Priceline beat my government rate for a hotel room in Ottawa by $50/night.

For U.S. hotels I use biddingfortravel.com to assist in priceline bidding. I also enjoy hotel alternatives like airbnb.com and B&Bs.

Make it sound like you could care less whether you stay at their hotel or not.

This usually works.

in that vein, there’s also sabbaticalhomes.com (I’ve used sabbatical homes), academichomes.com , http://www.homeexchange.com , http://www.couchsurfing.org , http://www.globalfreeloaders.com and probably others I haven’t read about in news stories ( http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/28/greathomesanddestinations/28swaps.html http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=view_from_the_bay/outings_travel&id=7396797 )

We actually avoid guests who pay in cash, for many reasons, so offering cash payment won’t ever get our guests a discount. We happily discount $10-40 per night for anyone staying 5+ nights, even on dates when the rate is “non-negotiable.”

Our clerks are very savvy and can tell when a government employee is in town for personal reasons but asks for the per diem rate. Likewise, a corporate rate is only offered to those who have set one up in advance.

The “lowest available price” is almost always going to be available through a hotel’s website or by calling the hotel directly, as little to no commissions are paid on these reservations. Expedia, etc. are typically higher because these sites usually charge 10% plus a flat fee per reservation booked. Hotwire and Priceline DO offer lower rates than the hotel’s published rates, but only because the hotel has too many rooms sitting empty and would prefer to bring in $50 per room rather than bring in $0.

In our case, we would rather let rooms sit empty than compromise our rate integrity (which was explained in an earlier comment.)

If you walk-in and we know we won’t be able to sell all the rooms that evening, we’ll quote a discount from the start. However, during our high season and on weekends that we’re sold out, we see people get burnt by this strategy all the time. I personally make hotel reservations in advance whenever I travel.

I agree with you about that.

And most of those upper tier chains are corporate managed hotels.

Whereas most of the mid to lower tier hotels are all franchise managed which is why the revenue management rules/employee empowerment rules are more loose.

They usually have a private bathroom (if not I won’t stay there) and the facilities are great usually including a kitchen, common area, sometimes a games room. The rooms have televisions and are clean.

I have saved thousands over the years doing this and now can treat myself to the odd weekend away.

I also plan in advance when I want a weekend away and do a price war with a few hotels in the area.

The way I do this is I pick three or four hotels in the area that I would love to stay at, email them all saying that I was looking for a reservation on this day and what was their best price, I then go back to all the hotels and see what they can offer that matches. I went away for the weekend recently and ended up getting a three course dinner, full buffet breakfast, free parking and a massage for $173- for the night in a resort about two hours from where I live. Awesome!

By the way, this takes a bit of time to arrange and may not be practical for everyone, but if you have a specific destinaton in mind and it isn’t a holiday date, you should be able to add in lots of extras for a good price.

Oh just a further note, I find you usually get a better deal if you can find out the email address of the local hotel, rather than their national help line.

Hostels vary wildly in the US, so it may not always be a good place to go for a business trip, but if you travel to Australia or Europe, hostels can be a great deal and often offer private rooms with a private bath in addition to the sardine-can type of accommodation.

Lastly, check craigslist for short-term housing options. My husband had another week-long business trip in (oh-so-expensive) Boston, but he negotiated with a condo owner on Craigslist and stayed in the owner’s condo for half of what he would have paid for a hotel in the same area. We got the idea because we used to rent out a guesthouse on our property in central Tucson for $45/night including tax, and we received a variety of visitors, from vacationers to business owners, and I can testify to the cleanliness of my place — I used q-tips to get into corners, and cleaned every window/light switch/appliance every single time someone left. We were pleasantly surprised at the number of people renting extra rooms, guesthouses or their own places on craigslist (we’re currently negotiating free rent for pet care this summer after we sell our house, which means we will be DEBT FREE by the end of the summer if all goes well…hurray!).

Like so many things in life, planning can really save money. I hate bargaining with hotel clerks, so I really prefer to go with places where I can get a taste of local life and help the local economy.

We couldn’t match the prices for hotwire or Priceline. We weren’t allowed to go that low. Don’t know how they did it.

