Hello! On this website, we have compiled information on how to make the most of hotel reservation sites. The menus provide useful links for various situations, such as "I need a room for tonight no matter what" or "It's in high demand, so I need to book early." Utilize these helpful sites to make your reservations even when hotels are fully booked.
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Basic Strategy for Hotel Cancellation Waiting List
First, let's find out if you really need to be on the cancellation waiting list.
Surprisingly, many people are not aware that different hotel reservation sites may have different availability information. It is not uncommon to find that a hotel is fully booked on Rakuten Travel or Rakuten, but has available rooms on Kinki Nippon Tourist! Therefore, start by checking if there are any available rooms at your desired hotel on all hotel reservation sites. The more minor the hotel reservation site, the more likely you are to find openings. From the perspective of site operators, Rakuten and Jalan tend to fill up relatively quickly due to their popularity, so Kinki Nippon Tourist, JTB, and Nihon Ryokan are good options. Despite being major hotel sites, these sites do not focus heavily on online reservations, making it easier to find availability. Take advantage of these helpful sites.
>> Kinki Nippon Tourist (近畿日本ツーリスト)(Recommended)
First, check if there are really no available rooms by using all the hotel search sites. You might be surprised to find vacancies. Even when searching for hotels around the Shibuya area, known for the humanities department of the University of Tokyo, there have been cases where Rakuten and Jalan showed no availability but JTB had available rooms. After the COVID-19 pandemic, hotels can get crowded, right? Especially on weekends, you may want to stay at a nice hotel with your girlfriend, but there are no available hotels... Such situations can occur.
As of August 2, Japan Travel was able to book Hoshino Resorts during the Obon period. Don't give up and keep searching!
ホテル名を入力
>>JTBで星野リゾートリゾナーレトマムを予約する(狙い目) 20240502
>>Expediaで星野リゾートリゾナーレトマムを予約する(ねらい目)20240502
>>オリオンツアーで星野リゾートリゾナーレトマムを予約する(狙い目) 20240502
Ikyu: Email notification service for cancellation waiting list
Next, if there are no available rooms, you need to get on the cancellation waiting list. One thing I would like to share is the "Room Availability Notification Service" provided by Ikyu.com. If there are vacancies at your
desired hotel on your desired dates, it will notify you by email. This service is available to free registered members of Ikyu. Go to the details page of your target hotel, leave the accommodation date as undecided, and click on the availability calendar. If the calendar shows that your desired dates are fully booked, a "Cancellation Waiting List" button will be displayed. If you want to be on the waiting list, click this button and follow the instructions to submit your request. This way, you will be notified when a vacancy becomes available. Make your reservation quickly before your competitors!
>> Click here for Ikyu.com domestic accommodation reservations
Cansell: Stay at canceled hotels at a discounted price!
Cansell service has been discontinued.
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many people have various concerns when making hotel reservations.
In such cases, a new service called "Cansell" is benefiting everyone.
Even if the COVID-19 situation is serious, there are still cases where you have to stay at a hotel or ryokan due to work or family obligations.
In such situations, the question is where to find the cheapest accommodation plan...
The media has reported that hotel rates in Kyoto, for example, have dropped significantly.
However, when you actually search on hotel reservation sites, you may find that the rates are still relatively high.
Where can you really find the most affordable reservation that you can be satisfied with...
If you're feeling this way, I recommend visiting the official website of "Cansell" (キャンセル).
With "Cansell," you can purchase reservation rights at a lower price when someone who wants to cancel their hotel reservation sells it.
Such opportunities are expanding greatly!
Furthermore, if you turn on notifications, you will be notified when cancellations become available at your desired accommodations!
>> Stay at hotels at a discounted price on the Cansell (キャンセル) official website!
JTB 「割引 クーポン」 イチオシ!
Yahoo!!トラベル 「誰でも10%オフ!!」終了未定超イチオシ!
楽天トラベル 「高級ホテル・旅館クーポン」0と5がつく日 イチオシ!
Search for availability at similar hotels
While waiting for cancellations, try searching for availability at similar hotels.
