Do you know some people who refuse to book hotels in advance and almost always book last minute?
In my case, I have a father-in-law who almost universally books hotels at the last second.
And it’s got me wondering could he be costing himself some serious cash or could his booking strategy actually be saving him a good amount?
If you have you ever wondered if booking a hotel last minute is actually cheaper, this article will be very illuminating.
Our research team looked at over 700 data points and examined what would be cheaper: booking a hotel last minute or booking several (3 to 9) months in advance.
We also compared the major hotel chains to each other and found some interesting findings that show that some chains like Hyatt may be better off when booked last minute.
Table of Contents
Is booking a hotel last minute cheaper?
After analyzing over 700 data points, we found that booking US chain hotels last minute was usually not cheaper.
Compared to last minute prices, booking three months out was about 14% cheaper on average and booking nine months out was just under 1% cheaper.
However, these averages were very different for certain hotel chains. So booking nine months in advance could be beneficial for Hilton but not Hyatt, for example.
Also, some properties did offer cheaper rates for last minute bookings so booking last minute can still mean saving money — you just have to find the right property at the right time.
Below, I’ll jump in to some different factors to consider about hotel pricing and then give you a detailed breakdown of all of the data we found and the conclusions we arrived at.
Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions!
How hotel pricing works
Hotel pricing can depend on a multitude of factors.
First, prices might be set by the property manager or even a revenue manager who specializes in pricing based on current demand.
Sophisticated hotels rely on software like Duetto or other programs that help them land on a very specific price for the rooms.
The factors that go into pricing include things like historical occupancy rates, holidays and special events, and what nearby competitors are currently pricing at.
Some programs might be even more advanced and take into consideration things like airline ticket sales, the most popular days searched by users on booking sites, and lodging reviews on TripAdvisor.
And as you may have guessed, weather patterns can greatly impact last minute bookings.
If the forecast indicates a snowstorm blowing into a mountain resort town, that could shoot up the prices for that timeframe.
At the same time, if a storm is blowing through a tropical area that could potentially bring down the prices.
Sometimes, just the fact that clouds are moving into an area and sunshine is available in a neighboring area is enough to send prices upward.
Frequent changes
Prices at a hotel could change very frequently.
Some properties claim that their prices change multiple times a day (probably tiny fluctuations) while others may only change their rates every couple of days.
When booking last minute you don’t have the luxury to test out fluctuating prices so you just need to be careful that you are not getting caught at a bad time when prices are peaking on a micro-level.
Weekdays or weekends
As far as whether or not weekdays or weekends are cheaper that typically depends on the type of property/room you’re looking at.
Consider that a hotel that caters mostly to leisure travelers will likely be more expensive on the weekends for rooms with two queen beds because that is when families are out traveling for fun.
Meanwhile, a hotel that caters to solo business travelers will likely be more expensive for king bed rooms during the week.
Leisure travelers tend to be more sensitive to price fluctuations so based on that I would think that booking weekend rates last minute will often be better deals than weekdays but again it sort of depends on the room type and property.
Also, certain days of the weekend will usually be cheaper. For example, Sunday night hotel rates are on average, 30% cheaper than Fridays and Saturdays.
So if you were looking to book a last-minute Sunday night stay you might think you’re getting a great last minute deal but this could just be the standard pricing pattern.
Holidays and special events
When it comes to last minute deals, you have to be very careful navigating around holidays and special events because inventory can be extremely limited and the prices can shoot up like crazy.
It’s not unheard of to see prices triple or even quadruple the weekend of a major sporting event for example. Consider that during the Kentucky Derby hotels that normally go for $200 a night Louisville may start off at $1,000 plus!
While those price hikes are dramatic the biggest issue with special events and last minute bookings is usually available inventory.
If you have hotel elite status you can try to use your guaranteed availability benefit to book a room last minute. For example, Marriott Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite have a 48-Hour Guaranteed Availability.
But note even these benefits sometimes have exceptions.
Stay length
Last minute hotel bookings may be more advantageous for single night stays. If you have a longer stay, you are probably better off booking that more in advance.
This makes sense because it’s easy for a hotel to know what their inventory looks like within 24 hours but harder for them to predict what occupancy will do four or five days out.
Apps
Before jumping into our data it’s a good time to remind you that there are specific apps you can use to find last minute hotel deals.
