Talking to a hostel owner in Prague changed my mind about booking everything ahead

I was at a small hostel in Prague last month and the owner told me they offer walk-in discounts of 30% because most people book online and they'd rather fill rooms cheap. I always thought planning every night saved money, but she showed me a chart where last-minute rooms cost half what I paid on Hostelworld. Has anyone else had better luck just showing up?

3 comments

3 Comments

viola_lopez301mo ago

Jump on what @kai_webb91 said, it's the same as buying stuff at the store - you get better deals on things nobody else wants right now.

shane_park921mo ago

You hit on something that goes way bigger than just hostels. The whole "book everything in advance or you're screwed" thing is basically been drilled into us by these booking sites who make money off our fear of missing out. But if you look at any industry that relies on last minute customers, they almost always drop prices to fill empty space. Airlines do it with empty seats, restaurants do it with slow night specials, even some grocery stores mark down produce at closing time. The key is knowing where you can afford to gamble and where you actually need a sure thing. For hostels in Prague in April, playing it loose worked for me too, but I wouldn't try that same trick in London during fashion week or in a tiny town with one hotel. It's like the whole travel industry has us trained to panic-buy when really the system is designed to reward people who are willing to be a little bit uncomfortable and flexible.

kai_webb911mo ago

Doesn't that totally depend on where you're going though? In a busy city during peak season, showing up without a reservation sounds like a good way to sleep in a train station.