Whether you want a few nights in luxury, a cozy boutique hotel or just want a basic room that's cheap as chips, the trick is to pick the right hotel first, within your budget, and then try to get it for the best possible price. You may already have a specific hotel in mind, but if not, it's important to do your homework.
When choosing your hotel, there are two things you should pay attention to:
Check TripAdvisor
Do not trust the star system
Once you've settled on a hotel—or shortlisted several—check the first-hand price on its website, but don't book just yet. This will give you a good benchmark for the going price - a useful starting point if you want to haggle later too. It's also a good way to see if the hotel offers any specials for those who book directly.
Comparison sites usually give the best price
To quickly check a lot of hotel booking sites, it is better to use a comparison site. Different comparison sites cover different booking sites, and the price they offer can vary depending on which comparison site you're checking out, so it's best to search the big three.
Below is our suggested order. Although prices are quite substantial and change daily, we included a number of factors when making the decision. We relied on what features each site offered, how easy it was to use, and how often it found the cheapest price in our quick test.
Skyscanner* - Skyscanner is known as a powerful hotel comparison tool. It contains all the standard filters, such as price, star rating, etc. Additionally, you can filter by meal plan and cancellation policy.
Kayak* - In addition to standard filters like price and amenities, it lets you filter by ambience (eg, "trendy", "family", "eco friendly"), and freebies (eg breakfast, parking, airport shuttle) .
TripAdvisor* - A popular review site, providing hotel price comparisons as well as detailed customer reviews. Filters are basic, but the draw here is the ability to filter and sort hotels by well-respected traveler ratings (though, see using the review site to check if a hotel has identified what to watch out for).
It's also worth checking out Trivago*, HotelsCombined*, and TravelSupermarket* for full breadth. Although not a comparison site, Hotels.com* can offer additional discounts, free stays, and members-only rates.
Once you've found the best rate for a comparison site, call the hotel to see if they can beat it—sometimes they offer direct bookings an early booking or three two-night deals that comparison sites miss.
It's worth noting that the pros of going direct and getting the hotel to match the price include the chance to get freebies, like Wi-Fi, and earn loyalty points if the hotel has one. On the flip side, you won't get any cash back and you won't earn loyalty points from a comparison site or broker by going direct, but you're unlikely to beat these for a better price.
That's too nice to say, but to see how it actually works, and how much you can save, here are some of the successes of those at MSE Towers:
I booked five nights for two people in a five star hotel in Zanzibar, all inclusive, for a total of £714 via Trivago. That's less than half the £1,620 booking direct price.
- MSE Nick
I got seven nights in a four-star hotel on the coast near Rome for a total of £565, including breakfast. Save over £100 compared to booking direct, and get 13% cashback too.
- MSE Sally
Play detective and discover secret hotel deals
With a little detective work, huge deals are available from websites selling "secret hotel" rooms. Here, you are just told an approximate star level and location - only once you pay can you find out the name of the hotel. This means lower prices, because hotels don't have to worry about losing trade from those who go directly to them.
You can never be 100% sure of the hotel you'll stay in before booking, and you'll be hard pressed to solve the missing hotel name, so these sites aren't for those desperate to stay in a certain place. But there are usually hidden ways to discover hotel identities to see if it's worth it.
Top sites that do this include Lastminute.com* and Hotwire for UK and world deals, and bidding site Priceline*. For more details and how-tos, see our Secret Hotel Detection Guide.
rebook to trick 1 - If you book with free cancellation you can save if the price goes down
Whether you book through a travel agent or directly with the hotel, you'll often be able to cancel for free until a certain point, usually 24-48 hours before your stay starts. (If you don't have free cancellation, you may be able to take advantage of the sites rate promises—see more on how below.)
If you made a reservation or reserved a room, you can save by canceling if the price drops after you book. Simply cancel your original reservation, then rebook at a cheaper rate. Often this can work with the site you