TravelNotes.org - The Online Guide to Travel.

How to Find the Best Hotel Deals Online

About Travel Notes Budget Travel City Guides Countries Feedback Travel Photos Travel Videos Travel Writing

Search The Web Add Travel URL - Submit a Travel Article - Travel Blogs - Travel Gram - Travel Tweeps - Travel Writers - Writers Guidelines.
Travel Notes: Travel-Write: General Travel Articles: Booking Hotels Online

Travel Writers

To find the best hotel deals online it helps to know where to look before you book.

If you spend time searching for the best hotel deals online, you're already looking before making a booking. But are you looking in the right places?

Best Rate Guaranteed

With so many hotel search sites claiming to offer you the 'best rate guaranteed' it makes you wonder why they're not all offering the same price for the same room, in the same hotel, on the same date.

Even if they did, you still might not be getting the best hotel deal when you travel.

To be really sure of getting the best hotel deal online, you need to find the hotel that's right for you.

Hotel Location

The first thing to consider is where to stay in your travel destination.

The Regent Grand Hotel de Bordeaux
The Regent Grand Hotel de Bordeaux - Michel photos.travelnotes.org

If you're travelling by train, you might prefer your hotel to be located close to the railway station. There's little point in making a big deal about saving money on the hotel price when you have to spend extra on taxi fares.

Likewise, if you're travelling by car, it helps if the hotel offers free parking; or there is at least a convenient place to park your car close to the hotel.

If you're flying, perhaps consider hotels that offer a free shuttle service from the airport, or hotels that are close to airport bus routes. Airport hotels are probably only of any value if you arrive late at night or have an early flight.

To scout hotel locations, the Travel Notes hotel guide lets you zoom and pan around an interactive map.

Once you have a better idea of the area you'd like to stay, in your destination, you can mouse over the pins for a thumbnail image and average price range of past bookings.

Compare Hotel Prices

The hotel guide helps you think about where you might want to stay but you'll still need to use an Hotel Comparison Tool to instantly compare hotel details, rates, availability and taxes from such websites as Booking.com, Expedia, Hotels.com, Travelocity (and many more) all in one set of search results.

Special Offers

It may also pay to take a look at the official hotel website to see if they have any ongoing special offers.

Mercure, for example, offered a 'Two for One Tandem' (in France) - where you could stay in a double room for the price of a single and one breakfast was offered free of charge; if one of the two guests was 55 or older.

Think about your existing hotel loyalty points, or joining the hotel loyalty program if you intend to use a particular hotel chain more than a few times on your travels.

Social Media

Another place to look before you book is social media; especially Facebook Fan Pages and Hotel Travel Tweeps on Twitter.

Many hotels are now connecting with their customers - be they fans or followers - through social media and often offer discount codes and special deals to repay their loyalty; hopefully encouraging the hotel guests to follow up with positive reviews and in turn help spread the word to their friends and followers about where they liked to stay.

Even the booking sites are using social media.

If you find Otel.com offer you the best price on a particular hotel, you may even save a further 10% by using the discount code on their Facebook page.

Added Extras

It also pays to read all the small print. Don't overlook any of the hotel details. They are there to help you make a wise choice on getting the best hotel deal.

If you travel with a laptop, will you have to pay for Internet access in your hotel room?

If the hotel offers free WiFi, they usually like to mention that. If it's not mentioned, that's a little extra charge you might not want to incur. They all add up.

Is breakfast included in the room rate?

Is there a resort fee?

What about if you don't use the spa facilities? You may even get a discount for not using them if they're included in the hotel price.

Budget Travel

When we talk about budget travel, we need to remember that every traveller has a different budget.

I have stayed in some very nice hotels in South America for $5, and some dives in the United States for ten times that.

If your budget is tight, then hostel accommodation might be worth thinking about.

The accommodations listed are not all hostels and not all beds are in dormitories. Cheap single rooms are also offered in many of the 'budget hotels'.

Don't Forget

Before you book your next hotel online, just remember where to look.

By Michel.

Follow TravelTweet on Twitter

Browse the TravelDirectory - Travel Tweeters on Twitter
TravelTweet

TravelTweet Directory:
Directory of travel tweeps on Twitter.

Related Links

Compare Hotel Prices.


Add a Business Listing - Add a Destination Guide - Add a Place to Stay.

Join Travel Notes on Facebook If you find Travel Notes useful, please take a moment to like us on Facebook and share with your friends on social media.

Meta-Travel Blogging - Top Travel Blogs - Travel Notes Directory.

Travel Notes Meta Search:  

Michel - Travel Writer, Photographer and Internet PublisherSearch Meta-Travel
Meta-TravelFacebookTwitterGplusInstagramLinkedInvideo channel

Travel Social Media.

Custom Travel Search

Michel's Nomadic Gatherings is Available Online Meta-Travel Association

Meta-Travel - Travel and Tourism Association

Add URL to Travel Notes Travel and Tourism Websites and Blogs
Add Your Travel Blog.

Car Hire Cruises Flights Hostels Hotels RTW Tours Vacations Weather Web Reservations
Travel Notes: Travel-Write: General Travel Articles: Booking Hotels Online - Travel Apps