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Techniques For Finding Hotel Bargains

By Dean Packingham,

So, you're about to find a hotel "bargain" on the Internet! What this usually means is an endless search through dozens and dozens of hotel consolidator websites.

Over the past few years, I've been researching different methods to find hotel deals on the Internet. I hope this helps you on your quest to find the best bargain for your money.

Priceline

      If you would like to stay in a nice hotel for a true bargain, try using Priceline . As I stated in my Priceline article, I've never been charged more than about $35 for a hotel around the Mall of America in Minnesota, a place we routinely visit for family trips. We've stayed at the following properties for that price: Residence Inn, Courtyard by Marriott, Candlewood Suites, Amerisuites. For a little more money, we could have even stayed at more full-service hotels such as the Doubletree, Hilton or Marriott. Think of Priceline as a liquidator, getting rid of extra rooms for these hotels.

Check Out the Hotel Website

     There are times when you can get the best deal by checking out the website of the hotel you are looking to stay in. This is especially true in Las Vegas, where many of the big hotels guarantee the best prices through THEIR website. I have signed up for all of the major Las Vegas hotel newsletters, so that I know when a special has been announced right away. You could do the same. If you are looking for a chain hotel, lets say the Days Inn, just head over to their site to see if they're offering any specials.

Try Calling the Hotel DIRECTLY

     It can't hurt to call the hotel directly. The hotel reservations department sometimes offers a lower rate than you would find on the hotel website or on the 1-800 number for the hotel chain. The local hotel is much more likely to care about the reservation than is the national reservation center. Ask them if there are any discounts that apply, or if there are any specials for the time you would like to book a room. Don't be afraid to bargain with the reservation department! You will have a much easier time bargaining during times of low demand.

Visit the Tourist Bureau Website

     Many convention and visitors bureau websites now offer some terrific deals to the city which it serves. A friend of mine wanted to stay at the Fairmont Empress hotel in Victoria, British Columbia, and found that the rates were very high. A thorough search turned up the same results. Then, he tried the British Columbia Tourism site, and found a very good package deal. Just be sure you are at the OFFICIAL site of the convention and visitors bureau, and not a site trying to make you think you're in the right place.

Check the Sunday Newspaper

     If a weekend getaway is what you seek, check your Sunday newspaper for some very good hotel deals. Hotels will generally offer some exclusive deals in the Sunday paper of neighboring cities, as a way to entice you to visit. They can either offer lower rates, 2 for 1 rates, or incentive-based packages, including meals, casino cash or romantic frills such as free champagne or gift baskets.

Call Your Travel Agent

     Don't be afraid to call your travel agent. Travel agents can have access to incentives to help you find a good deal on a hotel room. It certainly doesn't hurt to ask!

Buy an "Entertainment Book"

     You can save a great deal of money using the world famous Entertainment Book on your vacation. What you may not know is that you can purchase the book online for $25 to $40 each. For example, if you were heading down to Orlando for a family vacation, you could purchase the Entertainment Book for Orlando. There are 283 restaurant offers (many are 2 for 1), and you can receive 50% off the "rack rate" at many hotels, based on availability. It also has nearly 85 sports and attractions offers. It doesn't take long to recoup $25 to $40 with 2 for 1 restaurant offers, as well as the other offers they have. I'd really be interested to hear how this works for you! Let me know if you've had success using this method.

Try the Travel Hunters Top 10

     We've developed our top 10 lists as a way to help you out when trying to find a hotel room with as limited amount of searching time as possible. If you have the time, I would recommend searching through each of these websites for the best deal. You should do this after checking out the hotel website. There seems to be no rhyme or reason as to which of our top 10 websites might offer a better price at a certain time, but these top 10 are proven to CONSISTENTLY offer some of the best deals. You'll find our top 10 lists to the right!

Resources That May Help You

Tourism Offices Worldwide Directory - Links to most of the tourism offices throughout the world.

50 tips for Planning an Affordable Trip to Florida from $70 a day - a terrific article from Frommer's. Many of the techniques explained in the article apply to anywhere.

Sixty-five Tips for Planning an Affordable Trip to the Big Apple from $90 a Day - another great article from Frommer's. Again, many of these techniques can be applied elsewhere.

FlaUSA - The official planning website for the state of Florida.

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Bureau - One of the most important places to check out before you book your Vegas hotel room. Click enter from the main page, then check out the "Great Deals" tab. Great website.

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