Getting the Best Hotel Rate

Getting The Best Hotel Rate, Tips on getting the best hotel ratesGetting the Best Hotel Rate

Getting the Best Hotel Rate – You don’t have to overpay for a hotel room — there are tricks and tips you can use to find the best room rates so you can enjoy your trip guilt-free.  Following are some tips for getting the best hotel rates any time you travel. Your mileage may vary, and some hotels are more flexible than others, but these tips should keep you on the winning side of the bargaining table.  Find the Best Hotel Deals Here

Look Into Business Hotels

Business hotels can provide great deals, especially when traveling within Europe.  The reason for this is because businesses can often be slow during summer months and on weekends.  This can lead to lower prices during these slow times.

Shop around online

You might think, with real-time information zooming across the Internet all the time now, that all of the online booking web sites would have exactly the same rates. Not so. In fact, I’ve often found vastly different rates for similar rooms at the same hotel on various travel sites. It’s worth taking the few extra minutes to pull up the same hotel on a few of these and compare the prices.

Call The Hotel Directly

If you’re hoping to snag an upgrade, checking in toward the end of the day might be your answer.  Hotels have a better sense of their occupancy at the end of the day and are more likely to offer upgrades that are still available.

Book Within The Cancellation Period

When it comes to hotels, sometimes waiting until the last minute can help you get a better hotel room rate.  Typically, a hotel’s cancellation period is anywhere between 24 to 48 hours in advance, at which point rooms become available at lower rates.

Bundle Your Airfare and Hotel Together

Try to bundle a flight purchase and hotel booking, as it can often lead to savings for both simultaneously. A lot of travel sites offer a bundle package, and is usually cheaper then booking your hotel and airfare separately.  One popular site for travel bundles is Booking.com.

Sign Up For Hotel Loyalty Programs

One of the best ways to receive free upgrades is to sign up for a loyalty program and then stick with that chain for hotel stays. Many programs also include free nights or free items with bookings, besides using points for your stay.

Sign Up For Alerts On Price Drops

When you don’t have the time to keep a close eye on prices, sign up for alerts through websites like Hotels.com and Kayak.  They’ll take care of the work for you, emailing you when the prices start to drop while ensuring that they don’t flood your inbox.

Mention When It’s a Special Occasion

Whether it’s your birthday, anniversary, honeymoon, or first time at a hotel, it never hurts to mention that you’re there celebrating a special time.  Sometimes, it can lead to upgrades or amenity kits that help make your stay all the more special.

Negotiating when you arrive?

Leave all your bags in the car.  Don’t haul all of your luggage into the lobby and then tell the agent that you’d just as soon go elsewhere if they can’t bring their rates down. You’ll look tired, hassled, sick of lugging bags, and ready to pay handsomely to unpack that suitcase.

Points.com

GREAT program to manage all your loyalty program balances in one place: your Points Loyalty Wallet. Add programs to your wallet by entering your account information, and they’ll show you all of your balances at a glance, updated in real time. Currently, you can track over 100 programs. You can redeem your loyalty points and miles for more than just travel! Use your wallet to reward yourself with shopping, dining and entertainment gift cards from retailers like Amazon.com, Best Buy, iTunes, Macy’s, Starbucks, Cineplex, AMC, Target and many more.  Build up your favorite balances faster by using your wallet to move points and miles between your loyalty programs. There’s no fee to exchange points or miles between your programs. This is a great way to get the points you need for airline and hotel miles.  Sign up for free here. 

38 Comments

  1. Indian Curries

    Hi! I love how informative and great your articles are. Thanks for all the great information! Love this section 🙂

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Thank you, glad you have enjoyed!

      Reply
  2. Goran Perojevic

    Very nice !

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Thanks Goran!

      Reply
  3. susmitha

    Very helpful information.Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      You’re welcome! Thanks for the comments!

      Reply
  4. Stella

    Hi Leahrae

    This really a one stop vacation planning site, very convenient, and all the extra info.
    There are so many aspects to take in consideration when planning a holiday, without the proper information it can end in disaster, your site makes it real easy.

    You have a beautiful site, lovely topic and are giving the best advice..
    Stella
    Bush Lady

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Thank you Stella 🙂 And thank you for taking the time to leave me comments. I appreciate it!

      Reply
  5. Smart mzumara

    This is the place I would love to go for vacation. It is really beautiful. I have never been to California but I would really love to go for vacation at the resort. You have all the information I need for me and my family.

    I see choose a package and I can book in advance. This takes out the stress of thinking how to plan for the vacation. You also have information how I can save money for my vacation. That is great!

    Thanks! for this detailed information for beach destinations. I will take it seriously now and plan for one.

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      So glad you found this information helpful!

      Reply
  6. Andrey

    Thank you very much for your fantastic website. It is amazing that you show people where to start and what steps to make towards desirable holidays. I hope more people will know about your website and follow your guidance.
    Kind regards,
    Andrey

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      I am so glad it has been of help to you and I hope more people will visit my website as well 🙂 Thanks for visiting my tips on hotels and resorts. Please stop by and visit again!

