AARP

AAA

Better prices maybe found on discount websites but. . . .

I have used hotels.com to good effect. If you use one of the reputable sites – Expedia, hotels.com, bookings.com, you can follow up by calling the hotel and checking they have your reservation. Or if you don’t trust it, just look at those sites and see what rates they quote and then call the hotel you select and see if they match it. Sometimes it’s as cheap to book directly with the hotel and then feel more secure.

The best deal I ever got was when my wife and I walked into a hotel and asked how much the rooms were. They told us it was $99 a night for a regular room and $129 for a jacuzzi suite. My wife then said “Nope…too expensive. We’ll see what they are asking next door.”. The desk clerk then stopped us, asked us to hold on one moment, punched some keys on the computer and said she could give us a room for $79 a night and a jacuzzi suite for $100 a night. The wife just said “No thanks, we’ll try next door.” This went on a couple more times and we ended up with a jacuzzi suite for $69. Now, it was not peak season, but negotiating is still an option.

I highly recommend using the hotel website like Marriott.com or Hilton, etc. Sometimes those other services can’t work with you well if you need to change a reservation. Plus, sometimes hotels don’t treat you as well if you don’t book through them, and you won’t get rewards points from Marriott if you don’t book through Marriott if you think you might travel quite a bit and want to rack up points for upgrades and free nights.

If you don’t feel comfortable booking online, it’s still good to search a little online and see what’s available, and then you can always call to make the reservation.

The Marriott website will show all Marriott family hotels (Residents Inn, Courtyard, Autograph, etc), plus includes all Sheraton and Westin too.

TripAdvisor will let you see choices available and reviews. If three people complain the room smells moldy I believe it. If one person complains about service I ignore it.

On the hotel websites they sometimes have senior discounts, AAA, etc.

Trivago.com

I would recommend comparing with Airbnb properties. They have a great choice in style of property, location and price.

I’ve done a few different things with success.

For chain hotels (IHG, Hilton, etc.), I call the main number, not the hotel itself but the 800 number for US reservations. I tell them I have AAA, AARP and I am also a member of the rewards programs so I tell them that, they see I’ve been with them for years. I tell them the hotel I want, the dates, together we talk about the best rates I can get. If I like the rate, I book it. What I like about chain hotels, other than knowing pretty much what to expect as far as quality of the rooms go, is that they have a very liberal cancellation policy so if I need to cancel or reschedule for any reason, usually up to the day of the reservation, they don’t bill me anything.

Join the Rewards/Loyalty programs for the hotels. It’s free and it endears you to them.

I once stayed at the Fairmont in SF for 169 a night, because on their website I used the “bed and breakfast package” which was the night’s stay plus breakfast. If you know that hotel, you know it’s historic and gorgeous. 169 was a great deal. My advice is also check the website’s packages and you may be surprised at what you find. It may be a honeymoon package, it may be named something else, but who cares, if the prices is right that’s all you need.

Former hotel reservations manager here. I then taught hotel reservation price management to hotel managers/sales people. When my partner and I go on vacation, I book the reservations.

The first step is to decide on what is most important: Location? Rate? Facilities/amenities?

It sounds as if this is a leisure/personal travel plan. If so, you probably won’t qualify for a corporate or group rate. Most hotels offer a AAA or AARP discount. The rate may also depend on what season and/or what days of the week the stay is for. A longer stay may earn a lower rate.

It’s worth checking the travel discount sites and then checking the hotel’s website. Some hotels “sell” rooms to these discount sites that offer a lower rate, but they come with restrictions that are impossible should plans change. Some hotels will honor the discounted rate if called directly.

I check hotels (dot) com, and then I look up the number for the hotel and call them directly to make the reservation.

@Hawaii_Jake Yup. That’s what I suggested too.

Oh, some hotel websites you can check the box that you have flexible dates (if you do) and then the whole month pops up with prices. You can choose the days that are least expensive.

I’m now convinced that the best bet is to have an acqaintance adept at searching out rates. My neice has an extraordinay talent for finding deals. All of us place things like hotel, airline or car rental reservations in her magic hands, and the results are almost unbelievable. My brother drove here from Arizona in a new Buick that she found for $18 a day with unlimited miles. On his way back he spent the night in a Vegas casino hotel room that cost him 56 bucks. None of us understand how she does it. She simply tells us “the deals are out there”.

Great answers so far! Very helpful, thanks.

Please see follow-up questions here and here.