When it comes to the cost of a trip lodging is right up there with transporation as being the biggest chunk of your budget. If you are like me, you don’t want to pay full price for anything and hotel rooms are no different.
There are no secret formulas or tricks you need to do to get a great rate. There are things that you can do that will take a little effort but it will be worth it in the long run.
The following are some practical ways to help you save while booking hotels for an upcoming trip.
1. Book in the off season or weekdays
In my post about saving money on flights, being flexible with travel dates was one of the ways to save and the same is true with hotel rooms.
Places that are popular have times when they are busy and other times when they are not. So, if you have the flexibility to go into an area during their slow season, it can save you money.
Weekends are busier for hotels and so the price is going to go up. Staying at a hotel during the week is going to save you money.
2. Use travel booking sites
Online Travel Agency or OTAs are sites that can help you save money on hotels. Some of the better OTA’s include: Agoda, Booking.com, Priceline, Hotwire, Trip.com and Hotels.com.
All of these sites have many of the same features but there are differences. The purpose is not to go over all of these sites in this post but to let you know that they can be used to find some deals.
3. Become a member of booking sites
One of the ways that you can save even more with OTA sites is by becoming a member of the site itself. You can do this easily by using your email or you can sign in with a Google or a Facebook account.
Sites like Expedia, Booking.com, and Agoda have member only prices. You can save 10% to 15% on your room. Hotels.com gives you member only prices and a free night after 10 nights of bookings.
4. Download online travel agency apps
OTAs like Hotels.com and Booking.com offer some hotels at a bigger discount through their app then you will find using a computer.
This is not always the case, but the hotel you want to stay at may be lower.
5. Use Google hotels
In the previous two points, I talked about using OTAs to find the best deal. There are all kinds of these sites and so you can use an aggregator site to do the work for you to see the different OTA sites.
Some well known aggregator sites are Trivago, TripAdvisor, and Kayak. They pull in all of the different OTA’s so you don’t have to search each site individually.
My favorite aggregator site is Google.com/hotels. Here is a guide to show you how to use the site.
Type in the city and dates that you are going to be there. Next, you can click on “All Filters” and then select “Lowest Price.”
The map to the right will also show you the location of the hotel(s) and from that you can pick the hotel you are interested in.
Click on the hotel and it will take you to a page with all the different booking options. The top sites are usually ads so you will want to move down and click on “View more options” since not all of them are shown.
Once you find the best price click on it and book at the site.
6. Use Rakuten
I like to use Rakuten when I am shopping online. The site can also be used when you are booking your hotel. If you are booking rooms with major brands like Marriott, Hilton, Bestwestern, IHG and others you can get a few percent back.
This also works if you are using an OTA like Expedia, Booking.com, and Priceline. Combine Rakuten with a cash back or hotel credit card and it can make a difference.
7. Join hotel loyalty programs
Hotel chains like Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, IHG, Starwood and others have loyalty programs that you can sign up for and they are free.
Some hotel reward programs offer you points that you can earn by staying at the hotel. Those points can be redeemed for free nights. Other, hotel reward programs offer you member only perks like free wifi or free breakfast.
8. Book directly with the hotel
Check the hotel site itself when you are wanting to book a room. If you find it lower on their site, than on an OTA then you can book it. If it is not as low as the OTA site that you found, you can call them and ask them to match or beat the price.
Plus, if you are a member of a global hotel brand, the only way to rack up points is to book through the hotel directly.
9. Affiliation memberships
AARP members, seniors, AAA memberships, students, and members of the military may be able to use those affiliations to get lower rates at hotels. You can ask the hotel directly or find deals on the internet.
10. Book rooms with free cancellation
Many times when you go to book a room there will be a non-refundable rate and a free cancellation rate. The non-refundable rate is most of the time lower than the free cancellation price. Depending on the site, you can cancel anywhere from 24 to 72 hours before your reservation.
