Travelling to East Coast USA in Autumn- Should I book accommodation ahead

[irv]

Was originally planning to travel in Spring 2015 however several family events are interfering with those plans (selfish people with milestone birthdays :evil however now planning to visit September-November, have read this is peak season New York/ Washington due to fall colors, but how "peak" is it, should I book accommodation prior or can I wing it.

 

[coles525]

Would also be interested in the answer: Oct-Nov for me.

 

[raleyoz]

I think it greatly depends on if you want a specific hotel , if yes then I think you should start watching for deals from now. If you are looking for a good deal then I suggest wait, the 3rd party resellers ie Expedia hotels, etc. all set prices and reduce prices depending on inventory this can often save you a lot , however you could miss out on a specific hotel ?

Hope this is as clear as mud

 

[amaroo]

We booked months in advance for our trip over the recent Xmas - in all cases I booked fully flexible. A week or so before moving to the next one in the link I reviewed the hotel website to see the current offer.

Out of 9 places booked 3 had better deals......emailed a query and every case we were allowed to take advantage of the reduced offer.

Not so fortunate with the AA or Via Rail where booking early cost around $1,000 more than doing the JIT principle.

 

[irv]

We booked months in advance for our trip over the recent Xmas - in all cases I booked fully flexible. A week or so before moving to the next one in the link I reviewed the hotel website to see the current offer.

Out of 9 places booked 3 had better deals......emailed a query and every case we were allowed to take advantage of the reduced offer.

Not so fortunate with the AA or Via Rail where booking early cost around $1,000 more than doing the JIT principle.

Can you elaborate on "I booked fully flexible" as to how you do that, payments up front etc. Is it simply following the cancellation policies or more to this.

 

[amaroo]

Can you elaborate on "I booked fully flexible" as to how you do that, payments up front etc. Is it simply following the cancellation policies or more to this.

Probably overdone it with plane talk. No payments up front and 24hr cancellation policy.....this is a good way to secure a bed while you keep your options open for a better offer.

The recent trip we were on we had booked Hyatt hotels in LAX and NYC......some terrific deals came up at other places that are really $$$$ therefore, making them affordable - we were able to jump over and take advantage of offers that didn't exist before.

You need to check the T&C as some places have a policy to take the first night payment 3 -7 days out.

 

[drron]

NYC really doesn't have much of a low season anymore.So book early.As amaroo says book a flexible rate with no penalty for cancelling and check frequently from say 3 months out for cheaper pre paid rates.
Accommodation in New England for fall is at a premium for the "leaf peepers".There will still be accommodation available but often only at Motel 6 type properties.I cant get mrsdrron into these properties now.
Also check cities websites to check if any special events or festivals on when you want to stay.if so definitely book early.

 

[Jason7]

definitely book well in advance, as drron said, if there are special events or festivals on you'd want to quickly secure accommodation.