Booking early, who benefits most?

Sideways

Hi All,

My family and I have decided to return to Austria next May for a week’s holiday, my wife & I went there two years ago and had a great time. I made enquiries with the same agent we used previously, it wasn’t too difficult to price up because we plan to return to the same place / hotel as before (only difference is we are taking our daughter this time).

I told the agent I would return to confirm the booking and pay my deposit towards the end of the year, I was told this would be a bad idea and I should book now to avoid disappointment etc. I understand the risk associated with booking later and finding the hotel is full.

Given the current economical climate, who benefits more from making a booking so far in advance?

Is the agent simply looking after its own interest when they advise me to book and pay my deposit now?

What would you do?

Thanks.

dzug1

Sideways wrote: »

Is the agent simply looking after its own interest when they advise me to book and pay my deposit now?

What would you do?

Thanks.

Mainly, but not entirely. If you book and pay now he's secured a booking and will get commission. By the end of the year you may have changed your mind.

If you delay the place may be full (bit unlikely for May I would have thought)or the price may have gone up - or down (more likely). That's the risk you are taking.

As to what I would do - it would depend how much I wanted that exact holiday. If I had my heart set on it and would be badly disappointed if I couldn't go or had to accept an alternative, then I'd book now. Otherwise I wouldn't consider booking until early next year.

Sideways

dzug1 wrote: »

Mainly, but not entirely. If you book and pay now he's secured a booking and will get commission. By the end of the year you may have changed your mind.

If you delay the place may be full (bit unlikely for May I would have thought)or the price may have gone up - or down (more likely). That's the risk you are taking.

As to what I would do - it would depend how much I wanted that exact holiday. If I had my heart set on it and would be badly disappointed if I couldn't go or had to accept an alternative, then I'd book now. Otherwise I wouldn't consider booking until early next year.

Thanks.

I just wanted avoid shooting myself in the foot and make sure I was clear with regard to my options.

Carol444_2

I think you need to consider prices of flights (if you are flying), the earlier you book the cheaper flight prices are, so in that case the person who benefits from you booking early is you.

will-he-payitoff

Have you tried doing this diy, must be cheaper

jayok

I booked for my summer holiday next July now. We wanted the resort and hotel and it was available at a good price so booked it.

Blue264

Sideways wrote: »

Given the current economical climate, who benefits more from making a booking so far in advance?

Is the agent simply looking after its own interest when they advise me to book and pay my deposit now?

What would you do?

Thanks.

I'd book now.

You should book at the price that's right for you. If the price is right now, why take the risk of the it going up?
As a general rule of thumb, the more specfic your requirements are, the earlier you should book. The more flexible you are prepared to be, the later you can book.

Because of the credit crunch and soaring fuel prices, millions of flights (mainly scheduled flights) are going to be cancelled over the next 6-8 months.
Hoteliers will also be affected by rising fuel prices and I would expect them to put their room rates up accordingly.

doccer1967

surly he hoteliers will decrease thir prices as they will not get the same volume of custom due to the expensive flights?

pattycake

I have been to the same hotel for the past two years. When we returned last year we immediately re-booked. The price was right and we knew we wanted to return.

We have looked into the same holiday this year and it is a good deal more expensive. In fact all the possibilities I have looked at on-line are £200 - £300 per person dearer. I am going to hold back in the hope that because of the credit crunch, tour operators will have to reduce the prices. It is the Caribbean I am looking at, so priced in dollars it should not have gone up so dramatically or is it the oil issue which is causing a price rise?

Blue264

doccer1967 wrote: »

surly he hoteliers will decrease thir prices as they will not get the same volume of custom due to the expensive flights?

You're household fuel bills are set to rise. Times that by the number of rooms in a hotel. Hoteliers cannot afford to reduce their rates because of this. Fuel prices are rising almost Worldwide.

MidlandsMum

Absolutely. As I posted in a previous thread the tour ops and airlines are set to cut capacity on a massive scale the figure for Sched airline seats in last weeks travel papers was around 60 MILLION seats)


With all this doom and Gloom people will work harder for their two weeks of respite every year so Less capacity=more demand=more early booking=less distressed lates stock=higher prices. We are also finding the smart families are booking in advance so they can budget through the year for next year. There are plenty of low dep offers on for you to take advantage of.