This site is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers.
Traveling can be expensive, especially when it comes to hotel stays. Fortunately, there are several strategies to find great deals on hotels, allowing you to save money and travel more. Here are five easy ways to book affordable hotel rooms:
1. Use Google Hotels for Research
Google Hotels is a powerful tool for comparing prices from different booking websites. Enter your destination and dates, and use filters to narrow down your options by price, reviews, amenities, and more. While Google Hotels is excellent for research, it’s best to book directly through the hotel’s website for better rates and service.
2. Be Cautious with Third-Party Booking Sites
While sites like Booking.com and Expedia can help you find deals, they often end up being more expensive than booking directly with the hotel. Additionally, third-party bookings may come with poor customer service, difficulties with changes or cancellations, and you won’t earn loyalty points. If you find a lower price on a third-party site, contact the hotel directly to see if they’ll match it.
3. Join Hotel Loyalty Programs
Hotel loyalty programs offer significant savings and perks:
-
- Member Prices: Get discounted rates for members.
-
- Earn Points: Accumulate points for free future stays.
-
- Free Nights: Some programs offer a free night after a certain number of nights booked.
-
- Status Benefits: Enjoy perks like free WiFi, breakfast, and room upgrades.
Joining these programs is free and can lead to substantial savings over time.
4. Use Travel Rewards Credit Cards
Travel rewards credit cards are my personal favorite way to save money on hotels. There are two main ways to do this:
-
- Co-Branded Hotel Credit Cards: Any money you spend on a hotel credit card, even your basic, everyday purchases, earns you points for that hotel chain, which you can redeem for future stays. Many hotel credit cards also offer an annual free night credit, which is redeemable for a free night within the hotel’s portfolio of properties.
For example, with the IHG program, your free night credit can be used for any hotel, and simply by holding the card, you get Platinum status, which can lead to room upgrades and other perks.
Check out the IHG One Rewards Premier Card Here
-
- Travel Credit Cards: Cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card allow you to earn a points currency that you can transfer to a variety of airlines or hotels at a 1:1 ratio. This is my favorite way to maximize the value of points because they tend to be more valuable and offer more flexibility.
5. Snag Last-Minute Deals with Hotel Tonight
Hotel Tonight is an app that offers last-minute hotel bookings at discounted rates. It’s ideal for spontaneous travelers or those needing a quick place to stay. Despite being a third-party app, it features quality hotels aiming to fill their rooms, offering good deals without compromising on quality.
For more tips on saving money while traveling, check out our latest video and stay tuned for more content!
Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.