Why would you never book your flight and hotel at the same time? (2024)

FAQs

Why would you never book your flight and hotel at the same time? ›

“If you don't book your flights early, you're going to spend a fortune. With airline tickets, prices shoot up a lot if you wait too long,” says Shank. “But it's the exact opposite with hotel prices, which decline the longer you wait.” In other words, it makes zero sense to book your flights and hotel at the same time.

If finding the best value is the primary concern, then it is usually better to book flights and hotels separately. Shopping around for the best prices on both can help a traveler save a considerable amount of money, particularly if an individual is travelling on a budget.

Always book your flights first. Once you know your flights, you can plan your hotels in between them. But it would be a bummer if you book a hotel somewhere only to find out you can't get a flight there.

While bundling travel flights and hotels may sound like a better deal, it is not always the case. “Always search for the exact hotel or flight on other competitor's sites to see if you are really getting a discount,” advises Renee Rayles, a travel blogger and vlogger.

When you book directly with a hotel, there's no risk of discrepancy regarding availability. Additionally, your reservation is confirmed in the moment and you know that you'll get exactly what you booked. At Hotel Casa San Pancho when you book directly with us, your reservation is approved instantly and securely.

“If you don't book your flights early, you're going to spend a fortune. With airline tickets, prices shoot up a lot if you wait too long,” says Shank. “But it's the exact opposite with hotel prices, which decline the longer you wait.” In other words, it makes zero sense to book your flights and hotel at the same time.

OTHER HOLIDAYS, eg, flight or hotel-only bookings and other holiday types. A limited number of airlines may offer ATOL protection, usually because they sell holidays too. However, most flight-only bookings are usually excluded. So your options come down to how you pay.

As previously mentioned, booking airfare on Sunday is cheaper than other days of the week, especially Fridays. Be willing to fly mid-week. Since Thursdays tend to be the cheapest day to fly, see if you can tweak your travel plans so you depart and fly home during the week instead of on weekend days.

The Expedia study found that the sweet spot is 28 to 35 days before departure while the Google study found prices bottomed out 44 days before departure. However, both studies agree that you don't want to wait until the last minute. Book at least 21 days before departure.

“It all comes down to supply and demand,” says Colleen Carswell, former hotel director of sales turned hotel solutions strategist. “Most of the time, you'll actually save much more by booking at the last minute.” Hotels need rooms filled in order to make money.

Can a travel agent save you money on a hotel? ›

Because of their connections in the industry, travel agents often have access to lower prices on hotels, cruises and package tours that equal or better the prices of online discount sites. And a good agent will steer you toward the best choices for your trip, regardless of the type of commission they earn.

A new study is solving the eternal question of when to book your flight for the best price. According to CheapAir.com's Annual Airfare Study, booking a ticket at least three weeks before departing, and no more than 2.5 months in advance, is the sweet spot for snagging the best flight deal.

Once you find the lowest available price at the hotel you want to visit, call the hotel's reservation desk. Many hotels will meet or beat the best internet rate when you book with them. They'd much rather skip the commission to the travel site and book your stay directly.

Booking directly from an airline can be beneficial in that you have direct access to the airline's customer service team and any changes or cancellations can be made quickly. Additionally, if there are any issues with your flight, such as delays or cancellations, you will receive information directly from the airline.

Using a credit card to book your hotel stay may be the easiest payment method because hotels get the assurance they're looking for: cancellation protection and accountability for damage or theft.

Key Takeaways. If you purchase multiple tickets in a single transaction, the price will be the same for each of the tickets. If not enough of the lowest-cost seats are available, you'll pay a higher cost for all of the seats. Buy the tickets one at a time to make sure you get all of the lowest-cost seats available.

Sometimes all-inclusive packages can be a better deal than booking your reservations individually, according to Saglie. This is because travel companies are able to buy up large volumes of hotel rooms and flights at one time and sell them to customers at a discount.

Supply And Demand

“Most of the time, you'll actually save much more by booking at the last minute.” Hotels need rooms filled in order to make money. “In industry terms, their goal is simple: Get heads in beds,” says Carswell.

Instead, flights tend to be the least expensive when you book between three weeks and 2.5 months (21 and 74 days) in advance of your departure date. Using a free tool like Google Flights can help you stay on top of fare pricing trends so you can pinpoint the best time to book flights.