Price-locks for online airfares have been around for a number of years. "Users will always end up saving money by using Price Freeze," said Bhattacharjee. Thanks to leaps in seasonal and domestic travel demand, nightly rates will likely rise 17%, to $165 on average nationwide, by early July, Hopper said. If prices drop, users pay the new lower rate.Īccommodation rates look like they'll only keep rising, according to Boston- and Montreal-based Hopper, which has tracked a 130% jump in hotel searches since the beginning of 2021, increasing by 7% weekly. If the nightly rate increases during the freeze window, Hopper will cover up to $100 of total stay cost to help keep the rate lower. More from Personal Finance: Travel advisors share theme park trip tips as industry reopens Price trumps pandemic fears as Americans book travel again Sun Belt beach, city stays top travelers summer wish lists The feature lets users lock in the best rate at a specific hotel for up to 60 days. To capitalize on that zeitgeist while helping travelers lock in some of those great hotel prices, travel app Hopper rolled out its new "Price Freeze for Hotels" feature on Wednesday. "And while airfares aren't as insanely inexpensive as they were a few months ago, there are really still some great flight deals out there - and fantastic hotel rates to be had, too." She can also apply filters such as date and the number of days of stay to find the best rates available that meet her travel needs."Airlines and hotels, so many of them are still offering flexible booking options," said travel advisor Mike Rubinstein, owner and director of UprouteMe in Los Angeles. Users can select up to eight destinations for her customized hub and Hopper will constantly monitor for last-minute deals available in those cities. To customize her search further, travelers will have the option to customize her Stay the Night hub with her favorite destinations. A consumer can easily scroll through various cities and properties with the top last-minute deals available to her at that time and book with just a few taps directly in the app. If location sharing is not enabled, Hopper will automatically generate a list of the top markets in the country for last-minute deals and search for the best rates. Using Hopper's advanced algorithms considering price and hotel popularity, the app determines the top 15 deals each day for her to choose from. If a consumer shares her location with the app, Hopper will further customize the deal hub to show her the best deals within driving distance. With Stay The Night, Hopper curates a list of the best last-minute deals in popular destinations. "Since we are mobile-only, we don’t compete with the websites of suppliers as we don’t spend any marketing dollars on Google Search." "The app predominately appeals to brand-agnostic leisure travelers who are looking for more data-driven guidance and support when booking travel," Caron explains. The app notifies users with updates such as personalized hotel suggestions, deals or geo-rates they qualify for, and recommendations about when to book. In fact, car rental bookings on Hopper are up 498% since January 2021.Īccording to Caron, Hopper leverages ~1 trillion data points and AI-driven predictive technology to provide data-driven advice via push notification. In recent months, the Hopper app has seen a tremendous surge in car rental bookings and increased demand for getaways within driving distance. "We often see the highest volume of searches for last-minute travel for weekend trips."Īdditionally, Hopper found that 55% of all hotel bookings made within its app are for staycations or hotel stays less than 200 miles from a user's origin location. Currently, staycations account for over half of all last-minute hotel bookings made in the app, up nearly 10% from pre-pandemic travel.Īs travel returns, short haul stays and road trips are also gaining popularity. "Hoteliers and their staff should be prepared for last-minute spikes in weekend bookings this summer," says Lexi Caron, Head of Stay the Night. This short booking window seems to be attributable to changing travel guidelines and various vaccine timelines. Currently, 51% of all hotel bookings made on the Hopper app are last minute. According to the travel brand, it has seen a marked increase in demand for "last-minute" bookings or bookings made within 48 hours of check-in. In a recent blog post, Hopper - a travel app primarily used by leisure travelers, among 70% of which are Millennial and Gen Z, to book flights, hotels and car rentals - announced the launch of a new last-minute hotel booking feature within its app.
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