Hospitality management platform Cloudbeds has found travellers were booking accommodation further in advance in 2023 across all regions, except in North America. The findings, revealed in Cloudbeds’ 2024 ‘State of Independent Lodging Report’, indicate that the average booking window – i.e. the number of days prior to arrival when travellers reserve a room – increased relative to the previous three years in Europe, LATAM and the Asia-Pacific region.

At 46 days, Europe had the longest average booking window of the four regions – an increase of six days over 2022. In Latin America and Asia Pacific, booking windows were much shorter, at 32 days and 31 days, respectively. According Cloudbeds’ data, these patterns have remained relatively consistent in recent years, although the gaps among regions have become more pronounced. Meanwhile, the average booking window in North America remained the same, at 40 days prior to arrival.

Adam Harris, co-founder and CEO of Cloudbeds, said: “The trend toward longer booking windows signals a resurgence in travellers’ confidence to plan trips well in advance. This shift is a boon for hoteliers who faced challenges with unpredictable occupancy due to a surge in last-minute bookings during the pandemic. Such unpredictability complicated planning, rate adjustments, and operational cost management.

“While last-minute bookings will persist and continue to offer value by filling unoccupied rooms, hotels stand to gain significantly from promoting earlier reservations. Implementing strategies like early-bird discounts could encourage this behaviour, providing more stability and more total revenue.”

Cloudbeds’ findings are grounded in data from a sample of 10,000+ independent properties, encompassing boutique hotels and guest houses, B&Bs, and hotel groups in over 100 countries across North America, Latin America, Europe, and the APAC region.