Book A Room With A Cheap Hotel Deal

The terms “cheap” and “deal” really can exist in the same phrase in the hotel booking business.  The hotel industry adjusts rates on a regular basis.  Their inventory has an expiration date.  Much like a gallon of milk, their hotel rooms need to be sold by their expiration date.  Unsold Hotel Rooms are the industry’s largest single opportunity to recapture lost revenue.  Simply put, this means that Hoteliers are motivated to lower the price on rooms in hotels with high vacancy rates, and especially motivated as the occupancy (expiration) dates grow closer.  It’s always better for a hotelier to let a guest book a room at a steep discount than to let that room go unsold and lose 100% of the room’s revenue.  Leverage this knowledge and it to your advantage to find a cheap hotel deal. 

If you’re booking online late don’t assume that just because it’s a 4 or 5 star hotel it’s going to be expensive.  Some of the best online booking deals are available from the highest price hotels.  And it’s not uncommon to find last minute hotel booking deals on Book-A-Room.com at rates up to 85% off their rack rate (the hotels high-line for oversold seasons and convention overcrowding). Look for special deals or hotel promotions when you rank your hotel search results by price.  Check the hotel star rating and hotel guest reviews.  (Rates can change hourly on Industry leading hotel booking sites like Book-A-Room.com, Expedia, Priceline, Hotels, and others.)

How to Find Discount Hotels

Sure, there are times when it’s difficult to book a cheap hotel deal, even if you have an entire list of hotels avilable.  If you’re travelling on a family vacation to a city known for hosting large conventions or seasonal vacation travelers, you may need to adjust your travel dates to avoid the business travelers or spring break students that are less sensitive to the cost of booking a hotel room online and less flexible on their dates of travel. 

Hotels have to take advantage of the added demand and charge higher (and sometimes exorbitant) rates for hotel rooms during an oversold period for major conventions and seasonal demand.  How else are they going to make up for the slow times when you book a hotel deal on a late room and they let it go at or below operating cost just to take in a buck or two instead of letting it go unsold?

Swim with the current when planning your travel.  Always look for the opportunity to travel during off-peak times and avoid convention crowding, high seasonal demand, and higher priced hotel rooms. A bit of research on your travel destination, a little work with the dates of travel in advance, and you can book a discount hotel room online at a bargain price!

Special Rates and Hotel Deals

Take notice of special rates and last minute deals.  These isn’t the same hustle as the used car dealer that tells you that it’s the last one on the lot and you need to buy it now.  Consider that it really is the last room available and the hotel’s policy is to fill every room to avoid unsold hote room inventory at “any cost”. If they offer a discount code or a special rate it may not be around for long. 

Have you ever found a great deal on a flight, just to check and confirm your itinerary and call back the airline minutes later to find out the price has gone up or the flight is sold out?  Hotels are similar, inventory is dynamic and sites like Book-A-Room.com offer real-time access to the largest hotel inventory available in the world.  Hotel room inventory constantly changes.  If you find a real hotel room bargain, assume that others will find it too. Hotels do this to move rooms fast and it works.

There’s a saying in the antique business; “the time to buy an antique is when you see it” There’s nothing like the disappointment of losing a great travel deal, and if you’re travelling for a long period you could save hundreds or even thousands of dollars on your hotel stay and travel if you’re ready to book a room online when you spot a travel savings opportunity.  Save money by being prepared to book a room when you find a deal.  Don’t forget to look for hotels with special offers for free wifi, free breakfast, or discounts for longer term stays.  These special offers are listed in the hotel description and online booking offer.