Hotel and Lodging Money Saving Tips, Ideas and Advice to Reduce Your Travel Costs and Travel More Cheaply

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HOTELS & LODGING - Page 2

Getting the Best Hotel Rates (continued)

can call the 800-number of the national chain’s web site to book the room. And, fourth, since room pricing is based on local demand, make sure you call the actual local hotel location to get a price (you can get their phone number from the chain’s web site). Believe it or not, chances are you will get different pricing and availability, sometimes from all four sources. So, once you know where you want to stay, check pricing and availability in all four ways before booking. But make sure the pricing is comparable and includes all costs, including any potential booking fees from the travel web sites. And if you are talking to a person at the chain’s 800 central booking number, or at the local hotel location, ask them if they have a better price after they give you their initial price quote. In other words negotiate, you just might get a better price.

b. If the hotel of interest is an independent hotel and not a member of a national chain, you will either need to contact them directly for final pricing and to book the room, or if they are listed on the travel web sites you can visit these web sites for pricing and booking. However, lately, the web sites of some independent hotels are including both pricing information and the ability to book online. As with major chain hotels, independent hotels can have different pricing for the same room, so check all sources.

c. Once you know what the pricing is for the room, you can decide to book the room or wait. Sometimes room rates are cheaper the earlier you book, but sometimes not. What will happen to pricing and availability if you wait a while before booking is anyone’s guess. But if you are not in a hurry, and room availability does not look like it will become a problem in the near future, you may want to check your pricing sources a few more times over the next several days and/or weeks before you book. And remember, just because one pricing source was the least expensive at one point in time, does not mean it will also be the least expensive the next time you look at pricing. While checking back on pricing a few times before booking to try to get better pricing is more work, it can sometimes pay off in considerable savings, particularly if you are booking the room for several days.

d. Once you have gotten your best pricing and have booked the room, make sure you get a computer print-out of the reservation that includes cost, what is included and a confirmation number. If you are dealing directly with the front desk, make sure you get the name of the person who took your booking, and note the date and time you called.

e. Remember, if you do make a hotel reservation, check to see if it is a guaranteed reservation to ensure that your room will not be “sold” to someone else if you arrive later in the day (usually after 6:00 PM). More than one person has been surprised to find out that their room reservation was not honored because they arrived late. On the other hand, if your reservation is guaranteed, and you will not be using your reservation, make sure you cancel the reservation (usually before 6:00 PM) to ensure that you do not get charged for the room.

3. Sometimes, waiting to book a room until the day of arrival is either necessary or “worth the risk.” If you are taking a driving vacation and touring around, you may not know exactly where you will be staying for the evening, until evening actually approaches. Or you may be on a trip where you know exactly what location you will be staying at, but want to take a chance and see what the hotel and room look like before you book it, as well as try to get a discounted price. So, if you do not have a reservation (or perhaps even if you do), consider the following tips to get a nice room for a great price.

a. Since hotel rooms are essentially worthless to the hotel’s proprietor if they are not sold for the evening or even for the next day, sometimes very low rates are available for those who just show up at the front desk. Generally, the later you arrive in the day, assuming plenty of room availability, the better the pricing. But, of course, there is a risk that no rooms will be available, or even if a few are, prices may not be attractive. Of course, even if this happens, other hotels in the nearby area may have reasonably priced rooms available.

b. Even if you have a reservation, you may want to consider, before disclosing your reservation to the desk clerk, asking what rooms they have available and the price. If plenty of rooms are available, you may be quoted a rate lower than your reservation rate for the same type of room. If so, mention to the clerk that the rate is lower and ask that they honor the lower rate. They should be more than willing to do this.

c. If you do just walk up to the front desk to get a room, ask for their rate. Once you get the quote, ask if they have a lower rate or they have discounts available. Quite often the price will come down for some stated reason, particularly if you are willing to walk away. Or, if not already included, they may include free parking or free breakfast to get your business.

d. Some individuals traveling with laptop computers will find an Internet hotspot and pull up the hotel’s web site and travel web sites to check rates and availability right before they walk in the door to the front desk.