There's no harm in making some reservations now as long as they are fully refundable. You can always go the price line route later if you haven't come across any good deals. I usually book award stays with my starpoints, so I make my reservations as far in advance as possible to ensure I won't get shut out of my desired hotels. Speaking of Hawaii next April, I've already reserved my 11 nights in Maui. While I have nearly a year to change things up, at the very least I know I've got something confirmed.