Originally Posted by
craigthemif
This thread should be required reading for anybody tempted to book a prepaid rate. Whether points or cash, rates do have a tendency to fall when the hotel isn't as full as it expected to be.
Agreed...it also feels like hotels are playing with rates as they gauge the demand patterns and trends for booking windows, based on evolving changes in consumer behavior. There was that period a few years ago when even the crappiest properties out there could set rates as high as they wanted and somebody would be willing to pay it. Lately I've noticed more instances of rates dropping close-in (sometimes substantially) than I have in the past.