Recently, we came across a press release about so-called “threat dates.” But before you jump to any conclusions, take a deep breath, sister: They aren’t some kind of scary blackout travel period where the TSA alert level is raised from orange to red, or whatever.
They’re actually a good thing. Well, sorta.
“Threat dates” are days when a hotel shouldn’t expect a high volume of occupancy due to other world events. As described by event-planning trade publication BizBash, threat dates are “upcoming major events—trade shows, galas, award shows, premieres, conferences and festivals” that could interfere with the hospitality industry. Think the Super Bowl, the Olympics, Easter, Mother’s Day…events and holidays that large groups of travelers tend to steer clear of time and time again. (For a full list of these dates for 2019, check out BizBash’s Masterplanner.)
So how do these “threat dates” affect you? For one, hotels could often be cheaper on these dates, when fewer travelers are known to book that weekend trip to Tulum or bachelorette in Vegas. Hotels are aware of dates when occupancy is low and adjust their rates accordingly, typically on popular booking sites like HotelTonight or Hotels.
