Experienced travellers suggest booking hotels a few months or weeks prior to your trip to snag cheap deals and avoid stress. However, not all of us have the privilege of time to book in advance. Others simply don’t like the idea. Isn’t it more exciting to NOT have a concrete travel plan and just book trips a week or a few days prior?
Sometimes, that sense of wanderlust just kicks in at random times. You get that sudden urge to take a break ASAP, escape the city and explore a new place next week, or this weekend. Or perhaps, tomorrow!
If you’re a little bit spontaneous like us, last-minute hotel booking apps should be your new best friends. From apps that let you book tonight’s accommodation to booking sites that give you access to “secret hotel rooms” that won’t break the bank, we share a couple of hotel apps you must check out for your last-minute travel plans.
1. Hotel Tonight
As its term suggests, Hotel Tonight allows guests to book same-day accommodation. And not just that: they offer heavily discounted room rates of up to 50% for travellers with flexible schedules or looking to book at the last minute. If you don’t want to leave things ‘til the literal last minute, the app also allows you to book dates a little further out.
Hotel Tonight has been operating since 2010. Being one of the first last-minute hotel services on the block, they have more than 15,000 properties in over 35 countries all over the world. They also have had the time to iron out the kinks and provide a seamless and reliable booking experience. They offer insider info too, thanks to their in-app hotel concierge that acts as your own personal Siri.
Hotel Tonight only works with hotels they want to stay in themselves so you’re guaranteed a remarkable stay, whether you’re looking for basic or luxe accommodation.
Tip: Watch out for their “Daily Drop”. It’s the biggest discount of the day which you only have 15 minutes to book.
2. Hotel Quickly
Hotel Quickly works best for travelers seeking cheap and speedy last-minute hotel bookings in Asia, whether for short weekend stays or big, long-term vacations. The app has over 20,000 hotels in its inventory spanning the Asia-Pacific region. While the aoo lets you book up to a year in advance, you can find the cheapest deals (which can also be cheaper than Agoda, Expedia, and Booking.com) in their same-day accommodation deals.
3. Lastminute.com
Seeking a European holiday? Whether it’s a quick countryside vacation in a hotel in Carlow Ireland or a big trip around the major countries in Europe, you can count on lastminute.com to give you great accommodation deals.
Aside from hotels, LastMinute.com also covers a range of last-minute travel deals including flights, Eurostar train tickets, vacation packages, car rentals, and other fun experiences. You can filter hotels based on location, availability of free cancellation and hotels that cater to your budget and schedule.
4. Lastminutetravel.com
Not to be confused with the booking engine mentioned earlier, lastminutetravel.com is a different booking service. Unlike other travel booking engines on the web, this wide-ranging site is dedicated to last-minute travel deals. Aside from discounted and cheap hotel stays, you can also find bargains on car rentals, cruises, transfers, and activities.
Are you a frequent traveller? For deeper discounts and rewards points to use toward free hotel stays, you can also sign up for their Last Minute Travel Club membership.
5. Trip.com
Trip.com is another website with a wide array of exciting deals for last-minute travellers.
While Trip.com features hotels all around the world, they’re particularly great for finding cheap, last-minute deals on hotels in Asia. You can book today and stay tonight while scoring deals of up to 50% off.
6. Groupon’s Last Minute Travel Deals
Groupon is known for markdowns on restaurant meals, beauty services, and fitness classes but did you know that they cater to travellers too? They have a last-minute deals section, and that usually includes hotel and resort stays. Aside from accommodation, they also have deals on all-inclusive trips, beaches, car rentals, and tours.
Bonus tip: Find secret hotel rooms
Want to add a bit of thrill and mystery to your vacation? Try booking a secret hotel room and get it at a discount.
Here’s the drill: Secret or “mystery” hotel rooms are unsold hotel rooms being offered at a reduced price, usually 20% to 50% of their regular rate. These rooms are being sold on certain booking sites but the identity of the hotel is kept secret until payment. There’ll be no images or reviews on the description but you can still apply search filters like the hotel’s location, price, and ratings to support your decision.
Where to find secret hotel rooms? Several hotel booking engines such as LastMinute.com, Hotwire, Travelocity, and Expedia.
Author Bio: Carmina Natividad is a passionate travel blogger who loves street photography, food trips, and writing articles about travel, food, and lifestyle. To know more about hotels and travel blogs, you may visit Woodford Dolmen Hotel Carlow.
