What day of the week is it cheaper to book a hotel?

Research on “cheapest booking days” is confusing and contradictory—but the patterns around check-in days are clear and actionable.

Here’s what hotel owners actually need to focus on, and how to turn weaker booking periods into revenue opportunities.

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What day of the week is it cheaper to book a hotel?

Research shows conflicting results on which day of the week is cheapest to book hotels, with different studies pointing to Mondays, Fridays, or Sundays depending on the methodology. However, the more reliable pattern is about check-in dates rather than booking dates: Sunday check-ins are 9-24% cheaper than Friday check-ins for domestic properties, and last-minute bookings (within one week of arrival) often yield better rates than advance reservations.

The confusion stems from studies mixing up two different concepts: the day a guest makes the reservation versus the day they check in. For hoteliers, understanding this distinction is critical because it affects how you time promotions, adjust pricing calendars, and allocate marketing spend. The “cheapest booking day” is not a universal rule but a pattern that varies by property type, market, and guest segment.

The confusion: Booking day vs stay day

Most consumer articles about “cheapest days to book hotels” actually conflate two separate metrics: the day of the week you make the reservation, and the day of the week you check in.

Booking day: Tuesday, a guest reserves a room for a Friday arrival three weeks later
Check-in day: Friday, when the guest actually arrives

Industry research shows more consistent patterns for check-in days than booking days. For example, Sunday check-ins are reliably cheaper as mentioned earlier, because weekend leisure guests have departed and midweek business travel hasn’t started. By contrast, data on which day of the week you should click “book now” varies widely between sources; some say Sunday, others say Monday, Friday, or that it doesn’t matter at all.

For hoteliers, this means your focus should be on understanding check-in patterns and booking lead times for your property, not chasing vague claims about optimal booking days.

What day are hotels cheapest?

Hotels are typically cheapest for Sunday check-ins, when weekend guests have departed and midweek business travel hasn’t begun. For booking dates (when you actually make the reservation), the data is less consistent, though some studies suggest Friday and Saturday bookings may find slightly better rates as hotels compete to fill upcoming inventory gaps.

Beyond the booking versus check-in distinction, there’s another definitional nuance worth clarifying.

Relative, not absolute, price

“Cheapest” means lower than your typical rate for comparable stay dates and room types, not necessarily low in absolute terms. For example, you may charge $150/night on average in 2024, then increase to $200 in 2025. During a slow season, you offer a 20% discount to $160—still $10 higher than 2024, but 20% cheaper than the full 2025 rate.

This definition is useful for understanding buyer behaviour and price anchoring psychology. Some guests will find the $160 pricing appealing because of the perceived bargain, even if it’s more expensive than last year.

Why is it important for hotel owners to know this booking trend?

Understanding which days show cheaper hotel rates, whether for check-in dates or booking windows, helps you anticipate demand, adjust pricing strategically, and capture revenue during typically weaker periods. While consumer research on “cheapest booking days” is inconsistent, the patterns around check-in days and booking lead times are more reliable and actionable for hotel operators.

For example, knowing that Sunday check-ins are consistently cheaper means you can target weekend leisure extensions or Sunday-night business travellers with strategic packages. Similarly, understanding that last-minute bookings often convert at lower rates allows you to create urgency-based promotions without blanket discounting.

Spotting consistent demand patterns and check-in day trends allows you to move from reacting to shortfalls to planning ahead. Instead of waiting for occupancy dips to appear in your pickup reports, you can build promotions, marketing campaigns, or upsell offers to counter them in advance.

Take a suburban business hotel as an example. Weekday demand may be strong from corporate travellers, but Sunday check-ins often lag as weekend guests head home. Knowing that Sunday arrivals consistently show lower rates gives you a chance to launch family weekend packages or discounted add-ons that attract leisure travellers who would otherwise book elsewhere.

By contrast, a city-centre leisure hotel might see its booking dips midweek, when corporate travellers are absent and weekend holidaymakers are less active. In this case, monitoring booking-day patterns allows you to time corporate promotions or local event partnerships for those weaker periods, lifting occupancy when it matters most.

The danger of ignoring these insights is wasted revenue. A hotel that blindly discounts every Sunday might fill rooms but miss the chance to upsell higher-value categories or ancillary services. Similarly, a property that assumes all weekdays are equal could overlook the fact that Tuesdays convert more full-rate business bookings than Thursdays, leading to misplaced discounts.

