I need to book a Vancouver, BC hotel for my cruise in June 2022. I’m not worried about it b/c hotels seem to not be booking that far out yet (most hotels) and yet someone from another forum I’m on insists that all hotels are fully booked for that June. She’s got me worried enough that I contacted my first choice hotel and they said I can’t book until mid July. I am curious though, in general, how far out can one book a hotel? I know the Disney ones have a much more generous lead time. I saw an article from Points Guy saying that most were a little less than a year out. Is this what you have found? Thanks for any advice. I typically book no more than 7-9 months out so haven’t had this issue much.
First off, I highly doubt that about the hotels. Maybe the ones near the port book up earlier than others, but not over a year in advance. Most hotel chains don’t even release rooms that early!
That being said, I would still book as early as you can, because hotels usually have very liberal cancellation policies, allowing you to book speculative stays without penalty as long as you cancel by the deadline (and as long as you pay attention to the fine print and make sure it’s not a non-refundable rate).
For example, I almost always book through Marriott, where most properties allow cancellation w/o penalty up to the night before. Booking through third party OTA sites may have much more strict cancellation policies or non-refundable rates, and that’s why I tend not to use them.
The dates are usually released about 1 year in advance, at least with Marriott. A quick search on the Bonvoy site shows the calendar open through mid-May, (and showing lots of availability in Vancouver too!).
Good luck! And happy planning!