HOW TO BOOK A SOLD-OUT HOTEL? (PRO TIPS)
Imagine you found the hotel of your dreams. We all want our vacation to be spectacular and as best as possible. But you see that it’s sold out. Frustrating, we agree. However, working in the travel industry for quite some time, we gathered pro tips on how to book a sold-out hotel. Keep reading and book your dream hotel.
📞 #1 Pick up the phone
Old-fashioned is sometimes the best practice.
If you receive a message that the hotel you’re trying to book is full - pick up the phone and call them. Kindly ask to speak to a hotel manager instead of a front desk agent. Don’t act all Karen here. Simply explain to the manager your reason behind the hotel choice. Statistically speaking, this tactic works about 85% of the time, and the hotel provides you with a room.
Additionally, book another hotel with the last-minute cancellation possibility. Then keep calling your wanted hotel and frequently ask them if anyone canceled their reservation. There’s really no magic here - it’s all about communication.
👑 #2 Flaunt your status
If, by any chance, you have some kind of status at the hotel chain, use it to get what you want. For example, suppose you are Hilton Diamond Member. In that case, we give a 99% chance you will always get a room at Hilton even if they have full occupancy. Maintaining status at multiple brands increases your odds of finding a room.
⚡️ #3 Use the “magic” app
Technologies are dominating the travel industry. No surprise that there’s even an app created to help solve almost every issue while traveling or planning a trip. So, Open Hotel Alert app is no exception. You simply enter your dates, and the hotel list of a chosen area pops up, showing you all hotels, even the sold-out ones. You select your dream hotel and enter your preferred contact method (text message, email, or both). And if the hotel becomes available, the app will notify you. Easy? Yes. Smart? Yes.
Extra tip: when the hotel becomes available, you don’t want to pay a ton of money without double-checking it with RatePunk. Although it's a browser extension comparing prices on different booking sites, there's also a price comparison implemented on the RatePunk website. You simply enter your dates and the hotel name. We give it 5 seconds at the most, and you will see where to book this hotel has the best rate on the internet.
📝 #4 Ask to be on a waitlist
Be friendly - that’s it. You phoned the hotel, and they are really, really sold out. Just ask the hotel receptionist to put you on a waitlist. They will probably need your name, email, and phone number, but you have nothing to lose. So, even if the waitlist tactic doesn’t workout - you tried.
There’s basically nothing more. These tips we shared work for us approximately 90% of the time. And when they don’t, we settle for a second. You should do that too. Sometimes things work out just as they were meant to.
July 8, 2022