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Do you have a champagne taste but a beer budget? Don’t want to spend all your travel budget on a bed and a shower, but want a clean and relaxing home base while on vacation? To get the most bang for your buck, here are some simple ways to save money on hotel rooms so you can wow your family with better vacations.
#1: Bundle your trip
These days, most people book hotel rooms using a travel search engine, such as Travelocity or Expedia. To save money with these websites, try bundling your trip. That is, book your hotel room, rental car, and/or flight together as a package.
This will usually save you a significant amount of money over booking each component of your trip separately.
Many times, these online travel companies will give you a discount, sometimes even a free night or two, by booking a package.
#2: Be flexible
Flexibility in your vacation planning is one of the easiest ways to save a ton of money on all aspects of your trip. Hotel rooms are no exception.
If you can be flexible, play around with your dates and location. You may find that you can save money on a hotel room by simply adjusting your dates by a day or two.
By avoiding holidays and special events in your destination city, you can get a better selection of hotel rooms at much lower better prices.
Additionally, if you can be open minded about the neighborhood in which you stay, you may be able to save quite a bit on your accommodations.
For instance, my husband and I stayed a block outside of Times Square on our trip to New York City and saved a fortune on our hotel room. We did the same thing in New Orleans. We stayed at a hotel on the edge of the French Quarter, which was a lot cheaper than those on Bourbon Street.
This one tip could save you a bundle without compromising your desire to be near the action.
#3: Sign up for a rewards program
If you stay in hotels more than once a year, it may be beneficial for you to sign up for a hotel rewards program.
You can either choose from a program offered by a particular hotel chain or go with a program such as Hotels.com. They give you a free night after you book ten nights through their website.
Loyalty rewards offered through the various hotel chains may include everything from free nights and upgrades to discounts and other benefits such as automatic late checkout.
If you are a part of a airline rewards program, book your hotel rooms with Rocketmiles. They give you bonus airline miles for each hotel room you book with them. This is a great way to earn extra miles without flying.
#4: Shop around
Many times, you can find the same hotel room for widely differing prices, depending on where you look. So, it’s important to shop around.
Check out prices on websites like Travelocity and Hotels.com, but also check prices on the hotel’s own website.
Additionally, look at the local visitors bureau website of your vacation destination. Sometimes, they will offer discounts on local hotels and attractions.
#5: Take advantage of the off-season
If you have the luxury of traveling anytime of the year, try going during the off-season. This can save you a great deal of money on your hotel room.
Hotels are not as full during the off-season, and therefore, they offer their rooms at a much lower price. An additional benefit of traveling during the off-season is that you will find lower crowd levels.
#6: Avoid weekends, if possible
Hotels routinely charge more for their rooms on weekends than during the week. Therefore, to save money on hotel rooms, stay during the week instead of on weekends if possible.
If your trip will span a week or more, plan your arrival and departure so you minimize the number of weekend nights you stay in the hotel.
Whenever we travel to Disney World, I always plan for us to arrive and leave on a Monday or Tuesday. This way, even though we spend a week there, we only pay for one weekend instead of checking in and departing on a Saturday. This alone can save us a few hundred dollars on each trip.
Likewise, if you are taking a weekend trip, try staying Saturday through Monday instead of Friday through Sunday. This way, you only pay for one weekend night instead of two.
#7: Negotiate
This next tip sounds crazy, but I promise it can work! To save money on hotel rooms, you can call the hotel directly and negotiate a better price than what is advertised.
Hotels don’t make money if they have empty rooms, so they are motivated to fill those rooms any way they can. By offering to pay a reasonable, but lower price, you provide the hotel with a win-win situation. You get a cheaper hotel stay, and they get a filled room.
This works best with smaller hotel chains, independent hotels, and bed and breakfasts. You should ask to speak to a manager when you call to negotiate the price.
I first heard about this tip from a travel expert over 15 years ago. I thought it was too good to be true. But, I have to say, I tried it myself and it worked! I saved about $20 per night the first time I used this tip and got a great room in a bed and breakfast in Savannah, Georgia.
Give it a try and see how much you can save.
#8: Think outside the box
Lastly, when it comes to booking accommodations for your trip, think outside the box. To save money, think beyond the traditional hotel chain.
Look at small boutique or independent hotels. Think about staying at a bed and breakfast. Try renting an apartment or house through airbnb.com, homeaway.com, or another vacation home rental website.
Many times, by using these alternatives, you can get a bigger space at a much lower price. This is an especially good tip to use when you are traveling with kids and need more space than you typically find in hotel rooms.
Conclusion
Traveling is a fun way to spend quality time with your family and create priceless memories. So, it’s important to get the most out of your trips. These simple tips can stretch those travel dollars by helping you to save money on hotel rooms.
I hope you use some of these tips to save money the next time you book a hotel room.
For more money saving tips, see how to save on airfare, food, and rental cars and how to save for vacations. Also see how to take amazing vacations on any budget and how to plan an epic family vacation.
Happy travels!
P.S. Need help finding the best places to go on your family vacations? My Ultimate USA Bucket List for Families will instantly give you 60 of the best vacation destinations for families in the United States! Get it for FREE in the box below and start planning your next trip today! Plus, as a bonus, you will receive my weekly email newsletter full of family trip tips and inspiration!
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