      Reply
  7. Ken

    Lovely website with lots of options, not a beach lover myself, love cruising though as flying is a health problem for me. Live quite close to Southampton in the UK which has a lot of cruise options.

    Will check you out for my next cruise

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Ok, sounds great Ken! I know I can help you get the best price on your cruise! Thanks for stopping by beach travel destinations.

      Reply
  8. Michael

    Hi. This is a great checklist to know when traveling. It’s amazing we don’t know the pitfalls and we don’t know what lies ahead until we arrive there on the day. better to prepare ourselves and this article gives us that kind of advice. Thanks for sharing this and making us to be aware and what to do before the outcome

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      You are very welcome Michael. I am glad my information is helpful for you in your upcoming travels. Thanks for visiting!

      Reply
  9. Carl L.

    I’m also a beach lover, I remember spending most of my late teens at a beach. I later traveled the local beaches in and around the Los Angeles areas.

    I love this site very useful information on travel destination this will make it easier for those of us who wouldn’t know where to begin.

    Keep up the good work,

    Carl

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Thanks for stopping by Carl and I am glad you enjoyed reading and learning about how to save with hotels and resorts 🙂

      Reply
  10. Mick Krug

    Great website on beach travel. My wife and I are beachcombers. We have vacationed at a lot of beach resorts worldwide. You have just about everything covered for an exciting beach vacation trip. I love your content and pics on your site. You have done a great job, well worth it for someone to explore for their next trip!

    Reply
    1. admin

      Thanks Mick, glad you enjoyed reading!

      Reply
  11. Shirley

    I’m not a great negotiator, so these are great tips for someone like me. I’ll bookmark this page so I can come back to it next time I’m planning a vacation trip. Thanks for the good information – shirley

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      You are very welcome. I am not a very good negotiator either, so these work for me. I am able to ask hotels over the phone if they have a lower rate though. You’d be surprised that they are actually flexible. Thanks for visiting my Hotels & Resorts post.

      Reply
  12. Abdulkhaleq

    A very good guidance for myself and for other who are looking for travel arrangement, good tips and advises.

    Thanks

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Great, you can save a ton if you follow the tips 😀 Thanks for visiting BeachTravelDestinations.com!

      Reply
  13. jackie

    Great information next time I take a trip I will use what I have learned from you. I am bookmarking this post for future use.

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Good deal Jackie, it is always nice to have saving on travel, leaves more for the fun 🙂 Thanks for visiting BeachTravelDestinations.com

      Reply
  14. Michael

    These are brilliant tips to know. Thanks! I have booked hotels in the past and one of the deals are they are cheaper midweek than weekends but learning more about this has given me a wider scope on what to expect now. Thanks for sharing this and I bear everything in mind on what you wrote here.

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      I am so glad I could help 🙂 I always use these tips and, being a single mom I have to do it. They do work. Anyway I can save money and have more fun money, works for me! Thanks for visiting BeachTravelDestinations.com

      Reply
  15. Christina

    Great tips! I love the simplicity of just asking for a lower rate. Everything is negotiable, right? What do you think of loyalty programs? My husband has one for Hilton and whenever he travels for work, he gets points to use for another stay another time. Do you think there are downsides to a program like that?

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      No, I absolutely love loyalty programs. I belong to Marriott, and I explicitly use their hotels unless I find a better deal. But in the long run, it is better for me to use strictly Marriott as the rewards are wonderful and we end up with a lot of free hotel nights 🙂

      Reply
  16. Christina

    These are such great tips! i love the simplicity of asking for a lower rate. Just about everything is negotiable, right?

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Yes, Christina everything is negotiable. A lot of people think hotel rates are set in stone and they are not 🙂 Thanks for reading!

      Reply
  17. Mike Chappell

    I’m actually gonna use your advice the next time I go on vacation at Myrtle Beach ! Concise , we’ll written and very informative !
    Mike

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      Thank you Mike! It will help for sure 🙂 Thanks for visiting BeachTravelDestinations.com!

      Reply
  18. Latricia

    I have had to call a hotel directly before when I was planning a trip. I wish I had done my research before arrival, because there were hidden fees not discussed over the phone and I did not ask about promotions. I wish I had. Thanks for these great tips. It helps loads.

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      You are very welcome Latricia! It does make a difference, I know. Going on vacation and not doing your homework on hotels before hand is just wasting money that can be used for fun money! Thanks for reading about hotels & resorts, and all the ways to save with them 🙂

      Reply
  19. Kayla

    This is really great to know. I’m planning a vacation for the upcoming summer and this is really going to help me out. Thanks for posting!

    Reply
    1. Leahrae (Post author)

      You are very welcome Kayla! Thanks for visiting BeachTravelDestinations.com!

      Reply

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