Do Hotels Reduce Prices at Last Hour?

pennypincher3562

Thanks Paddyrg. I would have thought that hotel rooms are indeed 'perishable' like food, but so far have not spotted any major reductions last minute online (maybe I've not tried hard enough.) It's quite possible that they only offer the last minute discounts to people physically walking in the door - might be difficult to get Expedia or Booking.com to reduce prices in their system with only an hour or 2 left before midnight.

Cheers
PennyPincher3562

hcb42

I do this for a career and would rarely drop prices last minute - walk ins are not likely to walk out again, unless there are lots of hotels nearby. Late at night, in most chain hotels, the receptionists are not the ones that can reduce the price on the internet and OTAs either, although they might have a bit of grace. The trick of course, is to get the optimum price and occupancy. Ask for a room upgrade instead

mandragora_2

This is the thread you need for London, at least:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/536015

Best advice and best help on there.

novelty-socks

In the US I've had some success by calling up hotels on the day I want to arrive and asking what the 'best price' they can do is. If they have a lot of empty rooms then sometimes you can save a bit on advertised rates. Not sure if it would work over here though.

pennypincher3562

I'm not sure, I'd like a hotel in Scotland, but the country is tiny in comparison to USA or even Spain. A limited choice of hotels will push prices up, look at Edinburgh weekend hotel prices in summer (not for those with limited cash.) London of course the same.

Pennypincher3562

mandragora_2

I've had accommodation in one of the top 30 hotels in London for £120 the one night including b&b (internet double that, list price add more again) using the 'secret hotels' link on last minute, a bit of detective work and the MSE thread listed above.

There are good deals out there to be had, but turning up with your suitcase and an air of 'I need a room to sleep in tonight' may not be the best route, though I've never tried it. Go online; do your research ahead of time; sign up to any loyalty scheme that comes your way with any hotel booking; double check/price match any online offers with a phone call and a bit of sweet-talking to whoever picks the phone up (I'd try either 9 am or mid afternoon, and hope to get someone who is either eager to get their sales numbers up, or a manger who can make a price-cut decision) and always, always check that the deal you've been offered really is the best price available. Then, once you've done that, and got the best you can within your budget, book it and forget about it. Spending another two hours trying to save a fiver or less is pointless. And never think about it again. Go. Enjoy yourselves and think of it as money well spent..

w211

There's an app called Hotel Tonight, which lists rooms available tonight during the day at a discounted price. However it can be a risk to rely on it, as there may not be any rooms available at all listed on a particular night.

InsideInsurance

mandragora wrote: »

I've had accommodation in one of the top 30 hotels in London for £120 the one night including b&b (internet double that, list price add more again) using the 'secret hotels' link on last minute, a bit of detective work and the MSE thread listed above.

Top 30? How are you even defining the criteria for the top?

Without naming the hotel it makes it hard to judge how good a deal you actually got. If you stayed in the Ritz for £120 then thats impressive. If it was Le Meridien Piccadilly, which oddly appears in top of type lists occasionally, then its a good price but not that impressive especially if on a RO basis.

mandragora_2

Not being an AA hotels inspector, I just used Tripadvisor. It was a pretty swanky place right in the heart of W1 and not somewhere I'd normally have considered I'd be able to afford, for about the same price as a Premier Inn that night on the outskirts of London.

InsideInsurance

mandragora wrote: »

Not being an AA hotels inspector, I just used Tripadvisor. It was a pretty swanky place right in the heart of W1 and not somewhere I'd normally have considered I'd be able to afford, for about the same price as a Premier Inn that night on the outskirts of London.

So what was it called?