Look for hotel discounts
If you’d like to enjoy the comforts of a four- or five-star hotel, consider a weekend stay at a hotel that caters to business travelers.
While the business traveler pays a premium during the week, these hotels lower rates to lure leisure travelers on weekends. These rates are typically available for Thursday through Sunday night stays and may require a two-night minimum.
In cities such as Dallas, Houston and Washington, D.C., you can enjoy weekend discounts year-round. In cities that cater to tourists most of the year, such as Orlando, Fla., you may see the reverse, with weekend stays being higher.
If you are looking for a weekend stay during high season or in a tourist spot, check airport hotels, which aren’t as popular with leisure travelers. For example, the Philadelphia Airport Marriott recently charged $249 for weeknight stays and $129 for weekends.
Business properties that feature a golf course, a spa or other popular amenities may not discount on weekends because they’ve got a steady demand throughout the week. The more plush hotels may not have to discount weekends due to demand, or because they have such an ego that they just don’t want to offer discounts.
Many hotels are following the trends of airline by offering discounts with advance purchase. In Europe we saw 14-day advance and three-day advance rates, and in the U.S. some offered much lower rates with a seven-day advance. If you don’t book in advance, some hotels are socking it to you, charging up to 40 percent more.
Hotels want travelers to book through their Web sites, and some do not offer frequent stay points if you book through a third party. Some hotels have substantial discounts for people who book online and pre-pay for their entire stay, but these rates are nonrefundable if you have to cancel.
If you haven’t yet purchased your air tickets, you should also look at bundled packages. Often they will discount both airfare and hotel rates. This is especially true for last-minute travel.
When you are checking prices, make sure you are looking at the total cost with taxes and fees. And don’t believe hotel Web site claims that they’ve got the lowest rate. There are discounts for groups, membership clubs, AAA, AARP, etc. Look at the “Specials” page on the hotel’s Web site and also check their frequent-stay program pages to see if they list any specials. Another trick I use to find discounts is to enter a hotel name and “promotion code” on Google.
Once you check in, you’ve got one last chance to save. Tell the desk clerk you understand that they’ve got a special running and see if the rate beats the one you’ve already got. If I’m staying more than a couple of days, I ask about discounts every day. Taking a couple of minutes to chat with the front desk can pay off with lower rates.