Where Can I Search for Last Minute Hotel Rooms?
Before the recession in 2008, people had more money to spend on travel. As a result, hotel companies built luxurious hotels that offered many amenities such as in-room massages, indoor swimming pools, multiple-bedroom suites, and much more. The prices of rooms in these amenity-rich hotels were very high. After the recession, however, people no longer had as much money to spend on travel, leaving hotels scrambling to fill their unsold rooms.
Needing to fill unsold rooms has encouraged hotels to offer deep discounts and deals so they could be fully booked. Today, people have learned that it is possible to stay in a luxury hotel for a deeply discounted price by conducting deep searches of the Internet. If you know what to do, you can find a great room for an affordable price, allowing you to travel in style.
How Do Hotels Fill Their Unsold Rooms?
Hotels fill their unsold rooms in several ways.
One common way that hotels sell their unsold rooms is by partnering with online travel agencies. These are third parties that resell rooms and allow customers to book them directly on their websites. The rooms may be offered at a discounted rate on an online travel agency’s website so that the hotels are able to sell the rooms that are empty.
Another way that hotels fill their unsold rooms is by bartering with them. Unsold hotel rooms represent money losses if they are left empty. Hotels can recover the equity in those unsold rooms by bartering them for advertising. For example, in exchange for the use of the rooms, an advertising company may provide their value in advertising for the hotel.
Hotels also are able to fill their unsold rooms by conducting flash sales on sales sites. By contracting with these sites, the hotels may include a certain number of rooms in a planned promotion, so they will be sold.
Finally, hotels may develop strong sales teams that are focused on building relationships with their loyal customers. This helps them to fill the rooms by offering discounts to the customers who are most likely to return.
The Advantages of Booking These Rooms
Booking last minute hotel rooms offer several advantages.
Hotels tend to slash prices the closer it gets to the date. This might allow you to save a substantial amount of money on the price of your room. You might also be able to book a room that is more luxurious than you could otherwise afford. Booking an unsold hotel room can give you access to more amenities than you might otherwise enjoy. Finally, booking last minute hotels can take some of the stress out of planning and may be a great choice for people who are flexible and more laidback.
How Do I Find These Last-Minute Hotel Rooms?
Finding last minute hotel rooms will require you to do a little bit of searching. There are several websites and apps that can help you in your search. Here are some websites that can help you to find some great last-minute hotel room deals.
Jetsetter
Jetsetter is a website that specializes in offering its members insider deals on travel and hotels. Hotels that partner with Jetsetter may list last minute hotel room deals at up to 40 percent off their regular prices.
To become a member, you can sign up by clicking on the link on their page and providing your email address. The company sometimes offers last minute trips and hotels that last from five to 10 days, allowing you to explore the world.
Gilt
Gilt is another site that offers deep discounts to people for luxury travel. You can find savings on luxury hotel rooms of up to 70 percent off.
To access the deals that are listed on the site, you must sign up. Your membership is free and gives you access to top-rated hotels that are located in desirable destinations around the world.
Kayak
Kayak is a metasearch engine that allows you to book hotels directly on its site. Kayak searches hundreds of travel websites simultaneously to find you the best hotel rates. The site has a deals tab where you can find discounts on airfare, hotels, resorts, and more. Last minute hotel offers can also be found on Kayak.
Groupon
Many hotels list unsold rooms on Groupon. The site offers deep discounts on hotel rooms, and last-minute specials are often featured on its pages. You simply enter your desired destination and search through the hotel rooms that are listed.
Expedia
Expedia is a global company that is another metasearch engine and fare aggregator. The site scours the Internet and lists the best rates that it finds across hundreds of sites. Last minute hotel deals can be found on Expedia sometimes, helping you to save substantial amounts of money.