NO vacancy, but you may still get a room !
 

We plan carefully all the details for our trip, and it is disappointing to come up with a "no vacancy", "all booked-up" sign on that perfect place we chose for our stay. But, take heart and don't give up hope ! We just recently had to cancel our entire trip to NM and AZ, ending with our grand finale of four days at a lovely B&B in Sedona. They were all booked for the time ,next Sat. and up, but now , of course, our cancellation has created a vacancy . The same goes for a Santa Fe hotel, which was also booked.
My point : Our pain could be your gain !
Always try to check later, even to the last day, to see if any cancellations had occurred. That phone call may give you another chance !

This is very relevant to me. I recently booked a suite in a particular for a funeral. Mom tried to book a suite a short time later by phone, minutes not hours. No rooms. I then looked on a different website and found plenty of rooms for Mom and others. When we got there it was far from filled. I will never understand how hotels, airlines, etc. are booked.

Another thing to do is check several different websites. I tried to reserve a room in Philly on the Wyndham's website...it said it was full for my travel dates. Orbitz said the same. But I was successful booking it thru Expedia!

It is confusing when a hotel tells you they are sold out but then you go online and find a room. Turns out that some online booking sites actually buy the rooms in bulk ahead of time, then resell them. So, as far as the hotel is concerned they are sold out. This is particularly true of sites where you pay in advance when you reserve, rather than pay at the hotel.

I've experienced that Jenny! The first time I visited the Grand Canyon on spring break I had no idea how difficult it can be to get a reservation on the rim. But, as we were driving in, it started snowing. Cars were pouring out of the park. We were lucky enough to get a room right on the rim!

Same concept works for Broadway show tickets. I've ended up on front row center by buying tickets at the box office a couple of hours before the show. I think the VIP tickets that are going to be unused are put back in to be sold.

I had the same thinghappen last weekend when we decided ona quick trip to Louisville, KY to see my son in a h.s. band competition. Found the hotel we wanted but it was "Sold out" on orbitz and expedia. Decided to just go with whatever came up on hotwire and got the hotel which was supposedly sold out. At a MUCH cheaper rate to boot.