Everyone seems to be looking for discount hotels these days. Whether its Manchester or London, New York or Chicago people are looking to save those few extra pennies off any possible hotel room. There are some obvious factors involved in the cost of a hotel room and a few not so abvious. Here is a quick list to help you.
One of the largest factors is when your booking is made. Its not so simple as just booking early as for many hotels the really cheap rooms appear when they are well under capacity and they need to sell rooms to break even. At the same time booking before a major event such as a sporting occasion can be very costly.
The key to success here is to decide when the hotel is most likely to have an abundance of available rooms. Usually, the best times to book a room are the few days following a main sporting event or public holiday. You'll probably find cheaper rooms can be found following the kids long summer holiday as people don't like to remove their children from school as they correctly see is an incredibly important part of the child's tutoring.
Another idea is to book for slightly unusual dates. For example booking in almost any hotel from Sunday to Wednesday is usually lower in price and you may be able to get a much improved room. You will also find that the many events and activities going on around the city at the start of the week may be cheaper due to the shrinking numbers of people.
Checking comparison sites can be ok but it can also be quite sluggish and tedious, especially if you have to enter the same details in over and over again. I have found its a much better option to use one engine and modify the search criteria such as dates and room type to get improved. Most of the price comparison sites are on the same commission levels with all hotels and rarely have access to distinct offers.
Experimenting with different locations is another great idea. Hotel prices are usually directly related to their location within a city. Genuinely, the closer you get to the city centre the dearer they become. Have a look on Google Maps before you decide on a hotel to see how far it is from the main tourist hotspots. Saving money on the room is good but you certainly don't want to pay it out again through taxi and travel fares.
Also think about the amenities you really need. Do not book into a hotel with a complementary gym if you are not going to use it. You may think it doesn't matter if it comes free but you can bet that this has been factored into your overall room price so you are most likely paying for it anyway. The golden rule is never to pay for facilities you do not need or are not going to take full use of.
I know many people dislike bartering over the phone but in the case of independent hotels you might find yourself able to talk a good deal if you are persistent. Its less likely with a large hotel, these have fixed rates and tend not to speak on individual terms. Personally run businesses are way more friendly though. Give it a try, you might learn a new skill you were unaware you had.
As you can see, saving money on hotel fees is certainly possible with a little pre planning and thinking.
One of the largest factors is when your booking is made. Its not so simple as just booking early as for many hotels the really cheap rooms appear when they are well under capacity and they need to sell rooms to break even. At the same time booking before a major event such as a sporting occasion can be very costly.
The key to success here is to decide when the hotel is most likely to have an abundance of available rooms. Usually, the best times to book a room are the few days following a main sporting event or public holiday. You'll probably find cheaper rooms can be found following the kids long summer holiday as people don't like to remove their children from school as they correctly see is an incredibly important part of the child's tutoring.
Another idea is to book for slightly unusual dates. For example booking in almost any hotel from Sunday to Wednesday is usually lower in price and you may be able to get a much improved room. You will also find that the many events and activities going on around the city at the start of the week may be cheaper due to the shrinking numbers of people.
Checking comparison sites can be ok but it can also be quite sluggish and tedious, especially if you have to enter the same details in over and over again. I have found its a much better option to use one engine and modify the search criteria such as dates and room type to get improved. Most of the price comparison sites are on the same commission levels with all hotels and rarely have access to distinct offers.
Experimenting with different locations is another great idea. Hotel prices are usually directly related to their location within a city. Genuinely, the closer you get to the city centre the dearer they become. Have a look on Google Maps before you decide on a hotel to see how far it is from the main tourist hotspots. Saving money on the room is good but you certainly don't want to pay it out again through taxi and travel fares.
Also think about the amenities you really need. Do not book into a hotel with a complementary gym if you are not going to use it. You may think it doesn't matter if it comes free but you can bet that this has been factored into your overall room price so you are most likely paying for it anyway. The golden rule is never to pay for facilities you do not need or are not going to take full use of.
I know many people dislike bartering over the phone but in the case of independent hotels you might find yourself able to talk a good deal if you are persistent. Its less likely with a large hotel, these have fixed rates and tend not to speak on individual terms. Personally run businesses are way more friendly though. Give it a try, you might learn a new skill you were unaware you had.
As you can see, saving money on hotel fees is certainly possible with a little pre planning and thinking.
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