Operationally, this knowledge helps with resource planning. Forecasting quieter booking periods means your team can focus their efforts on the channels, campaigns, or upsells most likely to drive incremental revenue rather than scrambling last minute.

Key takeaways:

Sunday check-in patterns reveal opportunities for leisure packages at business hotels and corporate deals at leisure properties.
Monitoring day-specific conversion rates prevents misplaced discounts on high-performing days like Tuesdays.
Forecasting weaker booking periods enables proactive resource allocation toward high-value channels and upsells rather than reactive scrambling

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How do the cheapest booking days influence different guest segments?

Cheaper booking days influence different guest types in distinct ways. For hoteliers, understanding how corporate travellers, groups, and leisure guests respond to rate fluctuations allows you to target the right segment with the right message, instead of applying one-size-fits-all discounts.

Business travellers

Business travellers are usually the most predictable. Their booking patterns are dictated by company policies, budgets, and fixed travel schedules. This means they rarely shift their booking dates just to find a lower rate. However, they do respond positively when their preferred booking day coincides with competitive pricing. A slightly lower midweek rate can increase conversion for corporate accounts without eroding margins. For unmanaged business travellers booking individually, cheaper days are an incentive to upgrade to premium rooms or add amenities like breakfast or parking.

Group bookings for businesses also tend to be heavily price-driven, but the decision-making process is more complex. Conference organisers, travel managers, and tour operators often track rates over time and negotiate around booking-day patterns. If they see that your rates dip at predictable points, they may wait to lock in contracts. Recognising this behaviour allows you to time negotiations and present value-added inclusions, rather than simply cutting price. This approach protects revenue while still appealing to the group’s cost-conscious mindset.

Leisure

Leisure travellers are the most flexible and the most likely to hunt for cheaper booking days. Families might adjust plans to capture savings, while younger travellers may jump on OTA promotions tied to Sunday or midweek deals. While these guests are important, their sensitivity to cheaper days means hotels should approach them with packaged offers that preserve total revenue rather than relying on room-rate discounts alone.

The key is to align your strategy with each segment’s priorities. For corporate and group business, focus on timing and value-adds that enhance perceived ROI. For leisure, use booking-day insights to frame promotions that feel like a deal but ultimately increase overall spend.

Key takeaways:

Corporate travellers rarely shift dates for price but will upgrade rooms or add amenities when competitive midweek rates align with their schedules.
Group organisers wait for predictable rate dips before locking contracts—counter this with timed value-adds like meeting credits rather than room discounts.
Leisure travellers hunt for Sunday and midweek deals—target them with dining credits and bundled experiences that protect total revenue.

What are the ways hotels can utilise cheap booking days?

Hotels can use cheaper booking days as opportunities to drive demand, improve occupancy, and capture incremental revenue. The goal is not to simply lower rates further, but to create strategies that make these quieter booking windows work harder for you.

Key booking patterns to note

Sunday check-ins are up to 7% cheaper on average, creating a chance to package stays with extras that lift total spend.
Friday check-ins can be 8% higher, making it a strong day to focus on premium room upsells.
Booking within a week of stay can save travellers up to 26%, giving hotels an opening to capture last-minute demand.

How to time discounts and promotions

For leisure guests, a Sunday or midweek lull is the perfect moment to introduce packages that add value rather than erode rate. Think dining credits, late check-outs, or bundled experiences. For business travellers, targeted promotions could focus on weekday upgrades. For example, if data shows Tuesdays or Wednesdays convert more strongly with corporate accounts, presenting a small upgrade incentive or loyalty bonus on those days can increase share of wallet without large discounts.

Group business also benefits from timed promotions. Conference organisers are sensitive to predictable dips in average daily rate (ADR). Offering a package that includes meeting space credits or complimentary welcome receptions during these softer booking days can tip the scales in your favour while maintaining healthy room revenue.

How to manage staffing and operations

Booking-day insights are not just about pricing; they are also about planning. If Sundays are slow for bookings but high in website traffic, allocate your sales team’s time to follow up on requests for proposal (RFPs) or negotiate with group planners during these quieter periods. Similarly, marketing activity can be scheduled around the days when potential guests are shopping but not yet converting, giving you a better chance of closing the sale.

For operations, knowing which booking days are consistently weaker allows you to avoid over-staffing front desk or reservations teams, and instead redirect resources to tasks that drive future business, like corporate account outreach or package development.

