You don't have to make your reservations now, although it sure doesn't hurt to do so if you know you are planning to attend. In recent years, because the number of hotels in the area has grown and because the attendance at York appears to be slipping a bit, I have found that it is possible to get reservations for decent places just a few days to a couple of weeks prior to the meet.
However, if you have a particular hotel in mind, it sure would be advisable to get those reservations in early. Our OGR crew is changing hotels again--this time back to where we originally stayed for a number of years (primarily due to convenience). Reservations for October were made just a couple of days ago.
Again, if you have a favorite hotel or chain, book the room early. There are plenty of good hotels in the area to choose from. I can't comment on one that I would not stay at again because I haven't run into that situation.