When possible I like to find a good rate and then book the hotel room as far out as possible. I then use the free cancellation feature.
The reason that I do this is because I keep checking the price over time. If I find a better price, I book the new room at a lower rate and then cancel the first one. I keep doing this until it is about time to go on the trip.
Google and most of the sites have filters that you can use to show you only rooms that have free cancellation when doing this.
11. Feeling lucky try a “mystery deal” or “price bid”
Priceline and Hotwire both offer mystery deals at a savings. Hotwire will show you the features of the hotel plus price. What you don’t know is what hotel it is that you are getting.
Priceline will show you a number of different hotels with the names of each hotel, similar features, and same price. What you don’t know is which hotel you are going to get in the end.
Priceline and Hotwire both offer a price bidding feature. You give them the price that you would pay for a room and they either accept or reject your bid. If it is accepted, then that is the price that you have to pay.
12. Use apps to find last minute deals
Some people like to fly by the seat of their pants when it comes to traveling. It is part of the adventure. Most people are not like that but sometimes things fall through or plans change and you need to find a room at the last minute.
Hoteltonight is an app that helps you find last minute deals. It allows you to book rooms days out but waiting until after 4pm on the day of booking can help you land rooms as much as 50% off.
OneNight is another app that can help you find last minute deals. The app is only for selected cities and you cannot book a room until after 12pm the day that you want the room.
13. Buy discounted gift cards
There are sites that offer discounted hotel gift cards. You can then use the gift card to pay for your hotel.
Some sites where you can purchase discounted gift cards include Cardcash.com, Raise.com, and Giftcardgranny.com. All of these sites have discounts through Rakuten.
One way to add to your total discount with this approach is using Rakuten to go to one of the above sites to purchase the gift card, use a cash back credit card to purchase the gift card and then book your hotel through Rakuten again using the gift card.
If you belong to a loyalty plan with a hotel, gift cards count towards point earnings and status when booking directly with them.
14. Hilton Friends and Family
My sister and brother-in-law both work for Hilton hotels. A number of years ago, my sister told me that she added me to her Friends and Family account. At the time, I did not know there was such a thing. Through the program friends and family of employees of Hilton can receive discounted pricing on rooms.
When you book a room, you do so through the Friends and Family portal. Not all hotels in an area offer reduced pricing on rooms but there are always some.
The savings many times is substantial. For example, my daughter and I scored a 5 night stay in a studio room with 2 queen beds at a Home2 Suites for under $430 in Florida.
As I mentioned before I will book a room with free cancellation. I do the same things with the Friends and Family program. The $430 hotel we stayed in was originally over $500 when I first booked it.
Besides Hilton, other major chains like Hyatt, Marriott, IHG along with others have Friends and Family programs. So if you have friends or family that work for a major chain of hotels, asking them about being added on to the program can save you some money.
Alternative accommodations
When I was growing up and our family traveled, we rarely stayed in hotels. We had a camper that we always stayed in. After the initial cost of the camper and the extra gas to pull it behind your vehicle, it can be a way to save while traveling. This would even be more true if you were using a tent and camping.
If you are overseas, staying in a hostel can be a great way to save on lodging. Sites like Booking.com and Hotels.com have hostels.
A number of well known sites for booking hostels are Hostelworld, Hostelz.com, and Hostelbookers.
If you have friends and family in an area, staying with them can cut lodging costs dramatically. Free is always a great way to save money.
Depending on the situation staying in a Vrbo or Airbnb can be a way to save on lodging costs. Not everyone wants to or is able to use one of the following methods.
Final thoughts
It is easy to go down rabbit holes when doing searches for hotel rooms. You can spend countless hours trying to find the best deal. I would use the methods that you feel most comfortable with that I have mentioned and leave it at that.
Go to my blog Travelwidstom to learn how to earn and maximize credit card points and miles, how to travel better, ways to save on travel, and travel itineraries and destinations.