Travel Deal of the Day (Jan. 29, 2007)

What a difference a week makes. I was speaking to a friend recently about his trip to Arizona – we were looking at May rates, and we noted that the hotel rate for the last day of May was drastically higher than the first day of June. The reason is that the hotel in question (just like many other Arizona hotels) changes its rates from high season rates to low season rates on June 1.

The Deal:
It is important to note what the hotel considers its high, medium and low season to see if changing your dates slightly can result in a dramatic rate decrease.

How:
When planning a trip, note what the hotels in your preferred destination consider low season. Attempt to move your dates if your vacation is close to low season. It is important to note that the rationale for setting the high versus low season rates is often arbitrary. Arizona hotels, for instance, lower rates in the summer due to high temperatures. The difference in weather between the last day of May and the first day of June is negligible. But the hotel rates can be hundreds of dollars lower per night in June – so choose your dates carefully.