Can't believe it. I am planning 12 months ahead so that I can get exactly what I want and find that the 3rd, 4th and 5th November 2013 are completely sold out at El Tovar. Is this a US holiday or a special event?
No, but depending on what type of room you sought, it's normal for most rooms in El Tovar to sell out a year in advance. Keep trying.
Call Xanterra 888-297-2757.
The information gets printed here time and again. Reservations opened up for November 2013 on November 1st 2012. The most popular lodging and rooms can and do fully book on that day.
Best plan is to book a second choice and call back consistently to see if a better option has opened up. If so, then book the new choice and cancel the other.
While El Tovar is generally accepted as the most desireable and popular lodge at the GCNP, there are plenty of other choices, and in the end, it really doesn't matter so much where you sleep at night in GCNP as long as you're inside the park.
I'm going to guess that the rooms have been blocked off for something special. It would be highly unusual for that week to be sold out (it's not even a weekend) when October weekends are still wide open.
As RedRox mentioned, call Xanterra for more info. When groups of rooms are blocked off, they do often become available again closer to the actual dates. That being said, it's nowhere the end of the world if you can't stay at El Tovar. (Personally, for the price, I'd choose a Bright Angel rim lodge over ET most days...)
Probably a wedding or something. That block of rooms will probably open up. Do as advised, book somewhere else within the Xanterra system and keep calling back.
I too would choose Bright Angel over El Tovar, so check that out. They are so close together, you get all the advantages of El Tovar with what (many would say) are nicer rooms.
The lodges on the rim are very close to each other in proximity. We usually stay in Thunderbird, but will eat at least one meal a day in the ET Dining Room or grab a beverage in the bar. I love to sit out on the veranda in one of their wooden rockers. If you don't get a room there, you will be able to enjoy the ET surroundings and offerings in other ways.
We booked 3 months in advance for this past Sunday and got Kachina. When we went to check in, just for the heck of it I asked if there were any cancellations for El Tovar. Ironically, they had received one just 10 minutes prior and it was the same type room we wanted so we grabbed it. Now these type don't always happen, but cancellations do happen frequently. Keep trying by phone.
Edited: 11:02 pm, November 20, 2012Bit difficult to keep ringing from UK so will take what I can get on-line. Not going to stress about it. As has been said its being in the park itself that's the important thing. I can have either a partial rim view cabin at Bright Angel or a partial view room at Kachina. What do you think? Which would be best? I won't spend much time in my room I know but this is a special ocassion - may not do it again.
Don't fret about a view. It really doesn't matter. I'd choose BA for charm.
I don't think you can go wrong with eitherplace. Kachina has recently been redone and is mostly your average nice motel room. I have not stayed in the cabins but everyone I know who has stayed in one has loved them and people on this board highly recommend them. I like the setting of them.
Like DTF, I think there must be something going on those dates. Money the 3, 5, and 5th are fully booked. Mrooms at Elmtovar are available all other nights in November, so they did not fully book up for Nov. 2013 on Nov.1.
Between Kachina and a Rim Cbin at Bright Angel, I would choose the latter. Something bout those rustic cabins is more appealing than the motel-like Kachina Lodge. But both are well-located, and you cannot go wrong with any room on the rim.
