Opt for Independent Hotels
When staying with a hotel chain, there is always an expected quality regarding the hotel. When staying at one Marriott, there is a similar feeling offered up when comparing it to another Marriott. Some travelers like this. For others who would rather save money, it is better to stay with an independent, local hotel. Independent hotels do not need to pay the franchise fee and other costs associated with using the hotel name. Having the hotel name guarantees some bookings for the hotel, but it also guarantees a price rate increase. In order to cover the monthly franchise fee, which can often be significant, the price is folded into the cost of the rooms. Instead, one little secret most hotels, especially chain hotels, don’t want a customer to know about is that the independent hotels provide just as nice, if not nicer accommodations, for less. These hotels are generally locally owned and provide higher quality meals and often better services all around.
When All Else Fails, Look to Groupon for a Hotel Reservation Online
If you haven’t looked at Groupon for travel before you really should. Groupon provides a truly incredible way to save money on just about everything. These booking options are often far less than anywhere else a traveler is going to find. Now, the website does not have every destination listed, but hotel that want to appear full during any give time may go through Groupon and offer discounts as steep as 75 percent. All a traveler needs to do is head to the Groupon website and type in the desired destination to see what may or may not be available. Plus, there is another way to increase the savings on top of what Groupon already provides. Should a customer find there is a deal they want through Groupon, before booking it they should create an account through Ebates. This is a shopping website that pays back a percentage of online purchases directly back to the customer. Depending on the time of year, Ebates pays back anywhere from six to 10 percent back to the customer for Groupon sales. This means, on top of receive a steep discount through the Groupon deal, the customer can receive an added 10 percent back to sweeten the deal.