How To Get The Best Deal On Hotel Rates
When booking a hotel, you may be tempted to go on sites like Hotels.com or Expedia.com to get the best rate. However, those who get the best rates for any type of hotel room are those who do their shopping around first and make some calls. Yes, the old fashioned way of a telephone call to the actual hotel works best when you not only want the best rate, but also are assured of getting what you want. Here are 5 tips on getting the best deal on hotel rates:
1. Telephone the actual hotel. When you want to get the best deal on hotel rates, find the hotel telephone number online instead of a site that offers to book for you. Booking through Expedia or Hotels.com means that you end up with a number to call them instead of the hotel itself if there is a problem. For example, we went to the Hampton Inn at Stafford, Virginia best deals on hotels and had trouble finding it because there was no highway sign. When we called Expedia, we were put on hold for 20 minutes. Finally, we called a friend who looked up the number of the Hampton Inn that we booked and they gave us proper directions.
2. Ask about discounted rates. You do not know about rates unless you ask. Going for a military function? Get the military rate. One example of this was made clear to us when we booked that hotel in Virginia. We were told by the online website from which we booked that we got the military rate. However, we not only did not get the discounted rate, but actually paid more than those who were just checking into the hotel without any discounts.
3. Get the name of the manager and confirmation. One problem that people have when they book through a third party is that they do not spell the name correctly or do not give the accurate confirmation number. We ran into both when we booked through Expedia. This led to much confusion as well as an inability to get on the internet.
4. Book using a credit card. One caveat when booking through hotels.com is that they want you to pre-pay for the room. This presented a problem for us as we had no recourse when we showed up at the hotel, the rooms we ordered were not available and we had already paid. Use a credit card instead of a debit card so you can challenge the charges if need be.
5. Find the corporate number. If there is a problem with the hotel room and you do not get the best guaranteed rate, be sure to call the hotel corporate number. They may offer a partial refund but only if you telephone them. Forget about any sort of complaint lodged through e-mail as they are ignored by third party sites that book hotels for you. They already have your money and do not care if you had a problem with your hotel.