Lovemoney.com
Sign in Register
Cookie policy
Follow this topicFollow this topic Knowledge » Travel

Five ways to cut the cost of your hotel!

John Fitzsimons
by Lovemoney Staff John Fitzsimons on 25 September 2009  |  Comments 6 comments

John Fitszimons takes a look at the best ways to save a few bob when booking a hotel break.

Five ways to cut the cost of your hotel!

Wherever you're hoping to spend your holiday this year, chances are, you'll want to keep the cost of your hotel to a minimum. Let's face it, hotels can end up working out to be pretty pricey, so if you're looking for ways to save money, make sure you follow my five clever tips on how to cut the cost of your hotel!

Tip #1 - Travel off-season

It stands to reason that hotel rooms will cost more when everyone is on holiday. After all, there's more demand, and hotels know they can charge more. So why not go a little earlier, or later, than everyone else?

A good way to judge this is to go on holiday once the kids have gone back to school! Providing you're not a school teacher, and you don't have kids, this is a far better way to get a cheaper deal on your hotel room!

Tip #2 - Book early - or last minute!

I know this seems contradictory, but trust me, it works!

If you can book up a holiday well in advance - I'm talking more than a year here - then you tend to get a much better deal. Equally, if you book very late in the day, perhaps with a day or two to spare, then you can also get your hands on a great priced room.

However, the latter option is very much fraught with danger. While on occasion you will get a great price, it's at least equally likely that most hotels in the area will be fully booked, so you may end up paying way over the odds just to secure a roof over your heads.

I prefer the early option every time.

Related goal

Have a cheap holiday

Find out how to cut the cost of your flights, get discounts, tip correctly, spend wisely, get cashback and most importantly, cut the cost of your holiday.

Tip #3 - Get discounts

First of all, you should have a look at sites like lastminute.com and Expedia, which tend to get absolutely amazing deals on hotel prices (in fact Expedia even offer a guarantee that if you find the same hotel room cheaper anywhere else, they will refund the difference).

But there are loads of other sites to check out, like Discounthotels.co.uk, hotelclub.net and (particularly if you are off to the States) hoteldiscount.com.

It's also well worth reading the travel sections of national newspapers both during the week and at weekends, as they often have a selection of cracking looking deals. However, be sure to act quickly as they will disappear pretty sharpish!

Tip #4 - Take a gamble!

This is my favourite tip, and if you like taking a bit of a step into the unknown, it's definitely for you!

Lastminute.com isn't just great for arranging a trip at short notice - it's also an awesome place to get a hotel room at a shockingly low rate. The catch though is that you don't know which hotel it is.

An absolute shedload of brilliant hotels - we are talking top of the range here - have signed up to the Top Secret Hotel scheme, offering up to 45% off their nightly rates. You go on, pick which date you want to go, and you'll be given a description of the hotel, as well as its location and rating. But not its name.

Only after completing the booking do you get sent the name of the hotel, though in all honesty, once you have the location and description, most of the time it doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out just which hotel they are referring to.

In fact, lastminute.com's sister company, Travelocity, has also started a similar service, though it's quite hidden on the site, so good luck finding the relevant deals!

And if you are just looking for somewhere to stay in London, you might also want to check out Discounted Hotels London, which offers its own secret hotel service.

Rachel Robson reveals five ways you can save on your holiday

Tip #5 - Go grocery shopping

If you shop at Tesco, or have a Nectar card, then you can trade in your points for some brilliant hotel deals. Build up points on a Tesco Clubcard and you can get money off all sorts of hotel chains, including Hiltons and Marriots, while you can use Nectar points to get money off deals at Expedia.

So if you shop at Tesco or Sainsbury's, but don't have a loyalty card, you could be missing out on some bargain hotel deals!

So there you have it, my top five ways to cut the price of your hotel. I'm sure you all have amazing tips of your own, so be sure to share them via the comments box below.

This is a classic article which has recently been updated.

