For many decades, the period after the children went back to school and the weather started to cool was considered the shoulder season for travelers to many destinations.
With the family market largely cut off by the start of school, travelers not bound by kids’ schedules or the busy period in many workplaces could score major deals on flight tickets or hotel rates. Traditionally, flight fares in September or October have cost between 20% and 40% less than travel booked for July and August, NerdWallet notes.
Amid a drop in bookings, many hotels have also traditionally lowered fares and offered more promotions and deals.
But between the rise of the “coolcation” (travelers specifically seeking to avoid the heat by traveling later in the year and to colder destinations) and the desire to avoid the severe overtourism at many European cities and popular destinations during the peak summer months, fall travel has been on the rise for several years.
Fall hotel room rates jump by 179% during the fall months in some destinations
Presented during the 38th annual Travel Week in Las Vegas, luxury travel adviser network Virtuoso’s Luxe Report 2026 revealed that reservations at the more than 1,800 hotels and resorts in its global network were up by 59% for fall 2026.
More specifically, hotel bookings are up 55% in September, 59% in October, and 70% in November. With the trend most prominent for hotels in Europe, the average room rate on the continent is up by 7% over the next three months.
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In places such as the French Riviera and the Italian province of Puglia, this percentage could be as high as a respective 179% for bookings and 78% for room rates.
“Shoulder season has officially shed its bargain reputation,” the report summarizes.
“Bookings to Europe this fall climbed 49% even as rates rose more than seven percent, lifting overall sales 64% and showing that travelers are choosing the season for what it offers rather than what it saves.”
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More fall 2026 travel trends: very early booking and the endless allure of wellness
While travelers are not necessarily calling their trips during this period “fallcations,” the numbers show that tourist numbers are only expected to rise, even as many parts of the world see increasingly extreme heat during the summer months.
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Other trends identified by Virtuoso include travelers who book much further in advance. The number of travelers booking their hotel room more than one or two years before the trip rose by 50% between 2025 and 2026. The likelihood of early booking rises significantly in the ultra-luxury segment, where the booking cost tops $50,000.
Wellness is also a trend that does not seem to have petered out. Bookings at resorts offering guests a spa experience were up by 28%, while rates have also responded to this demand, spiking 23%.
