Part of the hustle is that sometimes you have to travel at the last minute. A meeting runs late. Or a flight gets delayed. And you get stuck in an airport for multiple hours. Or you hit the wall and just need to get out of Dodge, fast. Should you find yourself in such a situation, what’s the most efficient way to book a decent local hotel on really short notice? And how can you be sure that you’re not checking into the Bates Motel because you’re desperate for a place to lay your head for a few hours? Correspondent Julie Chang Murphy has sussed out the best travel apps to book a hotel at the last minute.
what’s the most efficient way to book a hotel on short notice?
Traveling on a whim is one of life’s greatest luxuries. The spontaneity of jetting off to a far-flung locale may be a tad anxiety-inducing for sure. But traveling lightly with the basics and a loose itinerary brings one back to the adventurousness and open possibilities that are the essence of travel in the first place. That’s where the best travel apps to book a hotel at the last minute come in.
And if you’re attached, there’s nothing like surprising your partner with a gift like “Pack your bags – we’re going to Hawaii this weekend!” Bragging rights for life.
Of course, an unplanned trip or airport issue as a result of work or family is also a reality. Flights get cancelled or delayed, a meeting runs late and you miss your plane, you land a big meeting and have to stay in town an extra night.
In any of these scenarios, time is of the essence. We all have our go-to flight booking platforms and maybe it’s just me, but I find the hotel booking sites completely overwhelming.
There is such a thing as too many choices. When you need to book the night before – or the night of – the options are more limited. And that might not be such a bad thing.
the best travel apps to book a hotel at the last minute
If you’re traveling spontaneously for business or pleasure, there are a crop of new sites and apps devoted to last-minute hotel bookings.
And unlike last-minute airfare, booking a hotel the day before you arrive can actually save you money. We know a number of entrepreneurs and executives at start-ups who rely exclusively on last-minute bookings for just that reason.
For whatever reason, if you want or need to fly-by-the-seat of your pants, check out these services to help you do just that.
1. HotelTonight
HotelTonight was a pioneer in letting users book last-minute rooms via mobile devices in an efficient manner. No more endless scrolling, hurrah! HotelTonight stands out from its competitors by prompting customers to choose from only a handful of hotels for any given search. It’s fun, easy and instant.
Users can select between 7 types of accommodations. They include Luxe (upscale with lavish amenities); Hip (stylish and quirky hot spots); and Crashpad (budget inns without many amenities).
And no worries if you actually do have some time to plan and want to take advantage of HotelTonight’s curated list. Bookings can be made a week in advance up to the day of and extended for multiple days if needed. Currently, HotelTonight features 50,000 hotels in 30 cities around the world.
2. One:Night
A new competitor in this niche market is One:Night. They were incubated by hotel and hospitality company, Standard International which operates the trendy Standard and Bunkhouse Group boutique hotels.
I hesitate to describe an interface as “sexy,” but One:Night certainly capitalizes on its seductive name and gives the user a feeling of excitement when booking their last minute hotel reservations on its app. It feels like you’re planning a night out with a group of your most raucous friends.
Starting at 12 pm daily, users can book up to 7 nights of incredible last-minute rates at chic, indie hotels. Plus, the app provides an hour-by-hour experiential timeline of insider tips that allows guests to maximize their stay. It’s the in-the-know local who tells you where to go for a drink and the best coffee shop nearby. For now, locations mostly include cities in the US, as well as London and Bangkok.
3. Dayuse
Have you ever been stuck in a nearly-empty airport for 12 hours? Or perhaps you’re a freelancer who needs a comfortable place to work, where you can take also take advantage of a luxury spa or go for a swim. Or maybe you just need a “daycation” to get away from your family and chill.
Dayuse is a platform that is re-introducing the concept of a hotel room as a pied-a-terre. A place in a location you love that you can count on being available at all times.
Users enjoy exclusive daytime prices with each of Dayuse’s partners: 5,000 hotels across 23 countries. There are a wide variety of accommodations to choose from: five star hotels with luxurious amenities, low-cost, convenient hotels for a couple of hours’ shuteye, boutique hotels for the perfect pop-up photo shoot or even business hotels with reliable WiFi, meeting rooms and a good desk.
Hours vary according by property. But in general, check-ins start at 9:00A and check-out is around 4:00P.
4. LastMinute
British-based travel site LastMinute has evolved into a full-service flight/hotel/car and entertainment booking site. But they still specialize in “late hotel rooms.”
Your options here are mostly limited to London and European cities, but at the time of this posting, there were also good deals featured in New York and Dubai. It could be a novel and exciting way to pick your next jaunt!
time to hit the road?
We often think of spontaneous travel as a necessity for work or something in the purview of the young and restless. The best travel apps and websites to book a hotel room at the last minute may cater to the needs of these two groups. But perhaps, they might also inspire all of us to ditch the hours of research and jam-packed itineraries and . . . just go!
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Crediting her training as a cultural anthropologist at Wellesley College, Julie has immersed herself in various industries in the last 15 years including fashion design, event planning, fitness and even investigating police misconduct. Julie lives in NYC where she loves trying every ramen and dumpling restaurant with her husband and three children. She finds joy in bold prints, biographies of fierce women, kickboxing and spending way too long finding the perfect polish color to express her mood.
