| During any tour to any destination, two things make | | | | off-peak seasons. |
| up the bulk of your expenses: travel and | | | | 3. Amenities - Some hotels are pricier because they |
| accommodations. Therefore to eke out any savings | | | | offer amenities that, while great for those looking for |
| from the trip you will have to invest a lot of time | | | | extravagance, are useless to some travelers. If you |
| and effort on finding cheap hotel rates to keep your | | | | can live without some of these amenities, then you |
| expenses low and your smiles up. | | | | could consider looking for hotels that are cheaper |
| While looking for cheap hotel rates, keep the | | | | because they do not offer these amenities. |
| following tips in mind. | | | | 4. Negotiate - Most front desk personnel are |
| 1. Location is everything - Hotel rates vary from place | | | | personable and can give good advice on getting |
| to place depending on its location. You will have to | | | | better rates at their hotels. Negotiate with them to |
| ask yourself if where your balance lies: convenience | | | | get good discounts for your stay. |
| or price. Most convenient locations in any city will | | | | If you are staying for more than a week, then you |
| have hotels sporting rates in the upwards range in | | | | might want to ask if they offer lower rates for |
| any market. | | | | longer stays. Also ask if they have special promos |
| Some less accessible areas will offer lesser rates. | | | | during the period of your stay that you can take |
| However, you will have to decide for yourself | | | | advantage of. |
| whether the inconvenience is worth the price. If you | | | | 5. Search online - Comparing rates, amenities, and |
| are pretty familiar with the area you are traveling to, | | | | location is easier nowadays because of the power of |
| then locations with lesser rates in less accessible or | | | | the internet. The internet makes searching for good |
| attractive locations will be less of an issue for you. | | | | rates on good hotels easy and painless. |
| However, if you are traveling to an area for the first | | | | The good thing about internet hotel hunting is that |
| time, you will have to think twice about staying at a | | | | most hotel search websites show prices for rooms, |
| location that is a little inconvenient. | | | | amenities, location, and best of all, user reviews of |
| 2. Schedule is also everything - The basic law of | | | | the hotel itself. This will give you a better idea of |
| supply and demands states that the more the | | | | what to expect when checking in with a hotel for |
| demand, the more expensive the item will be. The | | | | the first time. |
| same is true for hotel rates, if demand for a travel | | | | 6. The power of a Travel Agent - Travel agents |
| destination is high, then you are bound to spend | | | | have good contacts among hotel chains and can get |
| more money. | | | | discounts on reservations thus made. If you choose |
| So if you are planning to stay away from home, try | | | | to have a travel agent help you get a good hotel, |
| to make your hotel reservations for off-peak | | | | then make sure that the service fee you pay them |
| seasons. Hotel rates during peak season can be as | | | | does not make going through an agent more |
| much as three times more than regular rates. This | | | | expensive then making the reservation yourself. |
| alone is reason enough to look to reserve during | | | | |