How do some handle when all the motels are booked when setting a trip?
No Warmshowers hosts in the area I am planning.
Don't wish to camp.

Broaden your search and go a little bit further off your planned route if necessary.

My train wouldn't get into a certain town until dark and all local motels are booked.
Don't plan on a long dark ride until I can find a place to stay.

Pick a different date?
Train station?
Bus shelter?

Air BnB?

No choice, no problem ?, change the dates to when the hotel has vacancies.

You didn't tell us where you were going or when, but hotels tend to sell out on Saturdays. Also, there are events that make hotels sell out, but if they know about it ahead of time they usually increase their rates enough that there are some rooms available. We had to go to NYC during the 5 boro bike tour, and it turns out hotels were very expensive because that. The route went right by our hotel, so that might have influenced the rates. I know in State College, rates in town are pretty high on football weekends, parents weekends, and graduation. I might be forgetting some events. You have to stay at least an hour out of town (by car) in order to find a room at a decent rate.

Planning a trip via NYS Rt.11 starting in Rouses Point. Planned to take train to St. Albans and overnight and heat is to RP In AM. T
Time for this trip was pretty much set, though I may have found another possibility, as soon as I talk to friends
AirBnb out of the financial situation

Did you try one of the motels up the hill from the center of town? Can’t remember if I stayed at the Inn at St. Albans or the Holiday Inn Express.

I believe the Cadillac and EconoLodge are both used as residences for people receiving state assistance, which is why they are probably shown as booked. I stayed in both after getting off the train, but that was in 2018 and 2021. When I tried to book the latter for the end of a trip, it showed as completely booked.

cadillac & econolodge both booked, Holiday inn out of my price range,
working on another connection to RP,
May be able to bypass St A, by taking train to RP and try motel there.

Does the train go to RP?

Can't suggest anything that has not already been suggested.

But I can say that if I am planning to sleep indoors after a train ride or flight, I make my reservations the same day I get my ticket to ride or fly. I usually have both options settled and then make both reservations.

Camping, I almost never make reservations, but more often than not do when sleeping indoors, which includes hostels in large cities.

When I took the train to Whitefish Montana in 2012 and the train was going to arrive after midnight, I called the motel I had a reservation to let them know I would arrive after midnight. They said, it is a good thing you called, we close the office at 11pm, so we will leave an envelope with your name on it with the key and they told me where to look. Got there after 2am and the key was in the envelope where they said it would be. My point is when sleeping indoors, it pays to get your ducks in a row early and keep them there.

This says platform, no shelter, waiting room closed after 11:59pm. So no chance to sleep in a train station. But this says no baggage service, so is your bike in the train car with you as luggage?
https://www.amtrak.com/stations/rsp

You were not clear if you are not camping at all on this trip, or it was just the first night you do not want to camp. There is a roof overhang in the photo, perhaps use your sleeping bag there if you bring camping gear?
https://www.amtrak.com/stations/rsp

As correction, it’s not “NY State Rt 11”, no such thing in Rouses Point. It’s US Rt 11.

My buddies and I have grabbed a VRBO at the last minute when weather forced us to change our plans and all the hotels were booked.

Judging from what the OP wrote, he’s looking for something relatively inexpensive. As I noted above, the two cheapest places in town​​​​​​—the Cadillac and the Econo Lodge—now appear to be residences for people on state assistance. That’s not unheard of in VT. The Econo Lodge in Brattleboro was that way when I was there in 2022.

There is a Warm Showers host in Rouses Point and another in Champlain.

Look on the local craigslist for a room to rent, or advertise on there with stated needs for date, arrival time, etc.

Assuming it’s in time, the Vermonter doesn’t arrive at Saint Albans until 8:50 PM. Both times I took it, it arrived late. The first time it was over 2 hours late. (Tree got blown down across the tracks in MA.)

With those stats, I'd probably do one of three things:
1. Get off in Essex Junction instead and cycle up the next day
2. Bring a lightweight sleeping bag and perhaps a tube tent and stay outside in St Albans
3. Bite the bullet and pay extra on the hotel in St Albans as part of my travel costs

More generally when I tour, if I really *must have* a hotel I'll book it at same time as other transportation, e.g. arrival overseas in smaller destination; or I'll make it at same time I make a routing decision, e.g. deciding to go into a busy/expensive urban area like NYC.

More often, I am either on a trip where I (a) carry my standard camping gear or (b) plan to mostly stay in motels but carry a lightweight sleeping bag and a tube tent as a backup. For example, picture below came riding US 83 in South Dakota. A little after mid-day I arrived in Pierre after traveling 55 miles. I could have stopped there with ample motels but it was a great day with light tailwind so decided to go for either Oneida (33 miles) or Gettysburg (59 miles). By the time I reached Oneida I was ready to stop. I knew there was a motel in town, but they were building a gas plant in town and workers had booked the rooms. I asked around and was able to put up my tube tent behind the post office.

If I really absolutely needed a motel, I would have had a reservation in Pierre at the start. In return for some flexibility (e.g. train is late, reacting to favorable/unfavorable weather) having minimal camping ability works well on trips that are primarily motels.

Warmshowers host in RP, only allows camping, will try Champlain,Thanks

State Bike Route 11

Having stayed there 3 times, that’s what I’d do. There’s a Hampton Inn two blocks from the train station. It’s right in the center of town where all the restaurants are. I cheaped out for my 2022 tour and booked at a place a couple of miles up from the town center. Big mistake. Not only was it a pain to get to, there was no good food source, Ended up with a chef’s salad from a gas station after a very hard final day that included the climb up Jay Peak into a very strong headwind.

I’m slated for Montana next month. My starting and ending lodging was booked a long time ago, Same with the one motel I plan to stay in 2/3 of the way through. And yesterday I booked a site at a federal campground I’m planning to utilize.

It’s my vacation. I prefer not to scramble.

I'm with Mev. Get off in Burlington, which is full of lodging, then take the bikeway up through the islands to Rouse's Point. Beautiful ride, flat, low traffic, with the lake on either side backed by the Greens and the Adirondacks. Or overnight in Burlington and take the ferry to Plattsburg.

If the train is not really late, that’s a decent option. It’s only about 8 miles. Sunset up there today is 8:16. Scheduled train arrival is 8:18.

Two things though. Lodging in Burlington might not be within the OPs budget. To get around that, he could look into booking a lean-to at North Beach Campground and roughing it for one night. Plenty of room for a body and a bike. Warm clothes would be advisable if the trip is soon.)

When I was last there, the “ferry” across the gap in the Island Line Trail was only running on weekends. (Schedule varies depending on the time of year.). But I would think it would be 7 days starting next weekend.

Get off train in Essex Jct, find hotel in Essex Jct or Burlington area. Next day follow bike path on the side of Lake Champlain to Rouse's Point. It's 55 miles starting from Essex Jct.