Research shows conflicting results on which day of the week is cheapest to book hotels, with different studies pointing to Mondays, Fridays, or Sundays depending on the methodology.
NB: This is an article from SiteMinder, one of our Expert Partners
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However, the more reliable pattern is about check-in dates rather than booking dates: Sunday check-ins are 9-24% cheaper than Friday check-ins for domestic properties, and last-minute bookings (within one week of arrival) often yield better rates than advance reservations.
Why is it important for hotel owners to know this booking trend?
Understanding which days show cheaper hotel rates, whether for check-in dates or booking windows, helps you anticipate demand, adjust pricing strategically, and capture revenue during typically weaker periods. While consumer research on “cheapest booking days” is inconsistent, the patterns around check-in days and booking lead times are more reliable and actionable for hotel operators.
For example, knowing that Sunday check-ins are consistently cheaper means you can target weekend leisure extensions or Sunday-night business travellers with strategic packages. Similarly, understanding that last-minute bookings often convert at lower rates allows you to create urgency-based promotions without blanket discounting.
Spotting consistent demand patterns and check-in day trends allows you to move from reacting to shortfalls to planning ahead. Instead of waiting for occupancy dips to appear in your pickup reports, you can build promotions, marketing campaigns, or upsell offers to counter them in advance.
Take a suburban business hotel as an example. Weekday demand may be strong from corporate travellers, but Sunday check-ins often lag as weekend guests head home. Knowing that Sunday arrivals consistently show lower rates gives you a chance to launch family weekend packages or discounted add-ons that attract leisure travellers who would otherwise book elsewhere.
By contrast, a city-centre leisure hotel might see its booking dips midweek, when corporate travellers are absent and weekend holidaymakers are less active. In this case, monitoring booking-day patterns allows you to time corporate promotions or local event partnerships for those weaker periods, lifting occupancy when it matters most.
The danger of ignoring these insights is wasted revenue. A hotel that blindly discounts every Sunday might fill rooms but miss the chance to upsell higher-value categories or ancillary services. Similarly, a property that assumes all weekdays are equal could overlook the fact that Tuesdays convert more full-rate business bookings than Thursdays, leading to misplaced discounts.
Operationally, this knowledge helps with resource planning. Forecasting quieter booking periods means your team can focus their efforts on the channels, campaigns, or upsells most likely to drive incremental revenue rather than scrambling last minute.
