8 tricks to land a cheap hotel room
I have a habit of taking my time when it comes to picking hotel rooms. Whether in my home country or somewhere far away, I don’t just walk into the first hotel I find. Never. You are probably wondering, what exactly is this guy looking for?
Well, like you and other travelers, I’m also interested in the best hotels near me. That’s for sure. But besides the experience, I’m also looking for opportunities to pay less for hotel rooms.
Some people call me broke, but I know I’m not. What’s the point in paying hefty sums for hotel rooms when I can find offers that cut my bills in half?
This mentality has helped me hunt for and secure good hotel deals over the years. If you’d like to learn my tricks, read this post until the end.
8 tricks to land a cheap hotel room
1. Speak with a travel agent
I know many of us are past the stage where we rely on travel agents to plan our trips. But sometimes, these guys have the best answers to our biggest problems.
For instance, when you need cheap hotel deals. They can connect you easily with various hotels offering great deals. This is thanks to their wide networks of partner groups and companies.
The travel agencies on Nicelocal, in particular, have a long history of connecting travelers with the best pocket-friendly service providers anywhere in the world. You should check them out today to see if they can help you score a cheap hotel deal in your target destination.
2. Buy someone else’s hotel booking
The first trick is to look for someone stuck with their reservation. Many a time, a traveler may have a change of heart about staying in a place. So, he starts looking for who to sell his reservation to at a cut-price rate. This kind of deal is what you want to take advantage of.
The only question is, how do you find travelers who want to sell their reservations? There are two ways. The first is to consult with the hotel attendant to see if anyone wants to transfer ownership of their reservation. And the other one is to look for sources online. I would recommend the first method, because it’s safer and more assuring.
3. Hunt for coupons online
It is true that there are coupon codes for virtually everything on the internet. But one thing you’ll struggle to find coupons for is hotel deals. And that’s because most hotels rarely offer coupons.
Yes, you read that right.
What you’ll normally find are coupon codes for third-party booking companies. These companies are booking sites where you book reservations to the best hotels around the world. For example, coupon codes for Expedia.com, hotels.com, Agoda, Tripadvisor, Kayak, Airbnb, Hotelscombined, and so much more.
So, when hunting for hotel coupons, you’ll need to look out for platforms offering coupons for the kinds of companies listed above. Usually, you’ll see ads popping up on your screen like, “40% off select hotels on Tripadvisor” or “$50 off $200 booking on Kayak.”
4. Compare hotels and deals
Before settling for a hotel, check multiple sites for the best deals.
The go-to sites for most people are popular hotel booking sites like Expedia.com, hotels.com, Agoda, Tripadvisor, Kayak, Airbnb, Hotelscombined, etc. But I advise you not to stick with those.
Yes, you can use them to get an overview of the hotel prices in the area. But after that, go to the actual hotel website to see if you can land promotion offers or discounts based on the number of days you’re staying. Usually, you’ll find more information about a hotel on their site than on a third-party booking site.
5. Demand a price match
If you know what a competitor hotel is charging elsewhere, you can ask your target hotel to match this rate when booking your stay.
Although no hotel will tell you they offer price matches, most will budge when you show them proof. The same is true for hotel booking sites, too.
If you notice that Kayak, for example, is charging more Expedia to book a reservation, you can request a price match when booking on Kayak. When they do, you can provide a link to the cheaper-priced site.
6. Book your reservation during the midweek
It is no news that hotels are generally busier over the weekend than during the midweek. This is mostly because more people travel over the weekend.
As a result of this, sales are usually low on days like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. To keep the business moving, most hoteliers offer discount deals during midweek.
If you can, it’s advisable to book your stay for midweek. You’re likely to score cheaper deals on a Tuesday than a Saturday.
7. Look for hotels offering inclusive deals
You may find a great hotel with an amazing discount reservation offer, only to find that you have to pay for parking, wi-fi, pool service, and other essential needs.
This is not the type of deal you want to hop into if you’re looking for a cheap hotel deal. Even though the actual reservation rate seems pocket-friendly, the other fees will shoot your overall expenses up in no time.
When hunting for deals, look for hotels offering so many freebies like free wi-fi, parking, pool service, breakfast, gym, etc. Even if the basic reservation fee looks expensive, the fact you won’t be paying for extras means your overall expenses will be much lower in the end.
8. Leverage your credit cards
Some credit card companies offer credit points for using their service. You can use these points to score important reservations whenever you need one.
Other than that, as a credit card holder, you are also eligible to enjoy certain exclusive deals. For instance, as a MasterCard holder, you’re eligible to enjoy a 10% discount off select hotels when you book your reservations on Hotels.com via a coupon published on Coupon Sherpa.
Credit card holders can find similar deals on other coupon websites and hotel booking websites. You just have to search for them.