Find Hotels at Cheap Rates:
You may have seen an enticing ad boasting huge discounts on hotel rooms. Though it got your attention, the deal's unlikely to hold up when subject to scrutiny. Here, we detail why:
- That discount is likely “subtracted” from the room's rack rate (the highest price for the room on specific days during the peak booking season). Since it's unlikely that you'll ever be charged that price, the discount isn't really a discount at all.
- Advertisers also like to add “extras” to the room rate to artificially inflate that “70% off” and sometimes even “80% off” claim. This “value” often includes daily breakfast, internet access and other surcharge-carrying services in the nightly rate. The discount, therefore, isn't based on just the room but is based on all the related services that might not be of use to you.
- Hotel rates are constantly changing. If an event is coming to town, room rates will skyrocket since demand is at a premium. Conversely, if there are extended periods of lower vacancy (hurricane season in the Caribbean, for example), room prices plummet. Attempting to determine the value of a percentage saving from such volatile price points is, at best, an inexact science.
Here are our top tips for getting the best hotel deals every time:
- Don't only check one site and call it a day. By comparing prices across several providers, major online travel agencies, and your favourite hotel brand's site, you may find that one price point undercuts the rest – or offers a little something extra for the same price.
- Go for it, go opaque. You'll see the room class, neighborhood, amenities, price and reviews before you book, but if you're willing to take a chance with the hotel brand, opaque sites such as our partners Hotwire and Priceline are great ways to save big.
- Forget the oranges, only compare apples to apples. Make sure you're comparing the same offerings across providers. And to ensure you're getting an even better deal, you'll want to compare prices for similar room types at all hotels.
- Look for discounts. Oftentimes, hotels offer additional savings for AAA and AARP members, students, military personnel and their families, teachers and other groups.