For example, if you're looking for hotels near your desired destination, Expedia is recommended. You can search for hotels in proximity to your desired location.
If you have a specific atmosphere in mind for your hotel, using the recommendation features of Ikyu and Yahoo! Travel is also a good option. When you visit the page of your desired hotel, similar hotels will be displayed, allowing you to explore alternatives.
Monitor availability on major hotel reservation sites!
To collect cancellation information faster than your competitors, it requires your personal effort to visit individual hotel reservation sites and check for available rooms. In this case, it is important to efficiently collect availability information. Personally, I (1) visit major sites that have a higher chance of having available rooms compared to smaller hotel reservation sites, and (2) visit pages that can be checked quickly during my visits. By following these methods, I diligently check for availability.
When visiting these sites, it is helpful to have the following major site links as starting points. I have divided them into three main strategies. Depending on your situation, choose the most suitable strategy and make use of it.
Strategy A: If it's less than a month before your stay, start by checking the availability overview on Rakuten!
If it's about a month before your stay, first visit Rakuten Travel or Jalan.net to get an overview of available rooms. Both sites provide a page where you can see how many hotels have vacancies in each region. Select the region, and it will show you the number of available hotels. Use this as a reference and if there are quite a few openings, check the details. If there are
no openings, check if there are any available rooms in the surrounding areas as well.
>> Rakuten Travel Last-Minute Reservations - Availability Calendar
>> Jalan.net Last-Minute Reservations - Availability Calendar (Mobile Version)
Strategy B: Visit sites with your destination in mind!
If you still have more than a month before your stay, as mentioned in Strategy A, you won't be able to see availability calendars yet. You'll have to manually search. If you couldn't find suitable plans on Rakuten Travel or similar sites from Strategy A, you'll need to search on other hotel reservation sites as well. Try visiting the following powerful sites and search for available accommodations.
Jalan.net
This is an all-around hotel reservation site that represents domestic travel. It is recommended to check here first. They handle a large number of hotels and ryokans, so it's a good place to secure reservations by targeting cancellations.
>> Visit Jalan.net
Yahoo! Travel
Yahoo! Travel is a cross-search site that compares many hotel reservation sites and also offers its own unique accommodation plans. This site has been steadily improving.
>> Visit Yahoo! Travel
Expedia
If you have the opportunity, consider including international hotel reservation sites as well. Expedia is a world-renowned hotel reservation site. While it is commonly used for international travel, it also covers domestic hotels. When entering keywords, make sure to select Japan instead of Asia for the location.
>> Visit Expedia
Strategy C: Visit sites by entering the hotel name!
If you have a specific hotel in mind, the most efficient way is to search by entering the hotel name. Enter the hotel name in the search field on JTB's website and try searching. For luxury hotels, also check Ikyu.com. Additionally, contacting the hotels directly through their official websites and asking to be put on the cancellation waiting list is also a viable option. Although it's an old-fashioned method that involves making phone calls before the information appears online, it can be effective. Timing is crucial, but you can secure reservations at ryokans before your competitors by checking for availability over the phone.
JTB
JTB, the largest travel agency, has an extensive selection of hotels and ryokans. If you persistently search and visit, you may encounter a fantastic accommodation plan.
>> Visit JTB
Ikyu.com
Ikyu.com offers a wide range of accommodation plans, especially for luxury hotels. As mentioned earlier, they also provide a service to notify registered members of vacancies via email. I recommend becoming a member to take advantage of this.
>> Visit Ikyu.com
With this reservation method, is it possible to book during Christmas or Golden Week?
The busiest periods for hotel reservations are typically Christmas and Golden Week. Additionally, summer vacation, spring vacation, Silver Week, Obon holiday, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day... There are certain periods when hotels and ryokans are always crowded, right? But even during those times, if you use this method, you might be able to make a reservation even if a slightly upscale hotel is fully booked. Try to get a reservation by aiming for cancellations!
It's natural to feel like going to Hakone, Izu, or Karuizawa during the busy seasons. But don't worry. I have personally secured many reservations using this method.
Please give it a try.
Thank you for reading until the end.