Looking
to score the perfect hotel room to make your summer vacation complete but don’t
want to break the bank? Getting the room you want for the price you’re willing
to pay usually gets a little more challenging each summer as the vacation
season gets underway and hoteliers enjoy a surge in demand for rooms and room
rates climb higher.
Check hotel website for specials Some hotels - and whole hotel chains - maintain a
policy of offering the lowest rates at their websites. Visit the hotel’s
website to get an overview of its rate structure and any special deals that may
be available.
Advance booking rates One deal that pops up increasingly at hotel websites
is a discounted rate for advance booking. These rates are generally among the
most attractive available, but don’t sign up for one unless you’re absolutely
certain that you will be at the hotel on the date you select. Like cheap
airline tickets, these discounts lose their allure if you’re forced to cancel,
because your credit card will still get charged for the room.
Visit discount travel websites Once you’ve scoped out the rates available at the
hotel’s website, pay a visit to some of the discount travel sites, such as
Hotels.com, Cheaprooms.com, Hotwire.com, Travelocity and Orbitz. See what rates
these third-party travel bookers can offer for the hotel room you want. Be sure
you’re comparing apples to apples. Make
sure that the hotel room available through one of the discount websites has all
the amenities of the one you researched at the hotel’s site. Read the fine
print before you finalize a reservation through a discount site to be sure
you’re aware of its cancellation and refund policies.
Consider package deals If your vacation plans include air travel and perhaps
a car rental at your destination, several of the discount travel sites can
offer more attractive package deals if you book air travel, car rental and
hotel room through them. Even a package
that combines only air travel and hotel room can bring you significant savings
over the cost of booking these items separately.
Be flexible There
is no hard-and-fast rule, but hotels that count on business travelers for the
lion’s share of their business tend to charge higher rates on Sunday through
Thursday nights, the nights most often booked by business travelers. At the
other end of the spectrum are the hotels that cater primarily to leisure
travelers. Rates at this second group of hotels tend to be higher on weekends. If you stay flexible, you can take maximum
advantage of each hotel’s low-rate days by ensuring your stay includes as many
of those days as possible.
Don't overlook standard discounts Most hotels offer discounts of 10 to 20% for members
of AAA, senior citizens, government employees, and active and retired military
personnel. Check the rates for any discount you qualify for and compare that
rate with, say, an advanced purchase rate if you’ve decided to go that route.
Talk to hotel reservationist Don’t finalize any deal until you check with the
local hotel’s reservations by telephone. Sometimes the reservationist knows of
a last-minute special rate or discount that is not available on the website and
can hook you up for additional savings or tip you off to an attractive upcoming
deal.
About the Author: Don Amerman is a freelance author
who writes extensively about digital media, corporate strategy, travel, and snow machine rentals.
1 comments:
hello ms Tightwad - i have found that if I phone the hotel directly quite often there is a special price.
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