Travel Pricing Barometer Indicates Last-Minute Labor Day Hotel Deals Available

With the kickoff to Labor Day weekend just days away, would-be travelers who haven’t yet booked a hotel for the holiday weekend are in luck. Travelocity’s Travel Pricing Barometer shows that many hotel deals can likely still be found at the last minute.

“The conventional wisdom of booking early doesn’t always apply to trips that only require a hotel stay”

Travelocity analyzed four years (2007 – 2010) of historical hotel booking data to find out when consumers were most likely to find cheap hotels. In every year, the cheapest average daily rate (ADR) was found one week before Labor Day. The data considers the kickoff to the weekend to be the Thursday before the holiday, or September 1 in 2011.

“The conventional wisdom of booking early doesn’t always apply to trips that only require a hotel stay,” said Genevieve Shaw Brown, Travelocity’s editorial director. “Certainly at this late date travelers will have to be more flexible about where they’re staying, but for those primarily concerned with price, based on historical data this week is probably the time to snag a hotel deal.”

Travelocity’s top three tips for getting a deal this Labor Day weekend:

1. Book vacation packages. If your trip requires a flight, be sure to price out your vacation as a package. Hotels and airlines provide discounts in packages not otherwise offered. A Travelocity study showed savings up to $525 as compared to booking the same trip elements separately.

2. Skip the flight and drive to your destination. If you can, skip the flight all together and drive to your vacation. With domestic airfare averaging $340 this Labor Day weekend, skipping the flight can save big bucks.

3. Try a Top Secret Hotel. With rates up to 55 percent off Travelocity’s normal rates, this is the perfect solution when price is more important than hotel brand. Travelers are shown the general location, star rating, hotel amenities and customer reviews before booking.

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