There’s always a new company, app, or platform promising to help you save hundreds on travel bookings.
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As a travel writer, I’m usually suspicious of these types of premises. In my lifetime, I’ve seen travel transform from a labor of love into a commercial commodity. Once upon a time, you had to do actual research to plan trips, and you had to carefully create a budget based on the available options. If your budget was tight, you stayed at hostels, motels, and other affordable accommodations.
That’s not really the case today—you can find slashed prices from respected mid-range and even luxury hotel chains. Sure, they won’t be hostel prices, but they’re surprisingly affordable.
And there is another catch: You need to be ready to book them at the very last minute.
Those are two noteworthy caveats. First, the prices won’t be dirt-cheap. Second, you can only find these deals at the very last minute possible. Still, considering how many subpar travel-savings apps and platforms are out there, that’s a fair trade-off.
Welcome to the magic of HotelTonight. If you’ve somehow not heard about this money-saving app or heard about it but thought it sounded suspiciously good, here’s your reminder: It’s worth keeping on your radar. So, how does HotelTonight work, and when should you use it? Let’s dive in.
(If you like what you’re reading about HotelTonight, check out Whimstay—it’s a similar premise, but it works for Airbnb and VRBO bookings.)
How does HotelTonight work?
HotelTonight lets hotels list their un-booked rooms at the last minute. Because they want to fill as many rooms as possible, hotels are willing to lower their prices. It’s really that easy.
Aside from letting you book discounted hotel rooms, HotelTonight also has a deal with Airbnb. You can earn Airbnb credits every time you book a hotel room on the platform. At the moment, that deal includes a 10% credit with each booking.
I also recommend downloading the app if you want to find even better deals. HotelTonight lists some of its most exclusive offers (including those from luxury five-star properties) on its app instead of the website.
When should you actually use it?
Confession time: I don’t use HotelTonight to book rooms when I travel. That’s because I take long trips (one week, minimum) that I plan far in advance, and I scour the internet for rentals and hotels that I like.
In other words, HotelTonight’s premise doesn’t deliver on what I need when I plan my trips. While you can book up to 14 nights at a hotel, most only have availability for a night or two. And while you can book 100 days into the future, not too many offers are listed that far ahead of time. Instead, I use HotelTonight for last-minute needs.
Here’s what I mean by that. A friend of mine got offered to be bumped to a flight the next day. The airline offered her a pretty sweet deal that included a hefty flight voucher and a basic airport hotel room.
She had a lot of time to burn between her rescheduled flights and was facing a boring delay, so I recommended that she book a room in town using HotelTonight. She landed a four-star room in the center of town for less than $100.
You can use HotelTonight to turn a disappointing delay into another night out on the town, in other words. I’ve also used HotelTonight to help my dad book a hotel in Barcelona when his other plans fell through at the last minute. It saved him close to $200.
Do you see the correlation here? HotelTonight’s setup doesn’t mesh with how I usually travel, but it’s been a lifesaver in helping me, and others, deal with those increasingly common travel delays—and not just survive, but get through it with some panache.
And what should you actually expect from HotelTonight?
All those savings come with a few pieces of fine print. HotelTonight’s main drawbacks are that you can’t make bookings far in advance, and you (usually) can’t cancel or alter them. Once you hit purchase, you’re locked in.
Additionally, you don’t (usually) get to choose which room you’ll get. While you might see different tiers offered (as in, junior suite or queen double), you can’t usually put in your preferences—for a sea view room, for example, or a room away from the elevators.