Here are some apps to check out:
Some of these apps may allow you to find hotels available late at night/in the early morning.
For example, if you were arriving on a redeye flight and needed to check in at 2 AM you might be able to find a hotel room available for that scenario.
If you are going to be staying in hotels at all hours you might also look into hotels that offer day/hourly rates which are special rates that allow you to stay in a hotel room for only a few hours or for an afternoon. You can usually save about 45% when going this route.
Our study data
We compared the prices for booking the next day, three months out, and nine months out. (For our next day bookings, they were made in the evening the day prior.)
We focused on four major hotel chains: Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, and Marriott and included a diverse range of brands including high-end properties, cheaper properties, and everything in-between. For the study we focused on the six most popular cities in the US.
Here are the key findings broken down by chain:
- Overall, booking last minute is not cheaper on average
- Marriott and IHG offered the best discounts for booking 3 months out
- Hilton offered the best discount for booking 9 months out
- Booking last minute was most beneficial for Hyatt
Our data is interesting because taken as a whole it shows that booking last minute is not cheaper than booking at least a few months out.
But there were a number of properties that did have cheaper rates when booked last minute and in some instances specific locations seemed to have cheaper last-minute bookings.
Locations that had the most amount of last minute hotel deals included Los Angeles and Philadelphia.
In some cases, booking last minute would never be the cheapest rate for any chain or brand within a city. Indeed, most of the time it seems like booking last minute was the most expensive rate for all properties within a city.
But in other cases, there would be a clear advantage to booking a specific brand within a city last minute.
For example, almost every data point we had for Hyatt properties in Los Angeles had the best deals for last-minute bookings. Marriotts in Houston also had a lot of last minute rates with the cheapest prices.
So with all of that in mind here is a look at our data.
Hilton
This first data set looks at Hilton properties in the largest cities in the US. We found that on average it was 16% cheaper to book nine months out and 11% cheaper to book 3 months out.
This means Hilton was the best major chain for booking 9 months out. So if you like to plan way ahead, Hilton could reward you with the best savings.
| Property Name | 24 Hr | 3 mos | 9 mos |
| Conrad New York Midtown | $724 | $501 | $501 |
| Conrad New York Downtown | $583 | $372 | $398 |
| The Hilton Club – New York | $517 | $287 | $394 |
| Hilton Garden Inn New York/Tribeca | $411 | $143 | $181 |
| The Quin Central Park by Hilton Club | $371 | $287 | $315 |
| New York Hilton Midtown | $364 | $272 | $275 |
| Millennium Hilton New York One UN Plaza | $331 | $135 | $157 |
| Hilton New York Fashion District | $309 | $115 | $197 |
| Embassy Suites by Hilton New York Manhattan Times Square | $283 | $125 | $204 |
| Hampton Inn Manhattan/Times Square Central | $293 | $129 | $215 |
| DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Los Angeles Downtown | $166 | $334 | $253 |
| Hilton Checkers Los Angeles | $204 | $291 | $230 |
| DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Los Angeles – Commerce | $175 | $144 | $150 |
| Hampton Inn & Suites Los Angeles – Glendale | $171 | $180 | $152 |
