellation, especially if my travel dates are more than six months away.

People walk on a snowy promenade toward a redbrick building with many turrets. — Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Québec. J Duquette/Shutterstock

Sweet spots exist

I may be an early planner, but I’m not opposed to a spontaneous last-minute trip. If I suddenly decide to go away for the weekend, I don’t need to kick myself for not knowing earlier, especially because it could work out in my favor. Occasionally, hotels try to fill rooms as it gets closer to the date of travel, so if you look around, you can often find pretty reasonable, if not lower prices, especially if it’s not a high-demand destination, like a popular city or a beach town in the height of summer. In my experience, this works out most often when you travel during the offseason. Look up the local tourism board’s list of upcoming events, which will have not only major holidays but also area events like conferences and music festivals.

Beds on dark wood frames with white cushions and white curtain canopies are lined up on a white sand beach. — Beach cabanas in Cancún. Aspects and Angles/Shutterstock

Check for local events

If prices seem higher than you expected for the time of year you’re traveling (meaning not Christmas or summer), you might be traveling during a major event specific to your destination. Every year I observe this phenomenon in Barcelona during March, when a major technology conference is held. During this week, hotels raise their rates to take advantage of the business travelers working with company-funded expense accounts, catching casual visitors off guard if they’ve planned to be in town the same week. Before locking down your dates, look up the local event calendar and ensure that you’re not traveling during one of these extra-busy periods.