There are multiple ways you can save on hotels and other accomodation on your next trip. Here I’ve listed 11 common ways to do that.
Some of these tips you can implement right away before even starting searching. Some of these tips need a bit more effort, like joining a loyalty program, but even then it takes only a few minutes and is completely free.
Before starting the Top 11- list, for best prices, always make sure to book “at the right time”. That means the most wallet friendly time is to go outside the destination’s local holidays or tourist season. Big events, festivals, Christmas and New Year can be very costly as well. So I suggest doing a quick Google search about any possible big events before deciding your travel dates. These “hot seasons” are the most expensive, so if you have the opportunity to travel outside the local season, that will save you a lot of money.
Some sites like Booking.com offer cheaper prices, if you search hotels through mobile or the site’s official app.
I made some comparisons for 7 nights and noticed that one hotel in London, in the Kengsinton/Chelsea area, offered the same room, Deluxe Queen, for 2386 euros when I searched through the desktop. But the same room for the same nights was 1932 euros via mobile. That is a 454 euro difference!
Another hotel in Paris, République area, offers 7 nights for 1618 euros when booking from desktop, but through mobile the same amount of nights for the same days were 1363 euros. That is a 255 euro difference.
I’ll give a third example. Let’s choose a different continent than Europe… Let’s try, Jamaica!
In Portmore, Jamaica, 7 days cost 783 euros via desktop, while the same room for the same days cost 634 euros via mobile. That is 149 euros saved just from one little trick! Imagine how much you can save if you add other tricks on top!
When booking through Booking.com, make sure to look for a green bar that says exclusive mobile price next to the hotel photo to get this discount. Only some hotels have exclusive prices for mobile users. Keep in mind that you can see the mobile rate only using your mobile phone, so you won’t see the green special offer bar while using your laptop.
In case you might wonder, why the same hotel wants to give the same room cheaper via mobile, the reason is that hotels benefit from this in many ways. Here are a few reasons:
Booking.com offers a loyalty program called Genius. It’s completely free to join and you get discounts immediately. There are over 390 thousand accommodations to choose from and are marked with a Genius- logo.
There are 3 different levels and the more you book through Booking.com, the closer you get to the next level. Once you get to a certain level, the prices are yours forever.
1. level = 10% discount from hotels (discount is counted before taxes and fees). You are on the first level immediately after joining.
2. level = 15% discount from hotels (discount is counted before taxes and fees). You will get to this level after booking 5 times in the next 2 years. Free breakfasts and free upgrades. You’ll get the upgrades automatically when booking.
3. level = 10-20% discount from hotels (discount is counted before taxes and fees).You will get to this level after booking 15 times in the next 2 years. Free breakfasts and free upgrades. You’ll get the upgrades automatically when booking. Priority customer support. Priority customer support is different from basic customer service; it’s a much faster line for customers and you get connected straight away to a specialist. (This bonus is included in all booking.com accomodations even if the hotel is not part of a Genius program.
Book your next stay or check the program here Booking.com
Hotels.com has a loyalty program called Hotel.com Rewards. It’s free to use as well and takes only a few minutes to sign up. With this loyalty program you collect stamps. One night equals one stamp.
0-9 stamps:
10-29 stamps = silver special benefits:
30+ stamps = gold special benefits:
*The average price for loyalty members reward night is around 125 USD. You do have to pay the reward night’s taxes and fees, so please make sure to read the terms and conditions page well.
Expedia Rewards has 3 different tiers; blue, silver and gold.
Blue:
Silver = Collect 10 Trip Elements in a year to reach Silver
Gold: Collect 25 Trip Elements in a year to make it to Gold
Before you book, you should definitely compare some websites first for the best prices and offers, not to forget about possible rewards and bonuses. Here I have listed 3 large global search sites and their best perks!
Check them here Kayak
Check them here Hotellook
Check them here Booking
Above I mentioned quite awesome booking sites where you can look for accomodation. Each accomodation that pops up in searches is different even if the website is the same, so you should read each hotels’ info provided on the page well and double check what their policies are. On top of that you should check each sites own policies before booking on their terms of service- page.
Example: You find 3 amazing hotels in Lisbon, Portugal through the same platform, Booking.com.
You should read each own hotels’ information they have on the site, since each hotel might have different policies and benefits they offer and also check Booking.com’s own policies too, just in case so there won’t be any surprises!
While it would be outstanding to sleep next to Eiffel Tower or see a great tourist attraction from the window while sipping a delicious cappuccino, for cheaper options I suggest considering hotels that are not located in the tourist area or in downtown.