| Hilton Garden Inn Los Angeles Montebello | $156 | $550 | $148 |
| Hilton Garden Inn Los Angeles/Hollywood | $276 | $345 | $227 |
| The Beverly Hilton | $499 | $423 | $399 |
| Embassy Suites by Hilton Los Angeles Downey | $228 | $379 | $160 |
| H Hotel Los Angeles, Curio Collection by Hilton | $205 | $214 | $203 |
| Hilton Los Angeles Culver City | $185 | $209 | $196 |
| Waldorf Astoria Chicago | $547 | $418 | $501 |
| LondonHouse Chicago, Curio Collection by Hilton | $244 | $114 | $359 |
| Hilton Garden Inn Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile | $231 | $99 | $144 |
| Hilton Chicago | $226 | $159 | $207 |
| Palmer House a Hilton Hotel | $208 | $148 | $270 |
| The Drake | $190 | $125 | $225 |
| Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile | $188 | $155 | $432 |
| Embassy Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown | $157 | $117 | $289 |
| DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Chicago – Magnificent Mile | $153 | $122 | $316 |
| Embassy Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown Magnificent Mile | $152 | $127 | $272 |
| Hilton Americas-Houston | $223 | $342 | $196 |
| C. Baldwin, Curio Collection by Hilton | $195 | $262 | $157 |
| Homewood Suites by Hilton Houston Downtown | $191 | $273 | $161 |
| DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Suites Houston by the Galleria | $175 | $185 | $161 |
| Hilton Houston Post Oak by the Galleria | $175 | $198 | $188 |
| Hampton Inn & Suites Houston Heights I-10 | $171 | $147 | $132 |
| Hilton Houston Plaza/Medical Center | $166 | $159 | $163 |
| Embassy Suites by Hilton Houston Near the Galleria | $164 | $150 | $144 |
| Home2 Suites by Hilton at the Galleria | $161 | $141 | $157 |
| Hilton University of Houston | $161 | $154 | $139 |
| Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort | $636 | $532 | $332 |
| Home2 Suites by Hilton Phoenix Glendale-Westgate | $287 | $281 | $142 |
| Hampton Inn & Suites Phoenix Glendale-Westgate | $283 | $267 | $136 |
| Tru by Hilton Phoenix Glendale Westgate | $283 | $281 | $154 |
| Hilton Garden Inn Scottsdale Old Town | $278 | $433 | $165 |
| DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel Paradise Valley – Scottsdale | $264 | $302 | $156 |
| Embassy Suites by Hilton Phoenix Biltmore | $259 | $316 | $165 |
| Hilton Garden Inn Scottsdale North/Perimeter Center | $250 | $275 | $103 |
| Embassy Suites by Hilton Phoenix Scottsdale | $243 | $294 | $146 |
| Embassy Suites by Hilton Scottsdale Resort | $237 | $335 | $143 |
| Canopy by Hilton Philadelphia Center City | $195 | $210 | $290 |
| Home2 Suites by Hilton Philadelphia – Convention Center, PA | $156 | $108 | $158 |
| DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Philadelphia Center City | $228 | $160 | $171 |
| Hampton Inn Philadelphia Center City-Convention Center | $175 | $136 | $213 |
| Hilton Garden Inn Philadelphia Center City | $185 | $138 | $208 |
| Motto By Hilton Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square | $156 | $155 | $196 |
| The Logan Philadelphia, Curio Collection by Hilton | $194 | $191 | $264 |
| Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing | $199 | $156 | $209 |
| The Inn at Penn, a Hilton Hotel | $303 | $255 | $237 |
| Homewood Suites by Hilton University City Philadelphia, PA | $244 | $148 | $175 |
| $260 | $233 | $222 | |
| -11% | -16% |
Hyatt
Next was Hyatt. Hyatt was very interesting because it was the only brand that was more expensive when booking nine months out. In fact, bookings nine months out were about 23% more expensive!
