Traveling is expensive, and when you're on vacation, you want as much money as possible to spend on entertainment and activities. You don't want to overspend on your hotel room. On the other hand, though, you also want a nice room in a quality hotel. So how can you get a great deal on a hotel room without breaking the bank? It's simpler than you think. Take a look at some easy tips that will help you save on your accommodations the next time you travel.
Look for a Loyalty Program
Joining a loyalty program is a simple way to get perks and better rates. If there's a hotel chain that you like enough to make it your first choice all or most of the time, look into whether or not they offer a customer loyalty program. You may be eligible for best-rate guarantees, free nights, and complimentary upgrades by signing up for the hotel's rewards program.
Don't want to commit to a specific hotel chain? That's OK too. Many popular third-party hotel booking sites also offer loyalty programs. By joining one of these, you may be able to not only collect freebies and upgrades, you may also be able to mix and match them at different locations.
Spread Your Influence Around
Are you active on travel advice websites or rating websites like Yelp? Do you have a significant online following? If so, you may be what's known as an influencer. People pay attention to your opinions and ratings. It can help to mention this when negotiating the price of a hotel room.
Positive online reviews are growing more important for businesses all the time, and negative online reviews can really harm a business, especially if the reviewer has a lot of readers. There's no guarantee that mentioning your online presence will get you a better deal, but a lot of hotels will go out of their way to make sure that your experience is a good one if they know that you're influential on social media. That can mean a price break or a free upgrade if you play your cards right.
Consider Hotels That Cater to Business Travelers
In big cities, there's often a distinction between hotels that primarily cater to tourists and hotels that primarily cater to business travelers. When you're on vacation, you may want to consider the business traveler hotels first.
Business travelers and tourists tend to have opposite schedules. More business travel happens during the weekdays and during the months that aren't prime vacation time. That means that hotels that cater mostly to business travelers tend to have better prices when business travel is slow, like on the weekends and during the summer months – prime time for tourists. If you're vacationing in the summer or on a weekend, you can get great accommodations at a lower price by finding the hotels that are less tourist-oriented.
A great room in a nice hotel doesn't have to break your vacation budget. Don't be afraid to look for creative ways to cut your costs or upgrade your stay for less.
Share