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Getting a good room rate will make you feel like a million dollars, and free up cash for having fun and eating well on your vacation. If you can save even twenty bucks on a hotel room, you'll have dough for a few drinks at a bar, admission to a musuem, or even a little something for your kid's college education. There are two ways get a low rate, the quick way and the thorough way. Both offer a guarantted lowest price, but with the more thorough way, the more work you do insures that you really found the lowest rate.
Compare the rates of Expedia and HotelDiscounts.com. Each guarantees it has the lowest rates, and if you find a lower rate within 24 hours of booking and alert them to it they will refund the difference. The trick is, if there is a lower rate out there you have to find it, because they sure aren't rushing to tell you about it.
Tip: When using Expedia, the results are sorted to show you the lowest rates at the nicest properties. In other words, they won't show you the cheapest places in town right away. If you're after the absolute lowest price in town, find the "Change Your Search" box in the upper left corner. From the "Sort by" menu, choose the option "Hotel Class (1 to 5)". Doing so will display the dirt-cheap options.
Get a pen and paper because you'll need to write down the different prices we come up with from the following sources:
Start your search by getting prices from the hotel discounters. Click
on the following links and get the prices for your vacation dates. Each
will give you the names of many hotels and their prices. From those listed,
jot down the ones you want, either by price range or selection. Don't
see anything that floats your boat? Go on to Step Two.
Booking with Hotwire or Priceline can get you a heck of a deal. The only trouble is, you're not sure exactly where you'll be staying. these services negotiate special rates with hotels, but the hotels don't want everyone to know that they're offering the special rates. So you can select your neighborhood and price range, but not specific properties. If you're not particularly picky and just looking for a dirt cheap rate, these can be a good deal. Just proceed with caution.
Now we'll compare those prices to what the hotels quote you. Search for phone numbers inside our Cheapo Guides (or if you're visiting a city we haven't covered yet, use Yellow.com or Yahoo's yellow pages to look up phone numbers). Whomever you speak to, Specifically ask if they have any specials. If there's a place you really like, and you don't get the rate you want, try calling back hours or days later. Often, reservation agents will quote different prices depending on a variety of factors, including their mood. Hotel rates fluctuate wildly, sometimes in mysterious ways.
If you're using one of our city guides, click on the website links for hotels. If not, use Google or another search engine to see if the hotel you want has a website. See if they have any Internet specials or if you can get a price quote online.
Not everyone has a travel agent he or she can trust. We don't, but there are good ones out there. If you have one you like, give the agent a call and see what prices he or she can dig up. Tell the agent exactly what hotel or hotels you want because they will otherwise try to push you toward a hotel that may or may not suit you. Don't let them push you around! Also, remember that just because you checked with an agent doesn't mean you have to book with the agent. You're just getting a price, and don't let them tell you "it's selling out quick," or "this price is so good you better book today."
So, what was the best price? Now that you know, book it and feel secure that you got a good rate. If you book with one of the discounters in Step One, remember they both have a "low-price guarantee." That means that after you book a room through them you need to keep watching prices. If you see a lower rate somewhere, alert Expedia or HotelDiscounts.com and tell them. If they verify the lower price, you'll be refunded the difference. It really works! So, come back here and go through this process and see if the prices have dropped at all. Even if it's the company you booked through that dropped its price, you get the refund. But only if you tell them.
Don't book with a discounteruntil you understand the cancellation policies.
Discounters offer special prices which you often have to prepay completely.
There is often a small penalty for cancelling a room booked this way.
Sometimes the prices are so low they justify pre-paying, but make sure
you're comfortable with the rate and you feel confident the hotel meets
your needs before authorizing the charge.
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