you are planning to travel to a popular destination for New Year’s, you probably are expecting to pay a premium for your hotel. That’s because hotels located in the hottest New Year’s areas will either package their rooms with other costly features – such as tickets to a New Year’s Gala or a show with top-name entertainment – or simply increase the rates.
Hotels work on the principal of supply and demand. When demand is at its peak – such as on New Year’s, when practically everyone is looking for a close, convenient place to stay so they can celebrate the big night fully – prices are naturally going to be at their highest. In some cases, hotel room rates can be double, triple, and even quadruple their normal levels – and that’s if you can even get a room in the first place!
110% Occupancy on New Year’s Eve
Occupancy in hotels in the hottest locations is usually at 110% weeks or even months in advance of the big night. How can a hotel book more rooms than it has? It’s actually a standard industry practice that takes into account the inevitable cancellations. A hotel with 200 rooms, for example, typically will try to pre-sell at least 220 rooms with the expectation that at least 10 guests will cancel.
If all 220 guests show up, the hotel has a problem. They may have to “walk” guests to another hotel. But historically, this isn’t the case. People’s plans change due to unforeseen circumstances, so hotels plan on overbooking in the expectation that they will be completely full even when some guests cancel.
Expand Your Qualified Area
When planning a trip to a popular New Year’s Eve destination – such as Times Square in New York or the Las Vegas Strip – most people want to be as close to “ground zero” as possible. Why? For one thing, that’s where the action is. Most of the festivities are going to be limited to a specific geographic area. Being as close as possible is more fun and exciting.
For another, many people plan on over-indulging on New Year’s Eve. When you’ve been partying hard, you don’t want to have to travel to far in order to make it to your bed for the night. The closer, the better.
But as we have seen, this is in direct conflict with most hotel’s business strategy of charging the highest prices when people are most desperate to stay in their hotels. So what’s the solution?
Hotels Outside ‘Ground Zero’
Look at hotels that are slightly farther away from your ideal location and you often can find a much better deal. For example, there are many top-quality hotels in Brooklyn, upper Manhattan, and even New Jersey where you can stay for New Year’s Eve at a fraction of the cost of what you can expect to pay in the heart of Times Square.
Similarly, if you are planning to celebrate New Year’s in Las Vegas, consider staying in one of the many hotels off the main Las Vegas Strip.
In both instances, you can still celebrate in the center of the action and be able to get back to your hotel when the night’s through in just a few minutes via either cab, Uber or public transportation. For a minimal inconvenience at the end of the night, you can save a fortune on your hotel room.
Look for Package Deals
Sometimes it’s not where you celebrate New Year’s as much as how you ring in the New Year. Look for hotel deals that include entire weekend packages, including meals, shows, parties, and even drinks. While you may pay a little more for your hotel room than you would on another non-holiday night, you can often save a lot of money on many of the other expenses you would otherwise pay top dollar for on New Year’s Eve.
Another benefit of a New Year’s Eve hotel package is that you usually don’t have to leave the building to have a good time. Not only is it more convenient, but it’s also safer. Driving on New Year’s Eve – or even walking on busy city streets – isn’t a great idea. There are a lot of other people celebrating and it’s usually one of the biggest nights for car accidents and drunk driving arrests.
Choosing an all-inclusive package lets you have a great time without having to worry about the dangers that lurk just outside the hotel’s doors.
New Year’s Eve is definitely a big night. Make the most of it by following these helpful tips to landing the best hotel deal this New Year’s. Just make sure to book your trip as early as possible so you don’t get left out of the fun.
Image courtesy of Tuomas_Lehtinen/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Author Bio – This guest post has been written by Leona Michaelson in support of InsanelyCheapFlights.com. If you’re looking for cheap and affordable Las Vegas flights this New Year, don’t forget to check out the above portal today.