We all know that choosing holiday accommodation can be daunting, so we came together with this guide to help you find cheap hotels or a good spot for your next vacation, for less. With a big or small budget or tastes—our list of top places to grab some shut-eye has your holiday covered.
How to book cheap hotels
Finding a great deal on hotels room can save you a lot of money. Hotels regularly sell their under-booked rooms for less than their standard price. The Internet is flush with hotel discount websites, but figuring out which site offers the best price can be tricky.
Find cheap hotels using the search aggregate websites
Aggregate sites search all over the web to look for hotel room deals and display them all at once for you to browse. That does not mean, however, that all the sites will show the same information.
- Kayak.com
- Booking.com
- Hotels.com
- Travelzoo.com
- Trivago.com
- Hotwire.com
Besides using the right hotel booking sites, there are some hacks you can use to score the cheapest room rate possible for your next trip:
Book directly with the hotel
They often have the best deals on their website, but if you find a better deal elsewhere, they’ll match it. Another big benefit to direct bookings at these hotel chains is that you earn loyalty points and status when you book directly.
Use loyalty reward programs
Collect points with the big chains by using their branded credit cards, shopping portals, and other travel hacking methods.
Bargain
Call up a hotel and ask for one. Sometimes they can give you better rates, especially if it’s during mid-week on some non-peak time of the year.
Use discount rates like AAA or AARP
If you are part of the AARP or AAA you can get special rates that are cheaper. They have amazing travel benefits (including deals on hotels and British Airways flights).
Get discounted gift cards – You can book major hotel chains with hotel gift cards. Check out a website like Giftcardgranny.com for discounted gift cards and use it to book your hotel.
Set price alerts for your intended travel dates
Many booking sites let you set alerts so that you can be notified if prices go down before you book. Set alerts on a few different sites for your intended travel dates and watch them carefully for a couple weeks before booking.
Photo by Elina Sazonova from Pexels
