How far in advance to book the RS hotel pre-tour nights?

It varies.
Most hotels I have contacted have been able to reserve very far ahead.
The Amsterdam hotel earlier this year told me to try later 3 times, even though I followed their suggested time.

I'd probably try again in December or January.

Which hotel in London? We're taking Best of London in November 2026, and I noticed on their website (Hotel Montague) that they are already taking reservations through the end of 2026. We're taking the Belgium/Amsterdam tour in April 2026 -- I emailed the first hotel for the tour in May 2025 for an early arrival, only to be told that I would have to pay a surcharge and change rooms because they had already booked all the rooms in the categories used by the tour. I guess what I'm saying is that I would at least try immediately, and if you get a response like the one you just received, better to be too early than too late. And I really would like to know the London hotel for your tour.

We've done 3 RS tours, and you get varied responses from every hotel, but the response you received is the norm. The other question you'll have is "what type of room should I book in order to be most likely able to remain in the room that I am assigned for the tour?"

You'll get responses that say, "well we don't know; as it's too soon to book."

So when they finally are taking reservations for next April/May; if they can't give you a specific room type/category to book; don't book the highest end rooms for your pre tour nights, unless you want to have to move the day the tour starts.

I would check in late Fall & also in December. For my independent trips, I begin looking at Booking.com in late Fall for the May month the following year.

We took the Best of London Tour the first week of June 2023 and booked our hotel room the first week of March 2023. At the time the Tour was staying at the Washington Mayfair. When I asked about being put in a room I could stay in for the Tour they indicated that would not be a problem. We have done many RS tours and so far have always been able to stay in the same room we have booked as our pre-tour night(s) for the nights that the RS tour was at the hotel.

I had a different experience booking the tour hotel room for my Switzerland tour(June3-14,2025) as I was arriving one day early. I emailed the hotel in January, 6 months before the tour began and there were no available single rooms so I had to book a double room and move. So, the answer is, it depends! Keep trying every so often as the hotel told you and hopefully you will be successful in getting a room you can stay in for the entire tour.
I bet the London tour is fantastic, enjoy!

Will be taking our third RS Tour this Fall (Italy - prior trips were Paris and Spain). I will also preface it by saying, we do not consider it the end of the world if we had to change rooms (which is easier than changing hotels.) Well in advance of the tour dates we just use the Hotel website direct reservation system. When we book we add a note about being part of the RS Tour and the start date. We did not need to change rooms.

I don’t know about the UK, in France and Spain we could pre-pay at the time we made the on-line reservation. (Seems to be common in Europe that you cannot pre-pay the local tax and that small amount is collected when you check-in). We have found pre-payment was not offered with our bookings in Italy. With changes in the exchange rates in the last few months it would have saved us a few dollars.

@Paul, I do most of my hotel reservations through Booking.com and more than half of the Italian reservations can be paid ahead of time. I am glad I was able to pay ahead while the dollar exchange was better than current prices.

I am taking the Best of London tour this October, and I was able to reserve my pre-stay at the tour hotel (Washington Mayfair) in February. I would contact them again this fall, six months out from the start of the tour.

I made the mistake of not booking my post-tour room in enough time and had to find another hotel for the extra post tour night that was costly. I learned my lesson after this and booked the extra rooms for next year’s tour, as soon as I got my confirmation that the tour was booked. I called my error, lessons learned!

This is my second RS tour and currently I am booked on the Best of Sicily 11-Day tour 2025. I booked months ago on both the first hotel and last hotel extra days. Are you letting them know you are with the Rick Steves Tour and using your tour code? I emailed the hotels and followed-up with another e-mail a few months later, thereby making sure I even followed-up with their FB page under messenger. Leaving no rock undisturbed when I am booking anything, thereby printing out their responds. I imagine there are some places where it may feel overwhelming to them to book too far in advance waiting to get the best price on a valuable commodity because of their small capacity or worried they will double book. Most all RS hotels are small and considered limited in the number of rooms available, as well as family owned. Personally, I cannot wait to the last minute on anything, because we are all in competition with the rest of the world. From where I stand the squeaky wheel does get noticed the most. Yes, be persistent, use the tour code and make notes, create a file and print out your responses for proof. After months of handling itinerary changes when planning a cruise for myself and family members I stepped on the ship in Spain and of course I was flagged when double checking at the front desk. According to the ship crew I had not paid for the beverage package and my specialty dinners were messed-up. I was asked what was my proof to it being paid and of course I showed them my thick file of all the changes I ever made. A day later I ended up with an apologetic note, a bottle of wine, cheese plate, plate of cookies and strawberries, all because I documented everything. I am sure there are plenty hotels not willing to book a year in advance, but never wait to the last minute and request a response (follow-up) via e-mail. Like another person stated, waiting to the last minute can get costly, thereby causing additional inconveniences when you are stressed.