10 tips for those who want to book a hotel room cheap. How to find the best price and special offers? In which system to make a reservation? Book in advance or search on the spot? All the answers are in this review.
Friends, we have formulated 10 basic principles for finding hotels at a minimum cost. Learn these rules and take them into account when planning your vacation! They will help you save money.
In this note, I share tips on how best to book hotels yourself – this is information for those who organize their own trips. If you prefer to rest on a voucher, then study my tips on how to buy cheap tours online.
Independent travelers will also find it useful to learn the tricks and secrets of buying cheap air tickets.
You can book a room in the same hotel at different prices. The thing is that different booking systems offer different prices (the reason is different agreements with hotels and the amount of commission). How to find the best price? Fortunately, it’s very simple!
There are special services that compare prices among all the most popular booking systems (such as Booking, Agoda, Islet, Ozone, etc.) and determine where you can book a hotel the cheapest. The difference in the cost for the same number can be significant: 20%, 30% or more. Why overpay? Let’s compare prices in a minute and find the best offer! In addition, each system has its own database of hotels: some are not in one, some are not in the other.
When I’m getting ready for another trip, my usual hotel search scheme always starts with viewing options on price comparison services. This is the first and most important thing to do when searching and booking accommodation!
“Bargain offer” is one of the filters that can be used. By checking the box opposite it, we will see all the current promotions that allow you to book a hotel with a significant discount.
The cost of booking a room in the same hotel on Monday and Saturday may vary greatly. As a rule, prices in hotels on weekends and holidays are higher. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to shift the dates of your trip and stay at the hotel and this allows you to save money, take advantage of this.
You can also book a hotel at a lower cost during the low tourist season (it is different for each direction). For example, the prices for rooms in hotels in Phuket in April and May are almost twice as low as in March — we took advantage of this and had a great rest in Thailand cheap.
Is it cheaper to search for a hotel on the spot, without booking online in advance? Most often, no.
You will be surprised (I am also surprised by this fact), but in 90% of cases it will be cheaper to book the same room in the same hotel on the online service than at the reception desk! The difference is not too big, but still noticeable – usually 10-20%.
The search for housing on the spot has other disadvantages. You have to spend time and effort (with a suitcase, in the heat or in the rain, looking for a hotel or guest house is a dubious pleasure). There is also a risk of getting a pig in a poke: they came and looked, it seems that the number fits, and then it turns out that in the evening it is very noisy or the Internet does not work. If you book a room in advance, online, after looking at the reviews of other tourists, such threats are minimized.
I’m looking for hotels on the spot only when I’m going to a real wilderness, hotels in which are simply not represented on the Internet, in online booking systems. This is what I did when traveling in Sumatra and Morocco. There was no other way out.
The earlier you book a hotel, the higher the chances of finding the best hotel, the best room and the best price. Do not neglect this rule, do not be lazy and do not pull! This is especially true for popular destinations and peak dates. For example, at the height of the season, it is quite difficult to book a good hotel at an adequate price in Turkey, Sochi, Crimea, Prague, Paris, Cuba, Cyprus, etc. More than once I stepped on this rake, holding out with booking to the last – I had to overpay and settle in mediocre hotels.
The cost of hotel rooms depends not only on the star rating, brand, but also on the location.
As a rule, hotels in the very center of the city are the most expensive (although there are exceptions). If there is a need to save money, why not check into a hotel a few kilometers from the center, and get to the sights and the right places by public transport or on foot? For me, it’s even more interesting — you can see the residential areas of the city, and not just the combed and glossy center.
Also, to save money, you can even book a hotel (attention!) in another city. An example from my personal experience: preparing for a trip to Amsterdam, we reserved a room at the Ibis hotel in the suburbs of the capital — Zaandam. The room cost twice as much as in hotels in the very center. The hotel itself is modern, clean, beautiful and comfortable. We spent only 10 minutes on foot and 7 minutes on the train to get to the center of Amsterdam. So we got more comfort at a lower price – beauty!
Moreover, it is possible to shift the location in this way when choosing a hotel not only for the sake of economy, but also for pleasure and comfort. If the financial issue is not acute, then, in my opinion, it is better to spend the same amount on accommodation in a good hotel of a higher level and with excellent reviews a couple of kilometers from the center than to settle in a mediocre hotel in the very center with inflated prices.
If you are traveling with your family, friends or in another group of people, then look at different types of housing to find the best option for comfort and price.
For example, if two married couples are going on vacation, then do not rush to follow the obvious path and book two separate rooms in a hotel. Check out alternative options – maybe you will be able to rent a house, villa, apartment with several separate rooms for the same or less money.
