Summary:
- Hotel booking windows shortened ahead of the Austin Grand Prix, Key Data reported.
- High hotel demand closely matched vacation rental activity.
- Guests are booking closer to major travel events.
HOTEL BOOKING WINDOWS shortened ahead of this year’s Formula 1 Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, held Oct. 17 to 19, according to Key Data, a short-term rental analytics firm. A comparison of 2024 and 2025 data showed that periods of high hotel demand closely matched vacation rental activity.
Key Data Dashboard found that hotel and vacation rental bookings in Austin moved in sync, with a correlation score of 0.91, where 1 indicates a perfect match.
Meanwhile, hotel booking patterns shifted from 2024. Bookings made more than 180 days before the race fell 8.1 percentage points, while those made 60 to 179 days out rose 7.2 points and 30 to 59 days out climbed 8.8 points.
The data reflected a shift toward shorter booking windows for major travel events as guests booked closer to arrival. Early bookings dropped 17.3 points and last-minute bookings made 15 to 29 days before the event fell 7.8 points as travelers shifted to mid-range windows.
A July study by TakeUp, a revenue management platform for independent hotels, found that 95 percent of U.S. travelers are more likely to book at an independent hotel when offered personalized deals based on their interests.
