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Need to get a cheap hotel for an upcoming work trip or family vacation? In this post, I walk you through my hard-won strategies for finding great hotel deals and give you some cheap hotel alternatives.
Our Bad Experience With a Cheap Hotel
I’ll never forget the experience.
Jesse and I had only been married a few years and we decided to splurge on a “big family trip” to San Antonio, Texas for a conference. It was something we had planned for quite awhile and we had scoured the internet to find deals.
We ended up finding a crazy good deal on a flight, hotel, and car rental package. It was dirt cheap and we felt like we had pretty much won the lottery! Even on our small budget, we figured out a way to make this crazy cheap vacation happen!
Be Wary of One-Star Hotels!
We were so excited about the deal that we didn’t really take the time to think through the fact that it was a one-star hotel. Ahem.
Well, fast forward to our trip. We flew to San Antonio, picked up the car, and met up with friends. Time got away from us and pretty soon it was after 1 a.m. in the morning.
We realized we’d better head to our hotel… and that was when the whole reality of a one-star hotel began to hit us. The hotel was in a very sketchy party of town. We didn’t really even feel safe getting out of our car at 1 a.m. in the morning. But what other choice did we have?
We got checked in and got to our room to discover it was dirty and had roaches and the door barely locked because it was somewhat broken. Since we didn’t have the money to switch to another hotel, we decided to just suck it up and stay there.
We cleaned the room as best as we could, barricaded the door, and went to bed. It was a good thing that we barricaded the door because in the middle of the night, someone started trying to get into our room.
They jiggled the door handle multiple times and tried unsuccessfully to unlock it. It’s very possible that they were disoriented at 3 a.m. and thought it was their room, but it seemed pretty aggressive for someone who was just trying to get into their hotel room.
Gratefully, after a few minutes, they finally left and they didn’t come back. But you can imagine that we felt pretty shaken by it!
Don’t Make the Cheap Hotel Mistakes We Did!
As you can likely imagine, after that, we decided we would do our research before jumping on some crazy cheap hotel deal again!
We also decided to never stay in a one-star hotel if we could at all help it! 🙂
Whether you have had a bad experience with a cheap hotel site, or whether you’re just scared that you will, or maybe you just wish someone who has had a lot of practice getting great deals on hotels could be your guide and help you learn how to find the best hotel deals, this post is for you.
I’m going to break down my best advice for finding good deals on hotels, walk you through what you need to know to stay away from the scary one-star experiences, and help you save time and money on booking hotels.
So, let’s jump right to it…
1. Travel off season.
First things first, the best way to find a deal on a hotel is to travel off-season. I know this is not always possible, but if you can swing it, you’ll save so much money.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t travel in the summer; it just means you should choose places to go in the summer that aren’t the vacation destination of everyone else!
I love to use the search feature on Skyscanner if we have somewhat flexible dates and locations. You can search by locations or by dates or by budget to find flights that are often incredibly affordable. I love to look on there to get ideas of the best times of year to travel where… because typically if flights are really inexpensive to a location, there’s a chance that hotels will be, too!
In addition, if you plan your trip during the middle of the week, you’ll often find cheaper hotel rates than if you are booking your stay on a weekend. Again, this isn’t always feasible, but it’s something to consider — especially if you have a bit of flexibility.
2. Search multiple travel sites.
There are a number of places online where you can find cheap hotel deals. Some of our favorites to use are: Groupon, Hotels.com, Travelocity, Hotwire, Expedia, and Priceline.
If you’re willing to be adventuresome, you can purchase your hotel “blind” through Expedia and get a great deal. You’ll save at least $15 or $20 — often more! — if you’re willing to purchase the hotel room without knowing what hotel you are staying at.
You can search by lowest price and star rating to see what prices are for the area you’ll be traveling to. We are typically able to find a three-star hotel for around $50-$60 per night this way.
Note: Because of our awful one-star hotel experience, I wouldn’t suggest getting anything less than a three-star hotel. Two-star hotels can be hit and miss and, in our experience, one-star hotels should be avoided altogether. 🙂
Reader tips:
- Hotels.com offers stay 10 nights, get one free. They also have discount codes. We always stay in hotels that offer a good breakfast because it saves us $$. -Quintana
- Try to stay at the same hotel chain using their rewards program. My favorite rooms include breakfast, a sink, fridge, and a pull out couch. -Kelly
If you want to get to pick your hotel before you purchase or be able to get a refund if your travel plans change, I’d recommend going through Orbitz. They have great deals, they show you the price including fees, and they do not charge you if you cancel your reservation. Usually, their prices are a little higher, but it might be worth it to pay a little to know what hotel you’re reserving ahead of time, and to not be charged if you cancel your reservation.
Pro Tip: Check Out Express Deals From Priceline
Jen shared this in a comment on a post not too long ago:
Priceline offers “Express Deals” which provides basic information about a hotel – neighborhood, amenities, star level, and guest rating (in most cases). They also tell you the percentage discount you’ll get by using the Express Deal, plus the price you will pay for it.
Most people don’t take advantage of Express deals, because they don’t like not knowing which hotel they’re booking. (And once you purchase an Express Deal, there is no backing out. You get what you get at that point.) With the information they provide, however, you can filter hotels offered by Priceline to figure out what hotel you are going to get!
As an example: a hotel is listed as three star, in Times Square, offers free internet and a gym, has a 7+ rating by guests, and is available for $145 (a 39%) savings. To figure out what this deal is, you back out of Express Deals and go back to the section that lists all of the hotels on Priceline.
You filter your search to only show hotels in Time Square which are 3 star and have free internet and a gym. It might pull 4 matches, so you next look at which hotels are rated 7-7.9 by guests. Let’s say there are two hotels left at that point. Then it’s simple math to figure out which hotel is a 39% savings from the price listed on the screen.
