How Far Ahead Should You Book for Summer on East 62nd Street?

The honest answer

Book early for summer. Late July and August are the weeks we hear about most, and they're the first to go, especially the larger apartments and the whole house. If you already know your dates, there's no reason to wait.

If you need one apartment

A couple of months ahead is comfortable for a single apartment in summer. You'll have real choice of layouts and dates. Inside a few weeks you're picking from what's left, which in July and August can be thin.

If you need a group or the whole house

Give yourself six to eight weeks, more if you can. Fitting a group into the whole house, or a main house plus a suite or two, takes more calendar to line up than a single apartment does. We've had guests book the whole house plus suites for eight people, and the earlier those requests come in, the easier they are to say yes to.

Why booking early costs you nothing

You get a full refund if you cancel more than 30 days before check-in. So if your dates are even roughly firm, booking now holds them and you can still back out for free up to a month before you arrive. Inside 30 days a booking is non-refundable, which is the other reason not to leave it late.

Booking last minute

Still possible, and worth a try. Text me your dates and I'll tell you straight what's actually open rather than making you guess. I'm a real person and I answer.