Being flexible about when and how you make a reservation can bring rewards for travellers
Leisure travellers often book over the weekend, when they have more time to plan. However, by early in the week, business travel schedules are usually confirmed or adjusted, which can free up rooms. As a result, by around Tuesday, availability is often clearer, and booking websites may reduce prices to fill those spaces for near-term bookings.
If you can be flexible, booking at short notice can sometimes pay off. Many hotels and platforms operate cancellation window policies of 24-48 hours, and if people cancel close to the date, the hotel would rather sell the room than leave it empty. It is a risky gamble but sometimes you can get a great deal by booking after 6pm on the day.
However, with chains such as Premier Inn and Travelodge, Linda Reynolds at Personal Travel Agents recommends booking early, as they often release “saver” rates months in advance. For example, at the time of writing, Premier Inn was advertising rooms starting from £45 a night for stays between 1 October this year and 31 January 2026.
Travelodge has a “rooms from £35 or less” offer for stays before 25 June 2026 across many locations. Looking at central Reading, for a stay starting on 11 October, there were rooms from about £27 a night. In central London, for a stay from 11-17 October, rooms were available from about £45 a night.