Booking three months out was only about 4% cheaper than last minute so Hyatt might be the best brand to choose for last minute bookings.
| Property Name | 24 Hr | 3 mos | 9 mos |
| Hyatt Grand Central New York | $259 | $159 | $319 |
| Hyatt Centric 39th & 5th New York | $379 | $169 | $289 |
| Andaz 5th Avenue | $650 | $625 | $625 |
| Hyatt Place New York/Midtown-South | $359 | $199 | $319 |
| Hyatt Centric Times Square New York | $479 | $269 | $379 |
| Hyatt Herald Square New York | $379 | $219 | $379 |
| Park South Hotel | $419 | $219 | $259 |
| Hyatt House New York/Chelsea | $319 | $199 | $299 |
| Hyatt Place New York City / Times Square | $299 | $119 | $279 |
| Hyatt Union Square New York | $439 | $279 | $499 |
| Hotel Figueroa | $229 | $349 | $269 |
| Hyatt House LA – University Medical Center | $179 | $199 | $269 |
| Thompson Hollywood | $289 | $309 | $359 |
| Hyatt Place Glendale / Los Angeles | $209 | $409 | $259 |
| The Shay | $319 | $399 | $419 |
| Hyatt Place Pasadena | $209 | $279 | $239 |
| Hyatt House LAX / Century Blvd | $209 | $409 | $899 |
| Hyatt House Los Angeles/LAX/Manhattan Beach | $204 | $189 | $189 |
| Hyatt Centric The Pike Long Beach | $239 | $319 | $259 |
| Hyatt Regency Long Beach | $219 | $319 | $289 |
| Hyatt Place Chicago/Downtown-The Loop | $249 | $189 | $809 |
| Hyatt Centric The Loop Chicago | $229 | $199 | $399 |
| Chicago Athletic Association | $259 | $189 | $379 |
| Hyatt Place Chicago/River North | $169 | $129 | $589 |
| Hyatt Regency Chicago | $329 | $169 | $289 |
| Hyatt Centric Chicago Magnificent Mile | $179 | $149 | $244 |
| The Talbott Hotel | $169 | $149 | $699 |
| Thompson Chicago | $209 | $229 | $699 |
| Hyatt House Chicago / West Loop-Fulton Market | $279 | $179 | $449 |
| Hotel Lincoln | $169 | $149 | $479 |
| Hyatt Regency Houston | $219 | $299 | $239 |
| Hyatt Place Houston / Downtown | $129 | $209 | $209 |
| Hyatt Regency Houston/Galleria | $209 | $239 | $199 |
| Hyatt Place Houston/Galleria | $139 | $149 | $149 |
| Hyatt House Houston/Galleria | $139 | $119 | $119 |
| Hyatt Regency Houston Intercontinental Airport | $139 | $149 | $149 |
| Hyatt Place Houston-North | $94 | $89 | $94 |
| Hyatt Regency Houston West | $119 | $134 | $209 |
| Hyatt Place Houston/Sugar Land | $124 | $124 | $124 |
| Hyatt Centric The Woodlands | $259 | $249 | $229 |
| Hyatt Place Phoenix / Downtown | $199 | $249 | $209 |
| Hyatt Regency Phoenix | $279 | $309 | $189 |
| Royal Palms Resort and Spa | $799 | $729 | $389 |
| Tempe Mission Palms | $259 | $249 | $329 |
| Hyatt House Tempe / Phoenix / University | $154 | $190 | $165 |
| Hyatt House Scottsdale/Old Town | $449 | $419 | $234 |
| Hyatt Place Phoenix-North | $139 | $159 | $109 |
| Hyatt Place Phoenix/Chandler-Fashion Center | $149 | $169 | $139 |
| Hyatt House North Scottsdale | $239 | $279 | $139 |
| Hyatt Place Scottsdale – North | $219 | $259 | $129 |
| The Bellevue Hotel | $289 | $329 | $329 |
| Hyatt Centric Center City Philadelphia | $229 | $369 | $409 |
| Hyatt House Mt. Laurel | $149 | $159 | $159 |
| Hyatt Place Mt. Laurel | $159 | $125 | $145 |
| Hyatt House Philadelphia/Plymouth Meeting | $139 | $129 | $129 |
| Hyatt House Philadelphia/King of Prussia | $169 | $189 | $229 |
| Hyatt Place Philadelphia/King of Prussia | $129 | $179 | $179 |
| $250 | $239 | $306 | |
| -4.4% | 22.6% |
IHG
For IHG properties booking three months out was about 20% cheaper. Booking your hotel room approximately nine months out was only about 3% cheaper.
So planning ahead with IHG may not always give you a large discount but booking three months out could give you better savings than the other major hotel chains.
