Hotel secrets

[PrincessPerky]

Since we will be staying in a hotel the next time we go to pgh I am looking for ways to save on the total cost. Unfortunatly since we are there to visit family we have limited options on hotels (so far one option).

Does anyone know if it is cheaper certain times of the week, or certain amount of time in advance? I can't get more than 2 months notice this time, but I could work on more for next year.

[34saving]

I find that "last minute" will get you better rates than "way in advance". (They'd rather their rooms have _somebody_ in them than nobody.) Talk to the manager. Make them compete against each other (even if the competition is 15 miles away and you have no intention of staying there it's still competition . . .they don't know . . . .). If you have something like a Happenings book check in there for a 1/2 off deal. Depending on where you are (business or tourist) either weekdays or weekends should be significantly cheaper. Of course off season is always best, but it doesn't sound like you have much of an option in this case. Good luck!

[mjrube94]

If you have the time and patience, there are a bunch of ways to check for the best rates:
1) Call the hotel's 1-800 # and get a price;
2) Go on to the hotel's website and get a price;
3) Go to travelocity, expedia, etc. and get a price;
4) Call AAA, go through credit cards, any other affiliations to see if they have deals;

Now that you're thinking about it, you'll probably see deals all over. (I see them sometimes on the coupons that print out from the grocery store!) Good luck!

[PennyPincher]

I would also reccommend the site: www.roomsaver.com

You can search for hotels by city, state....etc. They have printable coupons, with some of the best rates (for decent hotels). The coupons indicate weekday and weekend rates. Weekend rates are generally $10 more per night on most of their coupons.

This is the same company that puts out the hardcopy ones found at reststops/Denny's, etc. The online version is great for planning ahead...

[DivaJen]

I agree that weekend rates are generally higher, rooms with better locations are more than rooms facing, say, a freeway. I worked in a hotel for a summer while in college. One definite piece of advice - never pay full price. If they quote you a price, ask them point-blank "Is that the best you can do?" And sometimes, it's true - last minute plans might yield cheaper rates so that they can get closer to the 100% occupancy goal.

[PrincessPerky]

Thanks for the help, I checked out the website, I have to figure out how far the hotels are from the ILs but the rates are better.

I don't know how last minute I can be, I can't risk driving down to no room.

I started looking into the camping option too. Gonna start a new thread on that. Hopefully I can manage to get this cheap enough to not feel to guilty.

[terry1156]

I would buy one of the Entertainment books. They have a deal with hotels that you get 50% off when the occupanct rate is less than 80% with hotels in the city you choose. I have found that this is usually the best deal when I go through all the possible options. In addition, you will have a lot of discount coupons for the area where you're staying for restaurants, local activities etc. The book always pays for itself amny times over for me.

[klh4]

Honestly hotels can change their rates at different times of the year but they only have certain time frames, often the manager will just put in a high rate for months down the road that way if its a peak season for them they will not lose revenue on low rates. If you do book in advance I would watch the reservation and rates, some managers will drop their rates and some people will be paying a lower rate than you when they just walk in that night. Always ask about packages - if a big shopping mall in area or amusement park, movie theater they may offer a package deal with extras added. Look for their offseason- rates drop low, if you have AAA or AArp always ask- usually their is a discount. The area you are visiting will depend if rates are lower during the week or weekends. If high business area with not much leisure travel will have higher rates during the week, if busy seven days a week, rates will be alittle higher on weekend, if slow during the week rates will be lower. Also check to make sure its not a event going on- Soccer tournaments, Concerts, etc, Rates will be high. Alot of the hotels do not offer lower rates on the web- if one shows up it may because not the correct number of people were entered, discounts (AAA or AArp or Government Id Required, or a package that was not offered to you over the phone). Also contact the Visitors Bureau or Chamber of Commerce in the area, they will send you information and sometimes hotels will send you coupons. I hope this helps out.

[katwoman]

Sometimes it's worth it to stay in a slightly more expensive hotel if they offer free breakfasts. I believe Embassy Suites still does that.

Don't be afraid to try the pricier hotels, either. You'd be surprised to find how much they'll discount rooms.

[anewshka]

I have spent the majority of my life working in and running hotels. ALL hotels offer some sort of discout, be it AAA, AARP, Government, plain Senior Citizen, Military, frequent traveler, repeat customer, etc. Standard discount is 10% across the board and they rarely, if ever, ask for AAA, AARP cards. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THE ENTERTAINMENT CARD. They have loopholes, such as blackout dates. Blackout dates DO NOT have to be announced in advance, therefore, if they do not want to give you the 50% off rate, all they have to say is that it is a blackout date. Also, with the Entertainment card, they only need to allocate so many rooms for that rate. They can tell you that all of the allocated rooms are filled. They best rate is an employee discount. Think of friends, family members, friends of friends...anyone in the hotel business and have them book you a room on their discount. They can give you the required employee discount card you need at check in....and you get treated top notch.

[sweeps]

The Entertainment card can be very useful when shopping for hotel rates. I choose the all-out approach when negotiating a price. I check numerous web sites, I call the hotel directly at different times of day, I call the chain's 800-number, I ask about AAA rates and Entertainment card rates. Once I find the best deal, I go through the cycle again trying to get it even lower.

[djaco]

You might try Yahoo Travel for hotels. They list all the hotels in the area and include prices so you can compare. They also list any "special deals".

[klh4]

Alot of your hotels have some sort of breakfast- Hampton Inns have a few hot items on their breakfast, Holiday Inns, Country Inns- If you call the hotels ask them what kind of Breakfast they offer and what is usually on it. Especially traveling with a family- if they offer enough variety that your family will be satisfied with -that will save you on having to hit a restaurant for breakfast.

[mom-from-missouri]

I just found out I can get cheaper rates thru my credit union, and my work union. I also below to travel rewards. I also mention all possible senios when I book a room--do you offer discounts for cwa workers, members of certain banks, AAA, where I work we have a discount program that some hotels offer if I show them my ID card.

[robex]

We are going away for three nights next week. I emailed the hotel that we usually stay at, and because I hadn't heard back from them, I phoned their 1-800 number the next day. I was given a quote of 190.00 per night (which is waaay to high in my opinion). The day after that, I was emailed back and given a rate of 95.00 per night for the same suite...go figure! By that time, I'd already secured a suite in another hotel but I did return their email to tell them why I wouldn't be staying there.