If you’re traveling this holiday season, staying in a hotel is probably your best bet to avoid the busy airports and long lines. And as many of us know all too well, hotels can be very expensive. This post will show you how to take advantage of them for your own benefit! Check out tophotelsglobally.com. Here are 10 tips for saving money on a hotel that we hope will make your travel plans a little easier.
1) Register with an online travel agent
Travel agents like Expedia get discounts on plane tickets as well as other perks like access to express security lanes at the airport and free shuttle service between the airport and hotel. I’ve been using Expedia for the past few years and have found their prices to be pretty close to their competitors.
2) Use Groupon or LivingSocial instead of Expedia
Living Social also allows you to book a stay at a different hotel than what you’re already staying at, which is great if you’re looking for something outside of your normal routine. Groupon offers pretty good deals as well, with nice perks and rewards for signing up. If you buy their gift cards at the end of the year, your number of points will go up and some people have said they’ve even gotten free stays from them!
3) Book through an online travel booking website
Although Expedia has an awesome booking tool (linked above), many other sites offer similar services that are equally easy to use. I like to use Orbitz because I can book hotels at various locations, and I’ll stay near the center of the city (so it’s easier to get around) for my stays. They have a good booking tool on their website that’s really easy to navigate. You can also get last-minute hotel rates there, which are often 25% off of Expedia after you book through them!
4) Consolidate Your Checkouts and Costs
If you’re going to spend $40/night on a hotel, use a coupon code from the site where you booked your room or from LivingSocial or Groupon during check out. These sites offer deals for consolidating your checkout costs, which can help save you money. You can also use the points offered for signing up with them, which will help you save money down the line, or simply take advantage of their deals and coupons.
5) Stay Somewhere Cheap, like a Extended Stay Hotel
I stay in extended stays quite often when I’m traveling somewhere on business. The rooms are usually very spacious, and they’re usually clean. The rooms at an extended stay hotel will cost between $50 – $100 per night, which is a significant difference when compared to some other hotels that are $200+ per night. I’ve also saved a ton of money by finding last-minute rooms here at times when there were no other options available.
6) Don’t Pay for Parking
When you’re driving into a hotel, don’t pay the $20-$30 they will probably charge you. There is almost always street parking that’s free or very cheap in big cities. I was able to park outside of my hotel room for only $5 per night when I stayed in Philadelphia. Street parking can be harder to find in some cities, but it’s definitely worth the extra effort if you don’t want to pay for a spot.
7) Check out sharing a room with a roommate
I’ve always stayed in a shared room while traveling and it’s not as bad as it sounds. I’ll usually share my room with another guy (my buddy Eric) who happens to be traveling the same weekend. This allows us to save more money on rooms, and we usually go out together anyway, so we share expenses when we’re out at dinners or bars. I’ve also had other friends who have shared rooms before, and they’ll pay half of the bill for the hotel stay, splitting up the cost of paying for our rooms when we’re there. Plus, it’s fun to meet other people who are traveling!
8) Get a Travel Reward Credit Card
If you’re going to be traveling anyway, getting a travel reward credit card like the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card or the United Mileage Plus Visa would be a good decision. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is known for its 50,000 point signup bonus ($625 value), whereas the United Mileage Plus Visa gives you 2 miles for every dollar you spend. You can use your points for hotel stays or cash back when purchasing tickets through United Airlines. Both of these cards will give you future discounts on travel expenses as well so that’s definitely a plus.
9) Find a Hotel with Parking
If you’re traveling by car, find a hotel that offers parking for only $10-$20 per day. You can usually find such deals around big cities if the hotel has a lot of parking spots available. If not, you can park on the street for free or for a very low cost. This trick has helped me avoid paying for expensive parking fees by booking hotels that offer free or cheap parking.
10) Take Advantage of Breakfast Deals
Many hotels offer breakfast deals that are often included in the price of your room. They’re usually “continental” style breakfasts, which include muffins and fruit, but some hotels also offer hot breakfasts as well.
Conclusion:
It’s true that hotels can be expensive, but there are plenty of ways to save money on them if you know what you’re doing. As we all know, the more money you save on hotels, the more money it will leave in your bank account for your next trip. I hope this article has helped give you some ideas about how to do just that!
