Booking an advance will always cost you less. If you just walk in, you have to have the room. They can charge you full freight.

In the case of a hotel room in New York City, you could be looking at a difference of hundreds of dollars.

We like the same spot and stay there a lot. We make friends with the staff. Then when we want some time we call with a range of days and what we want and they go looking for a match. It works great. You’ll get killed just walking in.

Online, paid in advance is always cheaper.

Book in advance but don’t always assume that the online “cheap” rooms sites get you the best deals. Often if you have a particular place in mind or you see a place advertised in an online booking site, just call them yourself and ask them for their best deal. You can usually get a better price than any of the booking agencies offer.

Late to the game on this question… So, what happened? Did you book online or walk in?

The hotel rate game is extremely complex as it is based upon numerous variables. I used to teach a class in hotel rate-setting to hotel managers, and it’s quite fascinating on how it works.

@Pied_Pfeffer Well, I did book a room via Orbitz. Paramount Hotel at 46th? Great price imo for 140 bucks a night for a one bed. I don’t know, maybe it’s not peak season I guess three weeks ago. Liked the room. But this was compared to a 180 bucks room at Pennsylvania Hotel last June. It was awful.

Wish I could have knowledge of those variables so I may increase my chance of getting the best hotel for that price at any season.