Planning on traveling to Egypt then it is important for you to know when to go and when to book your hotel. The peak travel season for Egypt is from mid October to May and this is recommended as the best time to go and visit. The tourism season as you can see is from winter to spring. This is also the high season and prices go up dramatically during this time of year. Hotel prices can become very expensive, so it is advised that you book your hotel in advance. This goes for all hotels in Egypt, even if you are considering a budget hotel.



There are other reasons that you should book your hotel reservation in advance. Depending on the city that you are intending to stay in and the time of year will help to determine discounts or incentives for you to come and stay. Traveling from May to October you will find that temperatures are very high especially in Luxor and other southern parts of the country. Though it will be hot, you will be able to see the tourist sites hassle free and in peace and quiet.

In Cairo, there are certain hotels that fill up with Arab visitors who are escaping the heat of in their countries. Here advance bookings are not really required and there are often a variety of discounts offered as incentives to those that are willing to brave the heat and stay.

Another reason to book your reservation in advance is to find out if your plans to travel fall with in the celebration of Ramadan. Ramadan is a religious celebration that has a direct impact on hotels, restaurants and tourist attractions. There is no alcohol allowed during the month on Ramadan, many restaurants are closed and all tourist sites close one to two hours earlier then normal. There are perks to traveling to Egypt during this celebration and that is to see the month long festival, where the coffee shops are filled at night and people stay up till early morning. This is when people will go out and have fun.

The next important information when you are looking at hotels is how they are ranked in Egypt. In 1982, hotels were ranked using the star system and there were five types of hotels, Cities, Villages and Off-Shore Leave Hotels, Resorts Hotels, Floating Hotels and Camps. Since then the system used to rank hotels has been improved. While the will still use the star ranking, they have also added a sixth hotel classification, which boutique hotels. These hotels are small, usually less then 50 rooms and they are designed to give the guest a unique experience.

The ranking system judges the hotels on two evaluation rules. These rules are:

1. Environmental assessment and equipment (consisting of the infrastructure, that is, the hotel itself, including components such as restaurants, bars, swimming pools, etc. and the hotel equipment).

2. Evaluation of the level of service (undeclared visits or Mystery Shopper), within 6 months from the date of initial operations.

This new system not only helps travelers, it helps the hotel industry in Egypt as well. It now gives hotels a new way of competing with one another. Instead of just offering discounted rates, they can now compete on amenities that they offer.