Summer travel season is in full swing, and it’s time to dial in your booking strategies. From the latest trends and spend to the most successful hotel offers, Cendyn’s experts dove into the industry data from May 2025 to reveal how travelers are planning their summer getaways. We’ll discuss what guests are really prioritizing when making summer booking decisions, along with actionable tips designed to get your guests engaged, excited, and ready to book their next stay.
Booking trends: shorter booking windows
Last-minute bookers are hitting the road this summer. In fact, a recent Skift report detailed that leisure booking windows are now typically under 21 days. One important caveat, however, is that even with the trend toward more spontaneous, mobile-driven bookings, travelers are opting for hotels with refundable rates or flexible cancellation policies.
Business travel also continued to drive short lead-time bookings, particularly for corporate events and conferences in major cities. Markets like Las Vegas and New York benefited from a mix of advance and last-minute bookings, with increased demand during large events and conventions.
Takeaway tip: Stay competitive with last-minute bookers by including dynamic pricing strategies to capture demand and maximize revenue. Travelers are also more likely to book if they have the option to cancel or modify plans as needed. Creating flexible cancellation policies will entice these travelers to book with confidence.
Best performing offer strategies
Capitalize on May’s booking trends with popular offer strategies that resonate with your best guests. Our data revealed that travelers are strongly driven by overall trip value, looking beyond the nightly rate to book offers that combine competitive rates with the amenities and benefits they want.
Winning offer strategy YTD: BOGO (Stay 3 Nights, Get the 4th Free)
This offer has been one of the most successful promotional tactics we’ve seen over the last year, especially during slower periods or with specific target markets like families. By encouraging guests to extend their stay, hotels can increase occupancy without significantly reducing average daily rates (ADR). Guests enjoy the perceived added value while hotels avoid slashing prices and potentially devaluing their brand.
Next best performing offers:
- Local offers: Your local and drive-in market guests are an invaluable source of revenue and loyalty. Target these guests by offering a locals-only discount for staycations or create packages around a special event or attraction paired with an overnight stay. These are especially important in key regions like Hawaii and Florida.
- Length of stay discounts “Stay More, Save More”: Implementing graduated discounts for extended stays can incentivize longer bookings. For example, offering 15% off for three-night stays but increasing that discount to 25% for weekly bookings encourages guests to stay longer, boosting both occupancy and ancillary revenue.
- Value-added packages: Instead of offering room discounts, consider bundling popular services like breakfast, late check-out, or resort credits to create perceived value for guests. These packages attract cost-conscious travelers without eroding room rates.
Bonus tip: Our data revealed that the best-performing value-added packages include breakfast, while the worst-performing packages focus on gas or parking offers.
How to maximize offer success
To optimize conversions, hotels need a data-driven offer strategy that targets different guest needs and preferences. Ensure every guest segment has the perfect excuse to book by providing a range of offers that appeal to varying travel priorities (price, amenities, added value benefits, etc.).
Based on data from thousands of hotel packages and conversion rates, here are Cendyn’s top five offer recommendations:
- Best Flexible Rate
- Advance Purchase
- Local / Drive Market
- BOGO or Length of Stay Discount
- Value Added Package
Bonus tip: While providing too many offers can confuse guests, providing too few will not provide enough data for future optimization. Aim for a sweet spot of five diverse offers to capture demand and drive bookings.
Booking trends: flexible cancellation policies
In May 2025, hotels that adapted to “cancellation culture” by offering flexible cancellation policies and value-added rate plans often saw gains in market share. Based on guest data, we’ve outlined our best-performing cancellation policies below.
Winning cancellation policy YTD: fully refundable up to 24–48 hours before arrival
When looking at the data, over 50% of guests were willing to pay extra for a hotel offering free cancellation, with nearly 20% willing to pay $50 or more for this benefit. This policy provided travelers with peace of mind to book early, knowing they could cancel if plans changed, while still protecting hotels from last-minute cancellations.
Next best performing cancellation policies:
- Non-refundable rates: While still attracting price-sensitive travelers, these rates were less popular in early 2025 compared to previous years.
- Hybrid offers: Semi-flex rates (with a small penalty if canceled) and re-bookable deals (where guests can change dates without a fee) performed reasonably well. These options addressed travelers’ desire for flexibility while giving hotels some revenue security.
Takeaway tip: Travelers prioritized flexibility and overall trip value over the lowest possible price. By implementing strategies that combined flexibility with added value, hotels were able to attract a broader range of guests and maintain strong occupancy rates.
Booking trends: optimized loyalty programs
Nurturing guest loyalty is a top priority for any hotel, but when you have the right perks in place, you can drive repeat visits, create more memorable guest experiences, and generate invaluable word-of-mouth marketing. Check out our latest insights on loyalty program strategies below and see how your program measures up.
Winning loyalty strategy: mix flexible cancellations & offers to enhance loyalty programs
By integrating loyalty status into cancellation policies and special offers, hotels can simultaneously bolster guest confidence, encourage longer stays, and protect ADR (even during economic headwinds) while deepening relationships that drive long-term revenue growth.
Tip #1 – Maximize tiered status perks
- Elite member cancellation waivers: Brands like Marriott and Hilton extend free cancellation up to 24–48 hours before arrival exclusively to higher-tier loyalty members, reducing penalties for loyal guests while preserving non-refundable rates for others.
- Points-based cancellation credits: Some programs allow members to redeem points to waive cancellation fees, converting potential lost revenue into incremental loyalty engagement.
Tip #2 – Upgrade rate plans and rewards
- Member-only rate plans: Offer loyalty members bundled perks—breakfast, parking, resort credits—without reducing the base rate, preserving ADR while enhancing perceived value.
- Reward-enhanced BOGO: Structure BOGO offers (e.g., Stay 3 Nights, Get 4th Free) so points members earn extra bonus points on the free night, boosting longer stays and loyalty redemptions.
Tip #3 – Create dynamic, personalized cancellation offers
Use guest booking history and preference data to present personalized cancellation windows and rate plans (e.g., longer flexibility for high-value segments).
Tip #4 – Provide direct-booking rewards
Incentivize direct website or app bookings by granting bonus loyalty points or exclusive refundable-rate access versus OTAs, lifting direct channel mix and reducing third-party commissions.
Tip #5 – Offer tiered advance-purchase flexibility
Create graduated advance-purchase rates where loyalty tiers unlock earlier or fuller cancellation privileges, driving early direct bookings and locking in revenue sooner.
Top May takeaways
Guest data from May revealed numerous insights into summer 2025 and how travelers are planning, spending, and booking travel experiences. With the trend towards shorter booking windows, hotels can take this opportunity to revisit their offer strategies, opt for popular features like flexible cancellation policies, and upgrade loyalty perks to drive bookings all summer long.
Ready to supercharge your digital marketing strategies to drive revenue growth and nurture loyalty? Contact us today at [email protected] or visit CENDYN.COM.
About Cendyn
Cendyn is a global hospitality cloud-based technology company that enables hotels to drive revenue, maximize profitability, and create deeper connections with guests through its integrated solutions. Serving hoteliers for nearly 30 years, Cendyn drives commercial success for hotels through its Find, Book, Grow promise: find the right guests, drive them to book direct, and grow loyalty and revenue across the spectrum of digital guest interactions.
Cendyn has over 35,000 customers worldwide in more than 150 countries generating more than $20 billion in annual hotel revenue. The company supports its growing customer base from locations across the globe, including the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Bangkok, and India. To find out more, visit cendyn.com