| Property Name | 24 r | 3 mos | 9 mos |
| InterContinental New York Barclay | $427 | $227 | $322 |
| voco The Franklin New York | $398 | $207 | $261 |
| Hotel Indigo Lower East Side New York | $389 | $124 | $210 |
| Kimpton Hotel Eventi | $356 | $213 | $273 |
| InterContinental New York Times Square | $332 | $246 | $389 |
| Crowne Plaza HY36 Midtown Manhattan | $322 | $179 | $261 |
| Holiday Inn New York City – Times Square | $303 | $142 | $246 |
| EVEN Hotel New York – Midtown East | $256 | $120 | $175 |
| Hotel Central Times Square | $237 | $136 | $205 |
| Holiday Inn Express New York City – Chelsea | $218 | $111 | $370 |
| InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown | $293 | $270 | $315 |
| Hotel Indigo Los Angeles Downtown | $303 | $219 | $207 |
| Holiday Inn Express & Suites Los Angeles Downtown West | $233 | $200 | $242 |
| Holiday Inn Express & Suites Hollywood Walk Of Fame | $270 | $220 | $279 |
| Crowne Plaza Los Angeles-Commerce Casino | $189 | $180 | $162 |
| Kimpton Hotel Wilshire | $370 | $320 | $341 |
| Holiday Inn Burbank-Media Center | $199 | $189 | $360 |
| Holiday Inn Los Angeles – LAX Airport | $170 | $165 | $170 |
| Kimpton Hotel Palomar Beverly Hills | $389 | $338 | $347 |
| Holiday Inn ExpressNorth Hollywood – Burbank Area | $237 | $265 | $197 |
| InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile | $244 | $120 | $353 |
| Holiday Inn & Suites Chicago-Downtown | $237 | $189 | $324 |
| Kimpton Gray Hotel | $207 | $180 | $360 |
| Kimpton Hotel Monaco Chicago | $215 | $180 | $378 |
| Crowne Plaza Chicago West Loop | $180 | $134 | $216 |
| Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chicago-Midway Airport | $173 | $166 | $207 |
| Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chicago O’Hare Airport | $142 | $145 | $137 |
| Holiday Inn Express & Suites Chicago North Shore – Niles | $166 | $128 | $162 |
| Holiday Inn & Suites Chicago North Shore (Skokie) | $133 | $94 | $141 |
| Crowne Plaza Chicago Ohare Hotel & Conf Ctr | $132 | $120 | $162 |
| InterContinental Houston – Medical Center | $170 | $189 | $189 |
| Holiday Inn Express & Suites Houston-Dwtn Conv Ctr | $171 | $162 | $151 |
| Staybridge Suites Houston-Galleria Area | $156 | $120 | $136 |
| Holiday Inn Houston Downtown | $175 | $180 | $143 |
| Holiday Inn Express Houston – Galleria Area | $151 | $116 | $133 |
| Hotel Indigo Houston at the Galleria | $161 | $132 | $120 |
| Holiday Inn Express & Suites Houston S – Medical Ctr Area | $146 | $108 | $130 |
| Staybridge Suites Houston – Medical Center | $142 | $116 | $116 |
| Crowne Plaza Houston Galleria Area | $132 | $112 | $96 |
| Holiday Inn Express & Suites Houston SW – Galleria Area | $146 | $120 | $120 |
| Holiday Inn Express & Suites Scottsdale – Old Town | $327 | $219 | $313 |
| Staybridge Suites Phoenix – Biltmore Area | $161 | $162 | $162 |
| Holiday Inn Express & Suites Tempe | $175 | $183 | $149 |
| Holiday Inn Express & Suites Phoenix Dwtn – State Capitol | $151 | $221 | $140 |
| Holiday Inn Express & Suites Phoenix Airport | $151 | $192 | $93 |
| Crowne Plaza Phoenix Airport – PHX | $146 | $202 | $130 |
| Holiday Inn & Suites Phoenix Airport North | $165 | $222 | $134 |
| Holiday Inn Express & Suites Phoenix – Airport North | $161 | $203 | $125 |
| Holiday Inn & Suites Phoenix Airport | $132 | $199 | $104 |
| Kimpton Hotel Monaco Philadelphia | $314 | $251 | $389 |
| Holiday Inn & Suites Philadelphia W – Drexel Hill | $275 | $261 | $306 |
| Holiday Inn Express Philadelphia – Penns Landing | $227 | $153 | $297 |
| Holiday Inn Express Voorhees – Mt. Laurel | $208 | $137 | $180 |
| Holiday Inn Philadelphia-Cherry Hill | $389 | $309 | $361 |
| Holiday Inn Express & Suites Ft. Washington – Philadelphia | $194 | $123 | $174 |
| Holiday Inn Express Philadelphia NE – Bensalem | $193 | $179 | $202 |
| Crowne Plaza Philadelphia-Cherry Hill | $189 | $136 | $162 |
| Crowne Plaza Philadelphia – King of Prussia | $189 | $153 | $151 |
| Holiday Inn Express Philadelphia Airport | $199 | $131 | $161 |
| $224 | $178 | $218 | |
| -20.0% | -2.8% |
Marriott
Once again, we found booking three months or nine months out was cheaper in the case of Marriott hotel stays.