Many cities where tourist attractions are centrally located charge more for rooms. Check if you can go a bit further, but close to a metro station? Sometimes it might be worth it to go a bit further pricewise, but you still want to have easy transportation to downtown. Having to walk a lot or spending too much time to reach a destination might not be something you wanna trade for saving some bucks.
If you really want to save and have as small of a budget as possible, you should consider options like: hostel, B&B (Bed and Breakfast) or Airbnb. There are even awesome ways to stay for free if you are open for other options such as WWOOFing or dog sitting.
Check in depth post of these options here Free accommodation
Even cheaper option than booking months in advance might be to book a hotel as late as possible, even the same day of arrival.
Of course there are some downsides to this method, like the risk of not getting accomodation at all or uncomfort and extra stress, if you like to plan everything ahead. But if saving a big penny is your priority, you might wanna consider this.
Many times hotels are not fully booked every time and even so, they might have last minute cancellations, so it might be worth it to ask during the day of arrival, if they have availability. They are willing to lower the prices just to get someone to stay.
If you are a student or you are retired, you should definitely search coupons or discounts from the website. If you can’t find any, try calling to their customer support line and ask if they offer these options.
Did you see a terrific hotel room in an Instagram story? See if the influencer has a discount code. Many times hotels give codes for influencers in exchange for all the visibility they give to their hotel.
This might sound a bit funny, but sometimes 7 days might be cheaper than 6 days! Many hotels offer a reward or complimentary night for choosing their hotel for a longer period of time. Also it’s worthy to ask a hotel’s reception or customer support for weekly/monthly prices. They would love to have a visitor to stay as long as possible, so they might offer a discounted price for a longer period of time.
If you have time to compare and want the cheapest trip, check if it is cheaper to buy a package/bundle through a booking site, where the flight and stay are included vs. booking separate flights and stays.
Here are some sites that offer both: Booking.com, Expedia.com, Trivago.com, Hotellook.com
I hope you will find some value from this article I wrote for you, and you will see awesome deals and discounts on your next search. 🙂
~Avoyago
Affiliate disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself. By writing reviews, I aim to give valuable information of the service or product and all decisions are our own. This post may contain affiliate links and at no additional cost to you I may earn a small commission that helps maintain this blog. Thank you <3
There are multiple ways you can save on hotels and other accomodation on your next trip. Here I’ve listed 11 common ways to do that.
Some of these tips you can implement right away before even starting searching. Some of these tips need a bit more effort, like joining a loyalty program, but even then it takes only a few minutes and is completely free.
Before starting the Top 11- list, for best prices, always make sure to book “at the right time”. That means the most wallet friendly time is to go outside the destination’s local holidays or tourist season. Big events, festivals, Christmas and New Year can be very costly as well. So I suggest doing a quick Google search about any possible big events before deciding your travel dates. These “hot seasons” are the most expensive, so if you have the opportunity to travel outside the local season, that will save you a lot of money.
Some sites like Booking.com offer cheaper prices, if you search hotels through mobile or the site’s official app.
I made some comparisons for 7 nights and noticed that one hotel in London, in the Kengsinton/Chelsea area, offered the same room, Deluxe Queen, for 2386 euros when I searched through the desktop. But the same room for the same nights was 1932 euros via mobile. That is a 454 euro difference!
Another hotel in Paris, République area, offers 7 nights for 1618 euros when booking from desktop, but through mobile the same amount of nights for the same days were 1363 euros. That is a 255 euro difference.
I’ll give a third example. Let’s choose a different continent than Europe… Let’s try, Jamaica!
In Portmore, Jamaica, 7 days cost 783 euros via desktop, while the same room for the same days cost 634 euros via mobile. That is 149 euros saved just from one little trick! Imagine how much you can save if you add other tricks on top!
When booking through Booking.com, make sure to look for a green bar that says exclusive mobile price next to the hotel photo to get this discount. Only some hotels have exclusive prices for mobile users. Keep in mind that you can see the mobile rate only using your mobile phone, so you won’t see the green special offer bar while using your laptop.
In case you might wonder, why the same hotel wants to give the same room cheaper via mobile, the reason is that hotels benefit from this in many ways. Here are a few reasons:
Booking.com offers a loyalty program called Genius. It’s completely free to join and you get discounts immediately. There are over 390 thousand accommodations to choose from and are marked with a Genius- logo.
There are 3 different levels and the more you book through Booking.com, the closer you get to the next level. Once you get to a certain level, the prices are yours forever.
1. level = 10% discount from hotels (discount is counted before taxes and fees). You are on the first level immediately after joining.
