8 Tricks for Saving on Your Next Hotel Stay

How to save money on hotel rooms. 

Stay from Sunday to Thursday or look for special weekend only deals

It’s generally cheaper to stay in a hotel on weekdays, when most travellers have gone back to work, so try to time your stays during the week to save some moolah.

Alternatively, some hotels are targeted towards corporate travellers who generally stay only during the weekdays, so these hotels offer special deals for weekend stays.

Use a discount hotel booking site

Hotel booking sites get the best deal because they get the best deals on hotels. Our favourite is Booking.com because it’s super easy to use and we always find the best deals on it.

Avoid festivals and holidays

During festivals and school and public holidays, the prices of hotels and accommodation skyrocket because demand is extremely high. So it is best to avoid travelling during these times. If you have to travel during these periods, it is best to book well in advance, up to 6 months ahead if possible, and take advantage of the advance purchase rates.

Advance purchase rates

Many hotel chains offer discounted Advance Purchase Rates of up to 30% off if you prepay your stay at least 30 days before arrival. The cancellation policy is very strict with these rates and no changes or cancellations are permitted and therefore this option is only useful if your dates are set and you don’t require flexibility.

Ask for any available free upgrades

You know how the saying goes, “ask and you shall receive”. Well, this is applicable to this one. It is always worth asking about any free room upgrades available when you check-in. Worse case scenario, they say no, and that’s not a big consequence. Best case scenario, they say yes, and you score an awesome suite for the cost of a standard room!

Join hotel rewards programs

Major hotels usually offer a free membership plan that offers rewards in return for occasionally emailing you with their latest promotions. With the increase in travel, many hotels have become competitive with their rewards programs, which is good for us, because now the hotels offer great benefits like free Wifi, free nights, extended stay offers, and exclusive member only sales and discounts.

Use your social media following to your advantage

Have a lot of social media followers? Ask for a discount in return for posting your feedback of the hotel on your chosen social media platform. It’s best to include a photo that accurately shows the hotel and your room, and include a short caption to describe your experience. Make sure to ask the hotel for their usernames and hashtags and include them in your post too so that your followers can find the hotel easily.

Use hotel price comparison websites

Hotel price comparison websites, like Trivago, are great because they allow you to input your chosen hotel and dates and they will show you which website is offering the cheapest rate at that time. Many hotel booking websites vary in price because of different booking fees and contract rates with hotels, so by using these simple comparison websites, you will save time and will get the best rate.

Book at the last minute

Just like purchasing in advance can save you money, many hotels do not run over 90% occupancy most of the time and therefore they have rooms to spare. Hotels use apps, like Hotel Tonight, and websites, like lastminute.com, to sell off their unfilled rooms at highly discounted prices. So if you want to save some money and don’t have your heart set on a certain hotel, it is worth waiting and using last minute apps or websites to snap up some savings.

How do you save money on accommodation? Comment below xx

 

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