We’ve all been there—you’re ready to take the next step on your holiday and book a hotel, but you quickly realise that hotel rooms aren’t exactly cheap. Say you want to book a room at the Ty’n Rhos Country House, a hotel in Caernarfon, it’s important to know where you should be looking and what discounts are available to you.
Try bidding sites
Bidding sites like booking.com and Expedia can often offer surprisingly cheap rates for hotels, but you need to plan ahead. Plan a few alternative options and see which one provides you with your ideal price range, giving yourself flexibility and maximising your budget. Not only that, but many comparison sites offer discounts for booking early—so be sure to plan in advance! For example, if you’re going to be visiting the UK, it would be good to book your hotel during off-peak seasons when costs are lower.
Use cash back sites
Instead of booking a hotel directly, which can often mean losing out on valuable cash back sites and frequent-flyer programs, book your room through a travel site like Expedia or Kayak. Not only will you find hundreds of options—most likely with plenty of five-star ratings—but you’ll also get rewards for using them. The best part? Booking through these third-party sites won’t cost you an extra dime.
Check Groupon
Groupon, often called a deal of the day site, offers steep discounts on everything from hotels and restaurants to massages and haircuts. The deals you’ll find will generally be for large cities like New York City or San Francisco—but if you travel a lot (or live in a major metro area), Groupon can save you big bucks.
Check out alternative places
There are plenty of alternative places that offer great deals on hotels. If you travel often and can tolerate less than five-star accommodations, consider alternative places. You’ll save big and get a sense of adventure out of it. Consider Airbnb or another home-sharing service like HomeAway, VRBO, FlipKey or HouseTrip. For those willing to book last minute, consider booking through HotelTonight.
Tips if you must use online travel agents (OTAs)
Airfare can be pricey enough when you’re purchasing it directly from an airline or website. But if you use a third-party travel site, such as an online travel agent (OTA), like Expedia or Travelocity, you could be paying more than if you’d purchased directly from the airline. Here are some tips for finding cheap flights using OTAs: Book early. Sign up for email alerts about deals and specials so that you can get in at a discount before other travelers know about them.
Don’t pay full price!
Finding good deals on hotels doesn’t necessarily mean booking a last-minute vacation—though that can sometimes work. Each site offers varying prices, so if you see a really great rate at one website, run it by its competitors before booking. This way you can make sure you’re getting every penny off your hotel room as possible—rather than overpaying for convenience or luxury amenities.
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