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HOTELS & LODGING

HOTELS & LODGING TOPICS

Getting The Best Hotel Rates

Extra Hotel Charges

Lodging Alternatives

Getting The Best Hotel Rates

Just like air fares and rental car rates, hotel and motel rates vary considerably, not just from hotel to hotel, but within the same hotel and even for the same room on the same date, due to supply and demand.  And, of course, the time of the year you need a room in various locations can have a considerable impact on the cost of the room.  And while finding the best deal can be a challenge, you can often save hundreds of dollars during your trip with a little research and effort, and end up with a better room for a lower price than you expected.  Once again, being able to use the Internet to search for the right room at the right price is important. But if you cannot use the Internet, use your phone to call up selected hotels to check pricing, and call a couple of travel agents to see what they have to offer.  Here are some tips on how to get that special room for a great price.

1.     Once you know your travel dates and locations, search the Internet for possible hotels in the area.  In most places, there will be a large selection of room types and pricing.  Keep in mind, if you choose dates that are off-peak for a specific location, rates will generally be quite a bit lower.  At leisure locations, rates are often lower during the midweek and, of course, during the off season. At city hotels, rates often drop during the weekend.  Also, if you book somewhat further away from local attractions, rates will generally be lower.  For instance, a room a few blocks from the beach will most often be considerably less expensive than a similar room on or near the ocean.  Staying a mile or two from the amusement park will be less expensive than staying next door.  Also consider alternatives to top locations that offer a similar experience and amenities, but are less expensive.  

a.  First, go the the web sites of the major hotel chains, enter your locations and dates, and see what is available.  This will give you a relative idea of cost by room type, as well as availability for those dates.

b.  Next, go to the major travel sites like Expedia.com, Travelocity.com, Orbitz.com, etc. or a web site like Hotels.com.  They all offer hotel rooms and will have a pretty large selection of both large and small hotels for each of your locations.  Included will be rooms offered in hotel chains whose web sites you have already visited, as well as rooms offered by other chains and independent hotels.  Most of the time a full description of the hotel and its amenities are included, as well as pictures of the hotel and available rooms.  At these sites, you can check the major hotels whose web sites you already visited to compare prices and terms. Remember, it is not unusual for room type, availability and price to be different at each of  these web sites for the same hotel.  It is also not unusual for one web site to offer rooms from different hotels, than does another web site.  So it pays to check for both what is available and cost. But be sure you understand any surcharges these sites may add to the cost of the room for their services.

c.  There are also several sites (such as Quickbook.com and RoomSaver.com) that specialize only in hotel “deals” and often offer rooms (both expensive and inexpensive) for considerably less than published rates.  For fancier resort-style lodging, check out SaveOnResorts.com.   Other “discount” sites that offer rooms include Priceline.com, Cheaptickets.com and Hotwire.com. Check these sites for some good bargains.  Often, booking less than a week in advance will provide the best rates.  Travelaxe.com is a site that canvasses multiple search engines for the best hotel rates.

d.  If you really want to “cover all the bases” do a “Google” search for what hotels are available for specific locations.  This search will probably reveal several hotels that were not discovered on the travel sites and discount hotel sites.  Most of these hotels, even the small ones, will have their own web site where you can check for availability and pricing.  You can often find very nice rooms at the lowest prices at these hotels.

2.     Now that you have conducted a thorough Internet search and know what hotels are of interest, it’s time to get the best deal.  Room prices change all the time, even at the same hotel.  And, even at the same point in time, it is quite common for the same room at the same hotel to be offered at different prices on the hotel’s web site, on each of the major travel web sites, and even at the hotel’s front desk.  So, once you have decided on a few hotel choices, two additional factors will influence the basic price of the room: the date you book the room and who you book the room through.

a.  If the hotel of interest is a national chain, you have the option of getting final pricing and booking one of four ways.  First, you can go to the national chain’s web site to get a price and book the room.  Second, you can go to one of the major travel web sites to book the room.  Third, you

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