Buzz
Every year, especially during the Lunar New Year, hotels often experience a phenomenon commonly known as 'room burnout,' meaning all rooms are booked due to prior reservations. However, those in the tourism industry know that the truth is not simply a matter of high demand leading to full occupancy. The speculation of room reservations can lead to 'room burnout' early on, while in reality, there are still available rooms.
Dealing with the 'room burnout,' whether real or speculative, can be addressed by following some advice:
• The best way to ensure timely room reservations, before the 'room fever' heats up, is to plan your travel for the entire year.
• The opportune time to start planning is after your summer vacation because you have ample time to schedule trips for the end of the year, the Lunar New Year, and the following summer.
• According to statistics, the first and fourth quarters are the most challenging times for hotel room availability.
• Choose your destination and make reservations 1 to 2 months in advance. Planning early also allows you enough time to organize your schedule to secure spots for your travel itinerary.
• Booking rooms directly with the hotel over the phone is the simplest way to ensure successful reservations. All hotels set aside a certain number of rooms for independent travelers not on tour packages.
• However, caution is needed when booking this way. During festive holidays, hotels often raise prices with the excuse of 'room burnout.' Additionally, some hotels 'lock rooms' and do not sell to travel companies, forcing customers to purchase individual rooms at high prices.
• The best way to navigate 'room burnout' and avoid sky-high prices is to call online booking agencies like Mytour. The staff at these agencies are well aware of the usual room rates for hotels and can advise you if the room prices you are considering are too high. They can also call the hotel to find a room for you, even if the website shows no availability.
• Utilize the customer service department of online booking agencies. These employees are familiar with hotel prices and may negotiate a better room rate than you. There have been cases where online booking agents found rooms at the same hotel for a lower price than what the hotel offered directly to customers.
• A tip that every holiday traveler should know is how to choose a hotel that is both economical and avoids the 'room burnout' scenario.
• The common mindset of travelers is to stay at centrally located and budget-friendly hotels. However, this often leads to budget hotels in the city center running out of rooms quickly, before you can 'lay your hands' on one. Even if you find a budget hotel in the city center, during festive holidays, services, food, and beverages in this area are generally expensive, so overall trip expenses may not be as economical as expected.
• Choose hotels located farther from the city center, even if they are slightly more expensive. You'll have a more comfortable experience without the crowds of other tourists, enjoying a quiet scenery without inflated food prices. If desired, you can still move to the city center when going out. Considering transportation costs, the overall expenses may not be higher than booking rooms in the bustling city center.
You can also choose travel destinations with similar weather and scenery but fewer visitors. For example, if Dalat is fully booked, consider heading to Buon Me Thuot; if Nha Trang is crowded, explore Phan Thiet. Although alternative choices may not be as ideal as the first option, there are several advantages:
• Less popular tourist areas are always less crowded, allowing you to comfortably enjoy your holiday without the holiday rush.
• Despite being less famous, hotels and resorts in these tourist areas maintain quality comparable to busier destinations.
• Depending on the location, room prices may be more affordable in these tourist areas compared to more popular destinations. However, in general, for high-quality hotels and resorts (4 and 5 stars), prices do not vary much between different travel destinations.
• During Tet Nguyen Dan, most customers stay at home for traditional Tet rituals and the customary visits to friends and business partners in the early days of the year. Hence, from the 30th of Tet to the 2nd day, there are still enough vacant rooms for those who want to travel. Starting from the 3rd day, hotels begin to experience 'room burnout.'
• If you are not particularly interested in local Tet activities, you can make early reservations from the 28th of Tet. Alternatively, you can also book rooms on the 2nd day; however, by this time, the number of available rooms has significantly decreased.
Tet Nguyen Dan is a major festival in Vietnam, so if you don't plan ahead, not getting a room is a given. Booking early, calling and speaking directly with customer service representatives at online booking agencies, and choosing travel destinations wisely are essential to ensuring a comfortable Tet holiday.
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Source: Travel Guide from Mytour
MytourNovember 18, 2015