More: The very best card to take on holiday | Five vital tips for your next holiday

Compare a host of financial products at lovemoney.com

Enjoyed this? Show it some love

Twitter
General

Comments (6)

  • Lidunian
    Love rating 1
    Lidunian said

    Another excellent website for booking discount rooms is www.laterooms.com

    It is a bit simplistic to dismiss hotel pricing policy with "there's more demand, and hotels know they can charge more" Most hotels have an economic rate known as the rack rate. With perhaps the exception of Christmas & New Year, when staff costs are substantially higher, most will rarely charge more than the rack rate no matter how heavy the demand. Sure there are some rip-off merchants around who jack up prices when there is a special event around, but usually it rack rate. At times when demand is slack and rooms are unsold, then discounting will take place. Out of season there are simply too many beds chasing too few punters and the discount is designed not just to attract you from the opposition but to generate trade that might not otherwise exist. It is even possible to get rooms for free provided that you eat at the hotel, on the basis that the room is costing them much the same whether it is used or not (apart from a bit of extra heating, hot water, laundry and those free sachets of things that you are going to nick if you dont use them), and there is profit to be made in food and drink. At the end of the day they would rather put a head on the bed at any price and hope you buy something else than leave a room empty - pretty much the same philosophy as seats on discount airlines.

    A tip: Most discount websites like Laterooms, Last Minute etc charge the hotel a hefty commission. For example I know one of these is a minimum of 15%. Get the room details and price off the discounter's website and contact the hotel direct. Let them know what price you have been quoted and where and then negotiate a further discount against the commission they would otherwise have to pay.

    Finally, the contents of the tea and coffe tray, and the toileteries in the bathroom are not "yours to take cos youve paid for them". The hotel provides a selection and assumes a typical or average consumption when setting the rack rate. To get a discount rate then clear the lot out is, frankly, cheap & miserly. It is particularly galling for the small Guest House and B&B who just can't buy these things at anything like the bulk price paid by the hotel chains. It is also bad form to eat breafast then sit stuffing rolls with the meat and cheese for your lunch!!

    Report on 31 May 2010  |  Love thisLove  0 loves
  • Coolanthony
    Love rating 0
    Coolanthony said

    Sir,

    With respect, I must point out that being a world travler in my job, you could say I know a lot about hotels, on how they operate, and how they con you: I read the article by John Fitzsimons, and thought it was a load of rubbish, as he looks like a Y.M.C.A. merchant to me: You want to save money in a hotel as follows:

    1. Make your own tea with your own kettle, always works, get the extra sugar off the maid, and buy your milk from outside.

    2. Don't use the mini bar ( If Installed ) costs twice as much to drink the same outside for half of the price. If you drink cold drinks buy outside and replace before the count the next day.

    3. Don't use the telphone in your room for overseas calls, they are expensive, and you are only billed when you check out ( Big Shock )

    4. If you are like me I wash my own shorts and T Shirts, if you need to press then now and again use the trouser press, works 100%.

    5. When you go to breakfast and you dont fel hungry at the time take a small plastic bag with you and fill what you like and eat in your room later on.

    6. Having been in hundreds of hotels worldwide, best value for money being room, good food, friendly service, and of course good points, go to the Holiday Inns they give good value, and they are all over the world.

    7.Never change your money in a hotel NEVER they make commission every time, change at the airport on the way to the hotel, just enough to cover your taxi, and go to a local bank next morning: 

    8. In some hotels the maid put out peanuts & crisps by the T.V. or on top of the fridge, make sure they are free, or you get billed in some hotels, asnothing is free in hotels, thats why they make good money,from people who don't know any better:

    9. Remember room service is never free, its added to your bill, me, I like my tea when I want it, so remember the little old kettle, with the International Plugs, to jack in, no matter where you go:

    Hope this gives you some insight, in how to save some money at least.

    Regards

    Paul Beaumont: 

     

     

    Report on 08 June 2010  |  Love thisLove  0 loves

Post a comment

Sign in or register to post a reply.

Related content

Our top deals

Credit card
company 		Balance transfers rate and period Representative
APR 		Apply
now

Barclaycard 22Mth Platinum Visa

0% for 22 months (2.9% fee) Representative 17.9% APR (variable) Apply
Representative example: assumed borrowing of £1,200, representative 17.9% APR (variable). Purchase rate 17.9% PA (variable). Refund offer reduces handling fee from 2.9% to equivalent 1.7% (Ts&Cs apply)

Virgin Money MasterCard

0% for 20 months (2.99% fee) Representative 16.8% APR (variable) Apply
Representative example: assumed borrowing of £1,200, representative 16.8% APR (variable). Purchase rate 16.8% PA (variable).

Barclaycard Low Fee Platinum Visa

0% for 17 months (1.6% fee) Representative 18.9% APR (variable) Apply
Representative example: assumed borrowing of £1,200, representative 18.9% APR (variable). Purchase rate 18.9% PA (variable).
W3C  Thank you for using Three Kings