Buzz
Every year, especially during the Lunar New Year, hotels experience what is commonly referred to as 'room burnout'—meaning all rooms are booked in advance. However, those in the tourism industry know that the reality is not as simple as a surge in guests leading to a full house. The phenomenon of speculative room booking can cause hotels to reach 'room burnout' very early on, while there are still available rooms.
To deal with the issue of 'room burnout,' whether real or staged, follow these tips:
• The best way to ensure timely room booking, before the 'room fever' heats up, is to plan your travels for the entire year.
• The ideal time to start planning is after the summer vacation, as 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 of each year are the most challenging times for hotel room availability.
• Choose your destination and book your room 1 to 2 months in advance. Planning ahead also allows you enough time to organize your schedule and reserve a spot for your travel itinerary.
• Booking a room directly with the hotel over the phone is the simplest way to ensure a successful reservation. 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 seasons, hotels often raise prices using the excuse of 'room burnout.' Additionally, some hotels may reserve rooms exclusively for individual customers at higher prices, not selling to travel companies.
• The best way to navigate 'room burnout' and exorbitant prices is to call online booking platforms like Mytour. Their staff is familiar with regular hotel room prices and can advise you if the room rate you're considering is too high. They may also contact the hotel to find a room for you, even if the website shows no availability.
• Make use of the customer service department of online booking platforms. These staff members know hotel prices well and have the ability to negotiate better room rates than you. There have been cases where online booking agents found rooms at the same hotel at a lower price than what the hotel directly offered to customers.
• A tip that every traveler during any holiday season should know is how to choose a hotel that is both cost-effective and avoids the 'room burnout' situation.
• The common mindset of travelers is to stay in centrally located and budget-friendly hotels. However, this leads to budget hotels in central areas being fully booked very early, before you can intervene. Even if you find a budget hotel in the central area, during festive seasons, services, food, and beverages in this area tend to be expensive. Therefore, considering the overall cost of the entire trip, you may not save much.
• Opt for hotels away from the city center, and even if they are slightly more expensive, you will have a more comfortable experience without the crowds. You can still enjoy a peaceful environment with food prices not skyrocketing. If desired, you can move to the city center for sightseeing. Considering transportation costs, the overall expense 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 crowds. For example, if Dalat is fully booked, explore Buon Me Thuot; if Nha Trang is crowded, head to Phan Thiet. While the alternative may not be as ideal as the initial choice, there are some advantages:
• Less popular tourist areas always have fewer people, allowing you to comfortably enjoy your vacation without the holiday rush.
• Although not as famous, the hotels and resorts in these tourist areas offer quality comparable to busier destinations.
• Depending on the location, room prices may be more budget-friendly in these less crowded tourist spots compared to more popular destinations. However, in general, for high-quality hotels and resorts (4-star and 5-star), prices do not vary much between different travel destinations.
• For Lunar New Year, most customers stay at home to perform Tet rituals and visit friends and business partners from the 30th of Tet to the 2nd day. During this period, there are still enough available rooms for those who want to travel. Starting from the 3rd day, hotels begin to experience a 'room burnout' situation.
• If you are not particularly interested in local Tet activities, you can book a room early from the 28th of Tet. Alternatively, you can also make a reservation on the 2nd day of Tet, but by then, the number of available rooms has significantly decreased.
Lunar New Year is a major celebration in Vietnam, so if you don't plan ahead, not getting a room is inevitable. Booking early, calling and talking directly to customer service representatives at online booking platforms, and choosing a wise travel destination are crucial steps to ensure a comfortable Tet holiday.
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Source: Mytour Travel Guide
MytourNovember 18, 2015
