You pay a high price for the convenience of room service. Not only will you be charged a room service fee and a gratuity, but you’ll also be expected to tip the person who brings the food to your room.
If you’re too tired to venture out to a restaurant, ask the hotel staff which restaurants in the area deliver to the hotel for free and whether they have menus for them. Or, check local restaurant sites to find out which ones offer the best prices.
If you ask the hotel staff to hold your bags in storage to avoid checking out late, you might get hit with a fee. To be safe, ask about any fees before handing over your luggage.
Most hotel rates are based on double occupancy. If you have more than two people in a room — even if they’re kids — you might have to pay more. Always check a hotel’s policy before you book, and avoid properties that charge extra if there are more than two people in your party.
Take advantage or your profession or membership in various groups to score hotel discounts. For example, hotel chains such as Choice Hotels, Hilton and Marriott all offer discounted rates for military members and government employees.
AARP, the organization for adults 50 and older, offers its members discounts that typically range from 5 percent to 15 percent at several hotel chains.
It’s easy to compare prices and book hotel stays online. But you might get a room with more perks at no extra cost if you use a travel agent to book your stay. That’s because travel agents can leverage their relationships with hotels to get more for guests, said Jenny Ingram of Blue Grotto Travel, a travel agency in Fort Worth, Texas.
Ingram said she once scored a bottle of rum, a room upgrade, spa credit, early check-in and late checkout for clients who were staying at a hotel in Jamaica. And the room rate was the same as what they would’ve found on a discount travel site.
Getting a room with a view of the beach or city skyline can cost you more. If you’re only going to be in your room after dark, don’t pay extra for a view you won’t be able to enjoy, recommends Avery.
If you find a hotel deal that seems too good to be true, it probably is, Avery says. A hotel with an unbelievably low rate might have lots of hidden costs that could wipe out any savings you think you’re getting. Moreover, quality issues might be the reason a hotel’s price is below the going rate — and a good reason to stay away, she says.
If you check for hotel rates and can’t find any that fit your budget, don’t give up. Hotels frequently adjust their rates, according to Ek.
“If you don’t see something you like today, come back tomorrow,” he says. “And the next day.”
To keep track of hotel rates, you can sign up for price alerts at the travel aggregator site Kayak.com. You’ll be notified via text message or email when rates at hotels you select change. Setting price alerts can help you nab hotel deals without having to check back at hotel or travel sites daily.
“When traveling through Southeast Asia, you can save up to 50 percent on hotels just by booking your room in person and paying with cash,” says Max Chambers and Loren Rispoli, who run the travel website Infinite Saturdays. “Sites like Agoda, Booking.com and Hostelworld are great for the U.S. or Europe but don’t provide competitive rates in a number of Southeast Asian countries.”
“Recently, in Cebu in the Philippines, we found the price of one hotel on Agoda quoted at $35, but when turning up at the hotel, they were charging $25 for the exact same room,” Chambers states.
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