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A meeting is scheduled Friday January 2 in Orlando and I would like to stay Thursday night in a hotel near Taraby Ct Orlando, FL 32817-3292. Preference is for hotels clustered on University Boulevard, just west of the University.

Google returned:

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The challenge is that the meeting date / time has changed three times. If the price does spike up: then I would prefer to book the hotel the morning of January 1 (assume that the meeting is firm January 1).

Question: Given the context of 5 days: Do last minute hotel prices go up like airfare?

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    Not an answer, but I've used the app "Hotel Tonight" many times in this type of situation and always found a good room at great prices. Its target audience is the short notice "I need a hotel tonight" travelers. I've not tried it in Orlando though. I'm not affiliated, just a satisfied user. Commented Dec 28, 2025 at 16:36
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    It depends a lot on the hotels, the location, and the dates. Like flights, some "advance booking" fares may no longer be available, as they may consider that if you need a room at short notice, you are ready to pay more for it. But if there's lots of availability, they will probably keep the discounts (and may even in some cases discount even further, but will often do so on alternative channels). Another option would be to book the room with a refundable fare (often only a few $ more), but check the deadline for that, it can vary a lot. Commented Dec 28, 2025 at 17:24
  • @Midavalo "Hotel Tonight" idea seems really cool, but none of the hotels (returned by Google) were returned in "Hotel Tonight". Commented Dec 28, 2025 at 19:36
  • I don't know anything specific about Orlando, but I believe that quite generally prices can go up, down, or remain constant. SOMETIMES it is possible to walk up to the desk, offer a price below the posted price, and have it accepted. I have done it. MOST of the time they say no. And rarely customers with a paid reservation are denied a room. Most often prices rise because companies try to engineer the prices for maximum yield. Commented Dec 28, 2025 at 22:02
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    Keep in mind that this date range is during PEAK travel season in Orlando. Your best bet is to book something refundable right now, and then search for "deals". It all depends on inventory. Prices usually do not drop during peak travel season. Commented Dec 29, 2025 at 3:26

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Hotels don’t spike automatically at the last minute the way airfare does, but in Orlando they often get more expensive as you get closer, especially around busy dates like New Year’s.

Orlando is a high-demand market (theme parks + conferences + holiday travel). As rooms get booked, hotels tend to raise prices on what’s left rather than discount heavily. Last-minute drops do happen, but they usually rely on cancellations and are very hit-or-miss. You might get lucky — or you might find only a few rooms left at much higher rates.

With only ~5 days to go and a holiday involved, waiting until Jan 1 is a gamble. The safest approach is to book now at a refundable rate, then keep checking prices and cancel/rebook if they drop once your meeting is firm. That way you’re protected from a spike without locking yourself in.

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Yes, they can spike. I've seen a dinky Holiday Inn Express in Boston that's typically $100/night spike up to over $1500 (yes, that is 15 times higher than normal).

However, this is rare and given current pricing and availability unlikely. Hotel rooms are a bit like the stock market: sometimes they go up and sometimes they go down .

Another good sanity check are websites like "hotwire.com" (no affiliation) which sell last minute hotel rooms at discounted price. If you see good availability on hotwire, chances are rooms are not selling out.

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