For three months we found the discount to be about 18% and for nine months the discount was about 6%. Houston and Phoenix had the highest amount of last minute bookings with the cheapest rates.
| Property Name | 24 Hr | 3 mos | 9 mos |
| The Algonquin Hotel Times Square, Autograph Collection | $503 | $394 | $482 |
| Marriott Vacation Club Pulse, New York City | $547 | $263 | $373 |
| The Chatwal, a Luxury Collection Hotel, New York City | $794 | $651 | $651 |
| The Lexington Hotel, Autograph Collection | $468 | $272 | $359 |
| The Westin New York Grand Central | $514 | $253 | $362 |
| The Times Square EDITION | $829 | $482 | $482 |
| W New York – Times Square | $471 | $307 | $449 |
| Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel | $580 | $319 | $340 |
| Renaissance New York Midtown Hotel | $362 | $329 | $547 |
| The St. Regis New York | $1,628 | $976 | $1,009 |
| Sheraton Grand Los Angeles | $284 | $362 | $318 |
| The Ritz-Carlton, Los Angeles | $1,110 | $928 | $952 |
| JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE | $638 | $451 | $451 |
| W Hollywood | $728 | $438 | $429 |
| The Glenmark, Glendale, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel | $303 | $322 | $275 |
| SLS Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Beverly Hills | $813 | $433 | $461 |
| Sheraton Pasadena Hotel | $218 | $208 | $227 |
| Sheraton Los Angeles San Gabriel | $237 | $208 | $275 |
| Beverly Hills Marriott | $332 | $332 | $399 |
| The Westin Los Angeles Airport | $256 | $237 | $208 |
| JW Marriott Chicago | $284 | $208 | $332 |
| W Chicago – City Center | $199 | $161 | $265 |
| The Blackstone, Autograph Collection | $151 | $142 | $294 |
| Le Méridien Essex Chicago | $157 | $104 | $218 |
| Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel | $218 | $142 | $303 |
| The Westin Chicago River North | $265 | $189 | $351 |
| Hotel Chicago Downtown, Autograph Collection | $189 | $161 | $664 |
| The Gwen, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Michigan Avenue Chicago | $255 | $189 | $426 |
| Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk | $187 | $151 | $351 |
| Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile | $204 | $147 | $285 |
| JW Marriott Houston Downtown | $227 | $294 | $275 |
| The Laura Hotel, Autograph Collection | $189 | $180 | $474 |
| Le Méridien Houston Downtown | $199 | $189 | $180 |
| Magnolia Hotel Houston, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel | $209 | $180 | $180 |
| Hotel ICON, Autograph Collection | $298 | $279 | $289 |
| The Westin Houston Downtown | $189 | $208 | $208 |
| Marriott Marquis Houston | $246 | $218 | $332 |
| Houston Marriott Medical Center/Museum District | $161 | $189 | $170 |
| The Westin Houston Medical Center | $151 | $170 | $170 |
| The St. Regis Houston | $436 | $379 | $379 |
| Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel | $275 | $275 | $218 |
| The Westin Phoenix Downtown | $256 | $284 | $246 |
| Sheraton Phoenix Downtown | $331 | $303 | $217 |
| Marriott Phoenix Airport | $189 | $332 | $332 |
| Sheraton Phoenix Airport Hotel Tempe | $151 | $218 | $151 |
| Marriott Phoenix Resort Tempe at The Buttes | $180 | $341 | $341 |
| The Westin Tempe | $248 | $388 | $221 |
| Scottsdale Marriott Old Town | $530 | $486 | $356 |
| W Scottsdale | $778 | $616 | $335 |
| Sheraton Mesa Hotel at Wrigleyville West | $237 | $302 | $194 |
| W Philadelphia | $629 | $507 | $518 |
| Le Méridien Philadelphia | $332 | $288 | $466 |
| The Westin Philadelphia | $253 | $247 | $302 |
| Philadelphia Marriott Downtown | $219 | $219 | $286 |
| Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown | $364 | $242 | $276 |
| Renaissance Philadelphia Downtown Hotel | $341 | $330 | $352 |
| Philadelphia Marriott Old City | $286 | $275 | $319 |
| Sheraton Philadelphia University City Hotel | $286 | $209 | $231 |
| Philadelphia Airport Marriott | $219 | $143 | $242 |
| Sheraton Suites Philadelphia Airport | $219 | $175 | $175 |
| $373 | $304 | $350 | |
| -18.4% | -6.1% |
Final word
As you can tell, the data shows that while there are some exceptions, booking last minute is usually not the best deal. (Sorry, father-in-law.) Instead, the best deals are usually found about three months out. Also, some cities tend to have better deals for last minute bookings and some chains are better for booking last minute than others.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.
