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Last minute hotels

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  • Murphybear
    Murphybear Posts: 8,003 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    SMP1 said:
    I maybe should have added that I used to run my own small business in the service sector - and I certainly would entertain a large discount for last minute if I had the slot free - because whilst servicing the job cost me money - the overheads / fixed costs were way higher. 

    I appreciate all the responses - and I agree that this would be a bit of a game of poker - and most of us would not be up for it. Who goes into Currys and haggles ? My wife does!!  Anyway - JReacher1 has summed it up quite nicely - and given me hope ! 
    Does she get any reductions?  My husband would argue the hind leg off a donkey if he thought it would save us money  :D
  • Grumpy_chap
    Grumpy_chap Posts: 18,301 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    SMP1 said:
    If I were to rock up at a hotel in the evening and they have a room spare - it is possible that they would accept almost any amount of money to fill that room over nite - because some is better than none - right ???  Anybody found a way of doing this? Not convinced that lastminute.com etc would realistically exploit this scenario.  Perhaps I am being naive? 
    If you turn up at the front desk, I suspect the outcome will be top-rate because the hotel will see you as desperate.

    If, as another poster suggested, you can phone early in the morning or a short number of days ahead, you might steal a deal.

    There is a point to which hotels business model is often around filling the room to cover base costs and using "upsell" to make the profit - dining, bar, etc.

    There is a point at which a very late occupancy might actually be awkward for the hotel.  If they have adjusted resources to expected occupancy and done the best they can to minimise variable costs, that late arrival might mean the hotel have to bring resources back in at short notice.

    On the other hand, remarkable offers do sometimes pop up - usually when you are not looking.  Last Thursday, I received an e-mail offer from a major UK tour company for one week all-inclusive (including flights) in Majorca flying from Stanstead late tomorrow evening, price £236 each based on two sharing, so £472.  I can't make it so won't be going but I can only imagine that is a marketing offer to either get "upsell" (though I am not sure what "upsell" is viable from all-inclusive) or a very limited number of places that generates clicks to the website and sales at more plausible prices.
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