2. level = 15% discount from hotels (discount is counted before taxes and fees). You will get to this level after booking 5 times in the next 2 years. Free breakfasts and free upgrades. You’ll get the upgrades automatically when booking.
3. level = 10-20% discount from hotels (discount is counted before taxes and fees).You will get to this level after booking 15 times in the next 2 years. Free breakfasts and free upgrades. You’ll get the upgrades automatically when booking. Priority customer support. Priority customer support is different from basic customer service; it’s a much faster line for customers and you get connected straight away to a specialist. (This bonus is included in all booking.com accomodations even if the hotel is not part of a Genius program.
Book your next stay or check the program here Booking.com
Hotels.com has a loyalty program called Hotel.com Rewards. It’s free to use as well and takes only a few minutes to sign up. With this loyalty program you collect stamps. One night equals one stamp.
0-9 stamps:
10-29 stamps = silver special benefits:
30+ stamps = gold special benefits:
*The average price for loyalty members reward night is around 125 USD. You do have to pay the reward night’s taxes and fees, so please make sure to read the terms and conditions page well.
Expedia Rewards has 3 different tiers; blue, silver and gold.
Blue:
Silver = Collect 10 Trip Elements in a year to reach Silver
Gold: Collect 25 Trip Elements in a year to make it to Gold
Before you book, you should definitely compare some websites first for the best prices and offers, not to forget about possible rewards and bonuses. Here I have listed 3 large global search sites and their best perks!
Check them here Kayak
Check them here Hotellook
Check them here Booking
Above I mentioned quite awesome booking sites where you can look for accomodation. Each accomodation that pops up in searches is different even if the website is the same, so you should read each hotels’ info provided on the page well and double check what their policies are. On top of that you should check each sites own policies before booking on their terms of service- page.
Example: You find 3 amazing hotels in Lisbon, Portugal through the same platform, Booking.com.
You should read each own hotels’ information they have on the site, since each hotel might have different policies and benefits they offer and also check Booking.com’s own policies too, just in case so there won’t be any surprises!
While it would be outstanding to sleep next to Eiffel Tower or see a great tourist attraction from the window while sipping a delicious cappuccino, for cheaper options I suggest considering hotels that are not located in the tourist area or in downtown.
Many cities where tourist attractions are centrally located charge more for rooms. Check if you can go a bit further, but close to a metro station? Sometimes it might be worth it to go a bit further pricewise, but you still want to have easy transportation to downtown. Having to walk a lot or spending too much time to reach a destination might not be something you wanna trade for saving some bucks.
If you really want to save and have as small of a budget as possible, you should consider options like: hostel, B&B (Bed and Breakfast) or Airbnb. There are even awesome ways to stay for free if you are open for other options such as WWOOFing or dog sitting.
Check in depth post of these options here Free accommodation
Even cheaper option than booking months in advance might be to book a hotel as late as possible, even the same day of arrival.
Of course there are some downsides to this method, like the risk of not getting accomodation at all or uncomfort and extra stress, if you like to plan everything ahead. But if saving a big penny is your priority, you might wanna consider this.
Many times hotels are not fully booked every time and even so, they might have last minute cancellations, so it might be worth it to ask during the day of arrival, if they have availability. They are willing to lower the prices just to get someone to stay.
If you are a student or you are retired, you should definitely search coupons or discounts from the website. If you can’t find any, try calling to their customer support line and ask if they offer these options.
Did you see a terrific hotel room in an Instagram story? See if the influencer has a discount code. Many times hotels give codes for influencers in exchange for all the visibility they give to their hotel.
This might sound a bit funny, but sometimes 7 days might be cheaper than 6 days! Many hotels offer a reward or complimentary night for choosing their hotel for a longer period of time. Also it’s worthy to ask a hotel’s reception or customer support for weekly/monthly prices. They would love to have a visitor to stay as long as possible, so they might offer a discounted price for a longer period of time.
If you have time to compare and want the cheapest trip, check if it is cheaper to buy a package/bundle through a booking site, where the flight and stay are included vs. booking separate flights and stays.
Here are some sites that offer both: Booking.com, Expedia.com, Trivago.com, Hotellook.com
I hope you will find some value from this article I wrote for you, and you will see awesome deals and discounts on your next search. 🙂
~Avoyago
Affiliate disclosure: I only recommend products I would use myself. By writing reviews, I aim to give valuable information of the service or product and all decisions are our own. This post may contain affiliate links and at no additional cost to you I may earn a small commission that helps maintain this blog. Thank you <3
