Hotel rooms are an essential part of the travel experience. However, the cost of hotels can be very expensive. Computers allow consumers to search numerous Internet websites to find great deals on hotel rooms. But it takes time, patience, creativity and careful planning to save money. If followed closely, the following techniques can be used to help you secure a high-quality hotel room at a greatly reduced cost.

Book hotels through Hotwire.com. Hotwire is discount website that offers low-cost, high-quality hotel rooms. Hotels generally have many available rooms and they use websites like Hotwire to fill them. The website requires customers to purchase the hotel room before the hotel name is revealed, but there is a way around this. Do a preliminary search on Hotwire for your travel dates and see what the options are returned. Write down the hotel location, amenities, TripAdvisor.com star rating and rate. Before purchasing the hotel room, visit BetterBidding.com; the website provides an extensive list of hotels used by Hotwire. Compare your Hotwire search results with the information on BetterBidding.com to get an idea of which hotels are being offered. After comparing the Hotwire search results with the hotel information provided by users on BetterBidding.com, you are ready to purchase your hotel room. Use the Hotwire link from BetterBidding.com and search the hotels again. Select the Hotwire hotel with the price range, star rating and amenities that correspond with your research. After purchasing the room, the hotel name will be revealed and you should have a hotel that reflects your research (see Resources).

Search boutique hotels or bed and breakfast. Boutique hotels and bed and breakfasts offer nice accommodations without the flair and additional fees of more expensive hotel properties. These are generally owned by independent operators and have a distinct character and charm that is not found at the big chain hotels. Though they may lack certain amenities, they tend to provide adequate service, clean rooms and an attentive staff all at greatly reduced prices.

Travel on off-peak days. Hotels are generally booked solid on the weekends when most people are traveling. However, midweek travel offers deeply discounted hotel rates. Hotel rooms are much cheaper Monday through Thursday when hotels are at their lowest occupancy rates. Take advantage of the increased inventory by looking for weeknight specials to cut the cost of your lodging.

Tip

  • The Betterbidding.com technique can also be used to identify Priceline hotels as well. Instead of doing a preliminary search on Priceline, visit Better Bidding for a breakdown of the recent winning Priceline bids. Be sure to make note of the hotel names, star-ratings, neighborhoods and the price range of the winning bid. Use this information to carefully tailor your hotel bid to secure a high-quality hotel room at a steep discount. Betterbidding.com is a free website that is open to everyone.

About the Author

Based in Atlanta, Baldwin Ellis has been a writer since 2007. He covers fitness, mental health and travel, with work appearing in print and online publications such as Scazu Fitness and USA Today Travel Tips. Ellis holds a Master of Arts in community psychology.

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