10 Tips for Landing
Rock Bottom Hotel Prices

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#9  Don't Get Ambushed with Surprise Fees!

Watch out for hidden fees.  Sometimes hotels reduce their rate with the full intention of making it up elsewhere.  Hotels in cities will often charge hefty fees for parking.  They can go as high as $30 a day or more.

Resort hotels now add an additional fee called the resort fee.  This can be in excess of $20. per night which also adds up.  It may still be a good deal, but it's better to know now. 

#10  Save More!

By now, you will probably have narrowed you choices down to a few select properties.  Remember, you should also be getting quotes from the websites of the hotels themselves.

After you have found the rock bottom price, try and get it even lower by using coupon codes.

If the rock bottom price is on the Travelocity website, continue through the checkout process (without actually entering a credit card or paying) until you get to a screen where it asks for a coupon code or promotional code.  When you find it, take note of the exact phrase used.

Below is a screenshot of the Travelocity website.  Notice that it asks for the "promotional code."  Once you have identified this phrase, your next step is to do a Google search for the phrase and the name of the site.  For example, here the search would be for Travelocity Promotional Code.

Different websites use different terms and phrases which is why it is important to search for the exact phrase used.

You will almost always find discounts.  Below is a sample of a list we found while putting this piece together:

As you can see, there are plenty of discounts.  $50, $75, and sometimes more.  If the lowest rate was found on the hotel website itself, you would still do the same Google search.  There are many sites on the Internet which catalog promotional codes for all types of products and services.

#11  Book or Bid!

At this point you need to make a choice between booking for the good rate you have discovered or trying to take it a bit further.

The website Priceline.com is the greatest addition to travel since the airplane.  While Priceline is fantastic, it is not everyone and not for every trip.  In fact, as much as I enjoy it, I recently took a trip to Miami where I opted to direct book through a property instead of using Priceline because I wanted to stay in a specific hotel.

Priceline is a dual purpose website, unlike the others. 

First, it has the features just like the other sites where visitors can research hotels, airfare, cruises, etc.

Priceline also has a blind bidding feature where travelers can find absolutely incredible deals.  Visitors enter the dates of their trip, the category of hotel desired (One Star through Five Star and then Resort), and amount of rooms sought.

For example, let's say we're looking to visit Chicago for five days beginning on June 1st and we only need one room.  We register as a Priceline user and enter the trip information.  We also enter our credit card information.   No charges will be made to our card until a bid is accepted.

Ultimately, we choose a Priceline-created, geographic zone within Chicago and make a bid.  Let's say we bid $60. per night for a 4-star hotel.  The bid will either be accepted or rejected.  If rejected, we can add a second zone, increase our offer and bid again.  Let's say the bid was $70. and rejected again.  We expand our zone again and offer $80.  This time the page comes back indicating our bid was accepted.  It will also show which 4-star hotel accepted our bid.  At that point our credit card has been charged for the entire five days. 

The downside is there is no turning back.  There are no refunds, no transfers, no nothing.  We own that hotel room.

Priceline has done a fantastic job at keeping their hotel ratings accurate.  As a result, they have developed a huge following.

If you would like to learn more about Priceline or see more samples of bids that have been accepted in different cities, visit BiddingforTravel.com and BetterBidding.com. 

If you decide to try Priceline, but are apprehensive, try it out when planning a one or two-night mini-trip.  You will most likely join the legion of Priceline addicts.  And before bidding, read the articles on the two sites listed above to learn some strategies for bidding.

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