Finding A Cheaper Hotel

One thing that most people dont realise is that it is possible to book a hotel at a much better rate than everyone else if you are prepared to spend a little extra time. Some think that hotel prices are set in stone and great deals are difficult to find. However the truth is that whether your staying abroad or even in your own country a little investigation could save you a lot of money.

The first thing to consider is that the star ratings for a Hotel given to a hotel are not an international standard and are often based on facilities and not overall quality. The stars could have been awarded by the local government or hotel review organisation or maybe even the hotel itself! So checking out some online reviews for a hotel is just as important as its star rating.

Online travel bookers such as expedia and ebookers have greatly increased the possibilities when looking for a hotel. They will have many of the latest special offers and late deals that your local travel agent may not know about. However it is also worthwhile checking out all of the online booking services as they do not all have the same deals, some may have exclusive contracts with resorts which allow them to get better offers.

It is worth taking note when booking in a foreign country if they apply room tax to the overall price as this may not be included when you book. Many people have turned up at their hotel only to find they have to pay an extra 10% for their stay.

A unique idea currently gaining a lot of popularity in the United States is room biding. The idea is quite simple. You go to s a site like Priceline and select the grade of hotel that you want. You then bid on a room not knowing what hotel the room is for and agree to take it if you win. Hotels use this service to sell unsold rooms and there are great deals available all year round. It is a risk but many people have found some luxury hotels rooms
at incredible rates. If you smart though it is possible to work out what hotel the room your bidding on is for. Ie if you paste the description of the hotel in to google you may find it has been copied from the original hotel website! You can also try to work out which hotel it is by comparing the distance of the hotel from the city centre to hotels on google maps.

It is advisable to avoid on-request bookings when making a decision on a hotel. These offers often appear when the comparison site doesnt have direct access to the hotel and has to check if the room is available. This has led to many people passing on cheaper offers as they think they already have a reservation, only to find that they dont have a booking at all!

Many hotels when first opening offer special rates to their first customers. Some people have found discounts of up to 50% in the first opening weeks of a new hotel. Sites like Hotelnewsresource offer news on latest hotel openings from all over the world, its also worth checking out some of the big news sites like google news for new hotel openings.

As you can see there are many great offers to be found if you willing to do just a little bit of digging around. Using the price comparison sites listed above has made a big difference to many people when looking for Hotel rooms, and those who are prepared to look around will definitely be rewarded for their perseverance.

About the Author

Cheaphotelsinbelfast is a blog dedicated to informing people on the latest cheap hotel deals in Belfast Northern Ireland