I booked a couple of hotels over the last week or so, using a couple of different methods. Both yielded pretty good results. I’ll share them below as a suggestion for ways you might want to try to book your own hotel in the future.
My number one suggestion for finding the right hotel is to use TripAdvisor.com. I love this site. It’s filled with honest reviews from other travelers. The reviews help to rank the hotels. You can view this ranked list and make sure you’re staying at a nice place. It’s not about ranking the fancy hotels at the top either. It’s based on overall value. So a modest 3 star hotel could be at the top of the list.
For my first reservation, I used TripAdvisor.com’s rate search. It searched the major online booking sites (hotels.com, expedia.com, orbitz.com, and a site new to me called bookit.com. Bookit.com had the best deal on the top ranked hotel where I was staying. They were running a special and gave me 25% off the room price, plus half off parking.
For my second reservation, I called up the hotel company directly. I asked for any current specials they had running. I was able to secure a last minute “72 hour special” for around 70% of the normal price.
My best tip for getting a nice hotel for less is to shop around using different methods: online direct, online travel site, phone direct, etc. And always ask if a better deal is available or if any discounts are up for grabs. Be prepared to pay up front for the better deals.
What are your tricks for booking a hotel for less?
Here are some of the better reads from last week…
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Another Way Dave Ramsey Gets it Wrong
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How to Get Social Security Benefits
What is Your Relationship with Money?
How to Become a Millionaire
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Carnivals…Rich Money Habits, Best of Money, Money Stories, Personal Finance, Debt Reduction, Festival of Frugality, Financial Planning.
Last Edited: February 18, 2012 @ 1:53 pmDid You Like This Article? Get free email updates! Sign up now and receive exclusive content and a FREE COPY of my eBook '31 Days to Improve Your Financial Life'. Enter your name and email address below: |  |
I really appreciate the review sites that rate based on value-- I can get a nice hotel just about anywhere. I don't want to have to pay through the nose to get it though. I want the most for my money and it's sites like that that help anyone find just that.
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