If you don’t want to use a 3rd party (and there are reasons not to), call the hotel directly to negotiate. Some hotels will still send you to the 800#. The hotel will have more access to discounts and the one I worked at we were expected to raise our numbers for direct reservations.

Always ask if there is a better price. Then ask again. We started high for two reasons. Because we could and because it gave us room to negotiate.

Be polite, friendly, and respectful. This should go without saying, but people aren’t. They apparently didn’t realize I had a $100 negotiation window. If you were rude, I didn’t negotiate. I could also upgrade rooms for no real reason, or tell you we were full.

Don’t travel in the summer on a weekend without reservations! To many people came in during the wee hours crying because they had been driving hours with no vacant hotels. There was NO place with rooms. I don’t live in a travel destination, there wasn’t anything going on. It was just the summer season.

If you have reservations, especially 3rd party (ie, hotwire, etc) make sure you call to confirm everything. If you are going to be late, CALL! If you don’t arrive by a certain time the hotel can rent your room and keep your money. Read the fine print at the travel site, it’s all there. Same with day of arrival, if you are arriving in the AM you will need to book the room the night before and communicate to the hotel what will be happening.

Dollars Not Debt

Totally not worth the time I spent, esp. since I ended up going with the one that caught my eye from moment one.

If you’re traveling to a popular destination and/or during a peak travel season–or staying more than one night, this might not be a viable option. But it did work for me.

Since I’m single, I try to keep costs down by traveling with family or friends with whom I can share lodging. That kept my UK costs to $35 per night!

I just booked a spur of the moment trip to New Zealand, so this post is really great timing. I’ll also look into airbnb and vrbo to see if I can find a small apartment – but first I have to get my hands on a guidebook from the library!

Further, these “nice” hotels are SO much more expensive once you are there. Charges for internet access, breakfast, rooms that don’t have a view to a brick wall, the infamous minibar, etc are all things you usually don’t see at a mid range hotel. I always advise avoiding these unless you are in an area where they are all that is available.

There’s always the $20 slip. Where you slip the front clerk a $20 and get an automatic upgrade.

You may want to try slipping a $50 bill at a five star hotel. You can get a nice upgrade to a suite. Just be specific on what suite/view you want

I always found that walk ins land better deals than people that make reservations

I research the hotel I want, then go directly to their site. If there is an online discount, I book; if not, I will call and see if there are any promotions they might be running (or just to check and see what they are quoting on the phone). I call the hotel directly if possible (not an offsite reso system) so that I can speak to someone who actually works the desk. I get the person’s name in that case. Whether online or on the phone, I indicate if I have any room requests, and let them know if I’m a return customer or if it’s a special occasion trip.

On check-in I explain that I spoke to person X on the phone (if applicable) and made some requests, were those in the system? I make polite conversation, and may ask if there are any new upgrades or specials available. To me, it’s about getting the best room possible for that base rate.

More often than not, this system gets me a price I’m happy with, as well as a room upgrade (even something small, like a higher floor or better view). I am always sure to thank the person who helped me and sometimes send a follow-up letter if the stay was really great.

An old boss of mine told me he never accepted the first room he was given, no matter what. He’d check in, see his room, call downstairs, and ask for something better. He said that the first room you’re given will always be the worst room the hotel can get away with; there’s always something a little nicer. (He was a very high-maintenance guy.) This might be true but I just never want to go through the hassle.

Side note: for years I heard about the $20 trick in Vegas. Apparently you slipped the clerk a $20 when checking in, and you’d get a better room (next grade up). Finally I just asked a clerk at the Mirage if that was normal, or even allowed. She explained that “everyone in Vegas can accept tips” and said it was done on a regular basis.

I wanted to second the recommendation for a travel agent – they can do amazing things. People at my company use them for “difficult” travel situations and they routinely work magic. Hotel rates plunge, direct airline flights magically appear, etc. etc.

And two – yes, staying in hostels/shared-bathroom hotels has worked very well for me when I travel internationally. Negotiating also works well in countries where people are used to bargaining. Especially the Middle East, there are some very nice hostels/shared-bath establishments were you can get good rates if you stay for several nights and negotiate.

And last, never underestimate the potential of camping out. Especially when traveling in the US. This country is filled with campsites and they are usually $5-20/night, clean, and give an interesting look at the countryside.