How to find affordable hotels near a big convention at the last minute
Finding accommodation at short notice during a major conference is extremely difficult and drives prices up to hundreds of euros per night for basic hostel beds. This shortage and inflated pricing stop attendees from securing reasonably priced lodging close to the event. Event-goers are left struggling to find any available place to stay without breaking the bank.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- This comes up 24.0× more often in r/travel than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Booking far in advanceDid this help you?
- 2Staying outside the city and commuting via public transit or ride-sharingDid this help you?
- 3Refreshing event registration websites for canceled bookingsDid this help you?
- 4Staying in a nearby town and commuting by trainDid this help you?
- 5Visiting smaller local festivals insteadDid this help you?
- 6Going to beer gardens later in the seasonDid this help you?
- 7Staying at campsites and bringing warm beddingDid this help you?
- 8Splitting a hotel slightly removed from the center but near a U-Bahn stopDid this help you?
- 9Trying couchsurfingDid this help you?
- 10Visiting alternative towns like Salzburg the week before for a similar vibeDid this help you?
- 11Booking an Airbnb together to accommodate a groupDid this help you?
- 12Leaving lodging arrangements for guests to sort out themselvesDid this help you?
- 13Staying with local friends or familyDid this help you?
- 14Looking at hotels and inns about 30 minutes awayDid this help you?
- 15Using a school bus or shuttle to transport guests between the hotel and the venue both waysDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Nowhere, everything is booked out weeks and months in advance.”source ↗
“one, it's very hard to find accommodation at short notice this time of year.And when you CAN, it's extremely expensive.”source ↗
“Hotel and hostels are stupidly expensive”source ↗
“Beds in hostels can be north of 400€ a night”source ↗
“Hi guys I’m looking at going Oktoberfest in Munich what would you recommend the camping looks fun like a big party but a tent is slightly off putting. Whereas hostels are very pricey at the moment but at least it’s familiar…”source ↗
“The wedding weekend is a football weekend, with a Georgia Bulldogs home game, so the hotels in Athens (45 minutes from the venue) are (a) full or (b) high priced.”source ↗
“Because the majority people were either local, or were traveling but already had lodging covered with local friends/family, we did not establish a hotel block.”source ↗
“I'm feeling badly and that I should have done a hotel block back when we first chose the venue and set the date.”source ↗
“I need a place to stay, and that sounds amazing!”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 13How do I find a place to stay that doesn't have hidden review issues?
- 6How to find a safe and clean hotel in a new city
- 3Where should we stay on our wedding night?
- 3Hostels with private rooms and private bathrooms that are still social
- 2Do I have to book a hotel from the official entry form list?
- 3How to find affordable accommodation in Lapland