The Ultimate Guide to Cheap Hotel Room Booking
Why pay more than you have to for your hotel? If you search for a particular hotel on any search engine you will find wide a range of prices for the same room.
You do not want a cheap hotel so much as a good hotel for the minimum cost, so YOU are the one paying the lowest rate in the hotel
Figuring out the best time to book a hotel isn’t an exact method — there’s plenty of variation throughout the industry. But if we’re looking at statistics, the lowest prices for hotel rooms are typically found just 15 days before your stay.
Yes, last-minute hotel bookings are (usually) better. A 2022 NerdWallet study analyzed more than 2,500 hotel room rates from 2019 through the first half of 2021 and found an average of 13 percent savings for those who booked 15 days in advance as compared to those who booked four months in advance.
Keep in mind this is just an average and doesn’t take into account busy travel periods, such as the holidays, when you should definitely book in advance.
Insider Tips for Affordable Hotel Room Reservations
Online hotel booking can save you big bucks once you arrive at your destination as well. During tourist season, expecting to walk off the street and find a room for a reasonable rate is only going to disappoint you.
You either wont be able to find a room at all, or it will be much too expensive.
If a hotel has rooms ready to go, they will be reserved for online sales. So if you are a last-minute kind of person, dont even bother to try visiting an establishment in person to find a room.
Instead, locate the nearest Internet connection and book the room online! Not only will you get a really good price – youll actually get a room. Sometimes you can get a discount hotel room for only $60 per night, in a 3 or 4 star building!
When booking hotel online, youll have to provide your credit card number over the Internet, but it wont be charged right away. Your credit card is used to hold your reservation until you arrive and check in, at which time you can pay using any method you prefer.
Online booking boasts many benefits you cant enjoy when making reservations via the traditional route, in addition to the money-saving side of things.
For instance, an online reservation website may have hundreds of hotel listings so you can choose from a wide range of hotels, room sizes, and amenities.
And these sites usually give you access to additional hotel discounts, special offers, combination deals, and hotel events, making it easy to put together an affordable package of discounts. The whole process usually goes very quickly and smoothly.
But make sure you dont choose just any hotel, based solely on the pictures provided online, and the low price. The one disadvantage of online shopping is the inability to determine whether or not a hotel really is clean, safe, and worth the price.
As with any major purchase you make, research the hotel you’re considering before committing to a booking read reviews from fellow travelers who have stayed at the same place and look through unbiased opinions on the hotel from various sources.
Many websites offer information from other globetrotters that will help you determine whether or not a particular lodging is acceptable or should be nixed off your list of potential accommodations.
Anytime you book discount hotel rooms online, make sure you read the fine print: check if the rates change for an extra person, and if breakfast, parking facilities, and hotel shuttle services are part of the deal.
Read the hotels cancellation policy to know what you’re getting into when you book and determine if there are any special added rates you need to look out for.
With this knowledge in hand, you should never have to pay full price for a hotel room again. The Internet offers the experienced traveler an excellent opportunity to enjoy a great vacation for less if you’re willing to give it a try.
The best strategies for finding affordable hotel rooms
1. Choose a hotel based on recommendations.
Personal recommendations are not always possible, but look for booking sites that have a customer comments page. The reports are well worth checking out.
They are usually short and people only bother if they have had a particularly good stay or if they have unfavorable comments to make. Comments like – Bathroom had smell of urine in the carpet, tell you far more than a glossy brochure or website ever could.
2. Use the Internet for cheap hotel
The Internet allows you to compare prices, facilities and meal packages far more easily than was ever possible before.
3. Be flexible in dates
If you are flexible in dates, hotels or room facilities you can indeed drive a deal. Avoid Weekend travel, stay midweek, and at all costs, avoid school holiday periods.
4. Be flexible in location
If you are prepared to stay in less popular cities or on the outskirts rather than the city center you will get a better deal.
5. Look out for last minute deals
If you can do so, and all you are looking for is a break away, then check out the Internet for last minute deals. These offer outstanding value.
Last-minute Hotel Booking Risks
Last-minute hotel bookings might save you money, but they’re also a little risky. If you wait till just before your trip to book, your preferred hotel — or maybe all hotels in the area — might be sold out.
To mitigate this risk, we suggest booking a hotel room with free cancellation as soon as you see a deal that feels reasonable to you, even if it’s several months in advance.
After you book, monitor the price of your hotel room regularly. If the price drops, you can cancel your reservation without penalty (double check the fine print before booking!) and rebook at the lower rate. This method requires a little work, but it does ensure you’ll get the best rate at your hotel.
It’s better to look at the bigger picture when figuring out the best time to book a hotel, opting for those prime windows at about two weeks and two to three months before your trip, depending on the destination. And at the end of the day, whenever you find a rate you’re happy with, book it
