“This Isn’t a Stick Up!” — Finding Hotel Deals Without Having to Sleep and Run
One of the drawbacks of life on the road is that you’ll always have to spend some time looking for a place to stay. Short of sleeping outside or running out rather than checking out, you’re gonna have to pay. Let’s also assume that you don’t wanna share a room with six other people (that’s hostels off the list!). That leaves you with hotels, and you don’t wanna spend money on something like that. Instead, you’ve got to save as much money as possible and spend it on the things that really matter: kitschy souvenirs! Here’s how you need to go about finding that hotel.
Before you get there
1) For most it’s a given, but if you haven’t started your hotel search by visiting a comparison website or special offers page, you’ve been paying too much. This isn’t an automatic guarantee that they have best deals ever, just that the chances that you’ll find a good deal are higher. Booting up your computer and searching for accommodation online is probably the quickest way to find hotel deals.
2) Now that you’ve got a general idea of prices and where you would like to stay, find the places that you’d like to stay at the most, and go to their websites. They often post exclusive deals on their company website in order to drive traffic to their site.
3) So, you’ve got two or three hotels that you want to stay at. To clinch the saving, register for these hotels’ rewards program. Just as they offer deals that are only available on their website, some hotels have offers that are only for guests who are part of their rewards scheme. They usually cost nothing to sign up for (hooray!), and if the worst comes to the worst, you get a free breakfast after a couple nights. Remember, you’re playing the long game here, and patience pays off.
Once you arrive
1) Ask. One of the great things about traveling is that you get to talk to people from all walks of life. Apply those skills with the concierge once you get to the hotel. I’m not talking about pushing for a discount — that’s probably not gonna happen. Instead, butter him/her up before you hit them with “Do you happen to have anything better available?” The chances are that they probably do. A room is a sunk cost for a hotel, if it goes unoccupied, that’s money lost. A small bump-up in price can be a win-win situation for all. You get an upgraded room and they get a little extra money, even though they’re selling it below normal costs. Everybody’s happy!
So there you have it. Pro tips for those cost savings on accommodation. More than enough for that coconut drink container that you’ll never use. And you don’t have to grab the accommodation and run, either!
Jeremy
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I like the tip for a cheap upgrade … I’ll have to try it soon!
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
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I knew people would love that tip for sure :)