Most of us, at some time or the other, feel that we end up paying too much for a hotel. When traveling on vacation, it is easy to forget about your budget and overspend. This is because when you take a break from the busy world, money can become the last thing you care about. Apart from the cost of travel, lodging bills are the biggest ways to bust your budget.
Hotel stays can exhaust your funds quickly as compared to other expenses on vacation. With such frequent fluctuations in rates, often within the same day, it is no wonder that the global hotel industry rakes in a whopping $570 billion annually. It is important to consider the consequences of returning home with an empty wallet or even worse, drowning in a debt. After all, you want to come back from the vacation with less stress and not more and hence figure out strategies to save money on hotel stays.
Strategies To Save Money On Hotel Stays
There are numerous ways you can save money on hotel stays when you go on a vacation the next time. Here are some of the best strategies you can use.
1. Stay within Your Budget
Though it seems obvious, it becomes less practical out of the excitement on vacation. Getting wrapped up in the experience can often lead to breaking the lodging budget. To avoid any such situation, determine how much you want to spend on your vacation. Then, decide what conveniences, comforts and facilities you desire from your hotel stay.
If you are on a vacation and going to spend much of your time outside, you can ignore the size of the hotel room and upgrades and save money to spend on entertainment. If you want to engage yourself in luxurious activities and dining, select a less luxurious hotel for stay. See that you calculate the fair prices and do not deviate from your budget.
2. Select your Location Wisely
Pricing is often dependent on the location of your hotel. You may notice that booking a hotel in the heart of a place can cost much more than one located a few miles away. You can always do some research within the area to find cheaper options.
With the availability of maps offered by travel websites, it is possible to expand the search area to find lower prices on hotels, even in the location you are not familiar with.
3. Inquire about Amenities
It is important to factor amenities into your budget as they are often provided by the hotels as benefits. A complimentary free breakfast, for example, can cut down the costs of your coffee and morning meals.
Free transportation offered by the hotel or the convenience of walking to nearby attractions can reduce your expenses on public transportation and taxis. Some hotels even offer free perks like discounts on restaurants and spas, complimentary drinks or free snacks. They can affect your travel budget significantly.
4. Bundle within Travel Package
Packages that bundle travel essentials like lodging and transportation tend to offer great savings on hotel stays. You can always rely on online travel services which bundle your airfare, car rentals and hotel stays into a package to save you hundreds of dollars.
You can add rewards program membership to your online profile with travel websites to maximize your savings. These websites let you enter these details to let you save more when you travel.
5. Look for Discounts
Hotels offer promotions, special offers and discounts from time to time. If you keep an eye on the offers and discounts offered by the hotels of your preference, you can make substantial savings.
You can save money by booking your hotel on online booking sites with ongoing offers. It is always a good idea to do a quick search for deals and coupons on hotel stays before you plan a trip.
6. Apply Accumulated Discounts
If you have accumulated discounts from your past stays at particular hotel chains, you can save money by using those points for your next trip. Membership cards can save you a lot of money and give you discounts on lodging expenses.
7. Book Directly with the Hotel
Once you have done enough research about the best hotels available and the lowest available online rates, you can consider calling the hotel directly to book your stay. They may give you better deals or room upgrade when you speak to them directly.
Sometimes, booking services can charge a little more and you can end up spending more. You should call the hotel and compare the costs before booking.
8. Use Credit Card Reward Programs
There are some credit card companies that offer hotel reward points on the use of their credit cards. Such reward programs let you accumulate points by shopping, making payments and booking hotel rooms with the credit card. You can use those reward points to save money on your next hotel stay. You can even earn a free hotel stay.
9. Show Loyalty to a Hotel Chain
Loyalty always offers privileges. If you tend to use the same hotel chain frequently, you can consider joining their loyalty program that gives you point-based discounts for being a loyal customer. Such memberships also reward for car rentals, air tickets and other expenses so that you can save when you travel.
Even if the hotel does not offer loyalty programs, you can fetch some great deals when you revisit the same hotel again. When you book, you can mention that you have stayed there before and they are likely to offer you a better rate or an upgraded room as a reward for your loyalty.
10. Choose a Lodging Option
You can save a lot by considering other lodging options when you travel. You can check for inexpensive hostels that offer bed and breakfast, consider camping, vacation rental or RV for creative and enjoyable stays that save you a lot of money. For example, if you visit Cincinnati and find hotels overpriced, you can always look for alternatives with additional amenities.
Conclusion
Travel enthusiasts need to be savvy when booking hotels. Continuously changing rates and location-based rating system can, at times, be highly confusing. We hope the strategies to save money on hotel s
