Originally Posted by
sciconf
[MENTION=204066]Phil Level[/MENTION] and others
I am booking for Aug - so 3 months ahead - is this one reason prices are higher?
Incidentally I booked a Car with Hertz for MDW for June - it was $130 for 2 days with taxes - came down to $80 recently. Will the same effect happens to Hotels in Santa Monica - as it become closer prices will be cheaper?
Prices will either be more expensive, cheaper, or the same. It's hard to predict.
As others have suggested, when you are booking this far in advance (~3 months in advance), it's best to AVOID any prepaid, nonrefundable deals. Instead, book a reasonable deal in a reasonable location (that is NON-prepaid and has a reasonable cancellation policy), then keep checking prices (on the same lodging and other acceptable lodgings) periodically to see if a better deal (or deals) pops up. Sometimes prices actually do go down (at least temporarily), but you can't count on that happening.
Also, another person suggested looking into the on-campus hotel at UCLA. If you have some actual connection to UCLA (you are an alum, or your kid is attending, or something like that), check it out. The location would obviously be superb for visiting the campus.