How to use technology for automation

Manually adjusting rates across multiple OTAs, direct channels, and corporate contracts is unrealistic for most hotels. With a platform like SiteMinder, you can automate rate changes based on live market conditions and booking-day behaviour. This is especially useful for multi-property groups that need to balance consistency with local flexibility.

Automation also ensures you do not miss late business demand. For example, if data shows corporate travellers often book within a week of arrival, your hotel booking engine can distribute automated last-minute offers instantly across OTAs, direct channels, and corporate booking tools, capturing business that would otherwise go to competitors.

Key takeaways:

Time leisure packages during Sunday and midweek lulls, and corporate upgrade incentives on high-converting days like Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Redirect front desk staff from weak booking periods toward revenue-driving tasks like corporate account outreach.
Automate last-minute offers to distribute across OTAs and corporate channels when travellers book within one week of arrival.

How can multi-property hotel groups monitor booking-day trends across locations?

Multi-property groups should track booking patterns at both portfolio and individual property levels, comparing variations across locations to identify where demand peaks and where it lags. This allows central revenue teams to balance brand consistency with local flexibility, applying data-driven strategies rather than blanket policies that ignore market differences.

Different property types often show very different booking behaviour. A coastal resort may see its slowest booking pace on midweek days when leisure demand softens, while an airport hotel might dip at weekends as business travel eases off. A downtown hotel near financial districts could peak on Tuesdays and Wednesdays with corporate accounts, while suburban properties benefit from Sunday family getaways. Without monitoring these variations, head office teams risk applying blanket pricing policies that fail to reflect local realities.

The governance challenge for groups is balancing consistency with flexibility. Centralised revenue teams want alignment across the brand, but individual properties need the ability to adjust to local demand cycles. Without portfolio-wide reporting, a head office may assume that discounting on Sundays benefits every property, when in fact some locations could hold rate or even upsell at that time.

This is where SiteMinder becomes invaluable. The platform gives multi-property operators a unified dashboard that tracks booking pace, lead times, and channel performance across every location. With access to live data, revenue teams can spot trends at both group and property level, identify where rate adjustments are needed, and act before competitors do. SiteMinder’s channel manager allows central teams to distribute rates and availability instantly to hundreds of online travel agencies (OTAs) while maintaining full control of each property’s pricing. Its business intelligence tools reveal which booking days and markets deliver the most value, helping decision-makers plan promotions and allocate marketing spend with confidence.

Visibility is the real advantage here. A central view of booking pace, lead times, and rate sensitivity allows decision-makers to see where group-wide patterns exist and where outliers need local strategies. This not only improves forecasting accuracy but also helps sales teams negotiate more effectively with corporate clients who may contract multiple properties at once.

FAQs

Is it cheaper to book a vacation package last minute?

Yes, last-minute vacation packages can be cheaper as providers discount inventory to avoid empty capacity, though savings vary significantly by destination and season. Airlines, hotels, and tour operators bundle services and release these deals within 1-2 weeks of departure to fill unsold inventory.

For hotels, this creates an opportunity to capture late demand through packaged offers that maintain total revenue rather than deep room-rate discounts alone. While last-minute guests may book at lower rates, packaging encourages spend across multiple services like dining, spa treatments, or tours.

What is the best website to get cheap hotels?

Booking.com, Expedia, and Hotels.com consistently show competitive rates for travellers, while metasearch engines like Google Hotels and Kayak allow comparison across providers. From a hotelier’s perspective, the “best” site is the one that balances visibility with manageable commission costs. OTAs attract price-sensitive guests with heavy marketing and wide selection, while metasearch platforms drive comparison shoppers.

For hotels, connecting to multiple sites through a channel manager ensures your rooms are visible where travellers are shopping, without needing to manually update rates everywhere.

Where to book last-minute hotels?

OTAs like Booking.com and Expedia, hotel mobile apps, and metasearch platforms like Google Hotels are the primary channels for last-minute bookings. These platforms highlight immediate availability and often feature same-day deals prominently, making them convenient for travellers with urgent needs.

For hotels, last-minute bookings present a chance to fill otherwise unsold rooms. By connecting inventory to last-minute platforms and running dynamic pricing, you can capture impulse bookings without excessive discounting. Using your direct booking website for exclusive same-day offers can also convert last-minute guests while reducing commission outlay.