The Late Hotels Method

By Roger Hammerstack


Getting the best deal for your hotel room booking involved finding a strategy that works. One of the tried and trusted methods is to go after "Late Hotels". These are hotels that are prepared to give discounts to people booking rooms at the last minute. A simple online search with start you off.

Once you have searched for "late hotels" followed by your destination, you'll almost certainly see a huge amount of results. Don't be put off. Just take a big breath and check out the ones that look hopeful.

To find the best deals for late hotels, you have to spend some time doing research. This involves looking at the search results and checking out the options each one offers. Make a list. Many of the sites will be offering deals at the same hotels. Compare them and make a note of which offers the best deal.

I've often found the very best deal in the ads that appear on hotel websites and around the search engine results. This is because they are "instant" and are there because a hotel keeper needs to get rid of rooms fast. It never harms to see what the advertisers are offering and there's no obligation to buy once you've clicked.

When comparing prices on different websites, make sure you are comparing like with like. If one hotel is offered at lot of different prices this may simply be because what is being offered varies from site to site. For example, does it include breakfast? Local taxes?

When checking out deals at hotel booking websites, beware of added extras. These might include locals taxes (such as VAT in Europe, which can be as high as 25% of the price quoted), booking fees and administration charges. Most legitimate sites I use take a commission from the hotel concerned and so will not charge the consumer a booking fee.

Cheap hotel rooms are only ever offered because hotels hate being stuck with empty rooms. Hotel-keepers look at empty rooms in much the same way that vampires regard sunlight and smugglers regard customs checks. They hate them. So, the rule of supply and demand says that when bookings are slack, bargains are more likely!

The cheapest priced hotel deals go to those who are the most flexible. Getting the best price may mean moving your search a few miles - perhaps to the next town - or maybe looking a few days either side of your preferred date. It's amazing how a little bit of flexibility can make so much difference when it comes to getting good hotel prices.




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