Make sense? Hopefully! It takes a little practice, but with this method I’ve always been able to figure out what hotel I will get (and usually at a huge savings!). I have successfully done this over three dozen times.
3. Look for a coupon code.
Many cheap hotel sites regularly offer coupon codes. These coupon codes usually have some restrictions, but it’s still worth checking to see if they have a coupon code that will work on the hotel you’re wanting to book.
Tips for Finding Travel Site Coupon Codes:
- My favorite site to find online coupon codes is RetailMeNot.com. They have a very robust database of coupon codes for just about every online site.
- You can also check the travel site directly (for instance, at the time of the writing of this post, the above coupon code popped up on Hotels.com).
- Try searching for the site you’re planning to purchase from + the word “coupon code” and see if anything pulls up.
- Sign up for the email lists for the travel sites as they will notify you when there’s a big sale or coupon code available!
4. Book through a Cash Back Site.
Once you have decided which travel site you’re booking through and what deal you’re buying, I highly recommend purchasing through a cash back site. You’ll typically earn somewhere between 4% to 10% cash back on your purchase.
All you have to do is sign up for the cash back site (if you’re not already signed up) and then search for the online travel site you’re purchasing through. Click through and find the deal you were planning to purchase and purchase it.
Within 30-60 days, your account will be credited with the cash back! Since booking travel plans online typically means you’re spending at least $50 to $150, if not more, that 4% to 10% cash back can end up being a fairly significant amount — especially if you book a few trips online per year!
My Favorite Cash Back Sites:
#1: Rakuten (formerly Ebates) — One of the oldest cash back sites, Rakuten has an easy-to-navigate website and, in my personal view, is the best cashback program. You only have to earn $5.01 in rebates in order to get a check or Paypal payment. You get a $10 welcome bonus when you sign up and make at least $25 worth of purchases within the first 90 days, so you’ll reach your first payout very quickly!
#2: TopCashBack — TopCashBack is another site I’ve used for quite a while. I really like them, because they offer cash back at over 4,000 stores, have guaranteed highest cash back rates, and are really customer-friendly. If you find a higher cash back rate anywhere else, they will match it for you. They also allow you to receive a payout at any time (no minimum required!) and offer five different payout options.
#4: Swagbucks — If you’ve read my blog at all, you know I’m a HUGE fan of Swagbucks. And you probably signed up a long time ago and have been earning gift cards ever since. But did you know that you can earn swag bucks on many of your online purchases in the form of cash back? Make sure you’re logged in to your Swagbucks account each day when you shop online, and then activate the Swagbucks cash back button when it pops up! This one is a little bit different than your typical cash back site, since your earnings are in the form of swag bucks. But it adds up quickly over time, and you can trade those earned swag bucks into gift cards!
Are you a little more adventuresome? Here are some cheap hotel alternatives:
Alternative #1: AirBnB or VRBO
Morgan says: “We use Airbnb or VRBO. I have never had a bad experience. Read reviews, ask the owners questions. Use common sense. I have rented 3-bed, 2-bath condos at wonderful resorts for less than $600/week in Orlando. Same for cabins in Tennessee. And book as early as possible for the best prices.”
Erin said: “We are renting a house at the ocean this summer through VRBO. It was much cheaper than a hotel, we have a fenced yard and a nice deck and it’s 5 minutes from the beach. We thought about camping, but this was a better option for our family. We are also going during the week so it was less per night.”
Patricia: “We have had really good luck with renting the smallest AirB&B that will fit our crew and cooking our own meals. The fact that we don’t eat out, unless there is a restaurant we really want to try, just about pays for the lodgings.”
Tip: Read my post on Our Experience Staying in an AirBNB in Rome.
Alternative #2: State Park Cabin Rentals
Jessi said: “Depending where you live, off-season state park cabin rentals can be economical. Here in Virginia, you can rent a furnished, heated 2-bedroom cabin (with two sets of bunk beds in one of the rooms) with a full kitchen (apartment-size refrigerator, range, pots, pans and utensils) and full bathroom for $84/night (or $506/wk) if you reserve off-season. During prime season, the same cabins would be $112/night. They don’t tack on expensive excess fees on top of the rental fee, like some cabins you can rent on HomeAway do.”
Angela: “We love staying in camping cabins at state parks and KOA campgrounds. You have to bring your own linens and use the bath house, but for $40-$60/night you can’t beat it. Plus, they have amenities like pools and playgrounds and we love that the kids can run around outside and not be cooped up in a hotel room.”
Alternative #3: Camping
Angela said: “If you’re really adventurous, try tent camping! We did a 12-night vacation and every night was in a tent (4 different campsites). Can’t beat D.C. lodging for $34/night and the city bus came right to our campground. We didn’t have to drive for 3 days!”
For more tips, read my posts: How We Prepared For Our Very First Camping Trip, My Master List of Things to Take on a Camping Trip, and 5 Important Lessons We Learned On Our First Camping Trip.
Alternative #4: Stay With Friends or Family
Sara: “Stay with a friend or family member! I have friends living all over and plan my vacations with people I can stay with! Lodging and food is the most expensive part of any vacay!”
Angie: “I get great deals on eBay from people who don’t want their timeshare points at resorts so they sell days to people. Ask around, sometimes friends or family members have condos or vacation homes that they’ll give you a discount on instead of them having to rent it out through VRBO, because there are lots of fees when they do it that way for the renter and the owner.”
What advice and tips would you add? What are your best methods for finding cheap hotel deals?
Other Budget-Friendly Vacation Tips:
