If you’re like us then you absolutely love to travel!
Whether you’d prefer to camp, embrace van life, or stay in a spacious flat, there’s no denying that hotel rooms offer a different kind of luxury.
No matter where you are in the world, whether it's a visit to the Galapagos Islands or a quick trip to Europe; there are endless hotels ranging from budget to 5* luxury so you’re guaranteed to find something to your liking.
However, how do you find the best deals when it comes to hotel rooms?
There are so many options out there, that it can honestly feel so overwhelming when you’re trying to find somewhere to stay for a decent price.
Unfortunately, it's one of the most important things to consider when planning a trip but don't worry - I've got you covered!
Luckily, this guide is going to detail 15 ways to get cheap hotels, and some of the best booking sites out there.
So, get ready to learn and find some fantastic bargains!
When looking for cheap hotel rooms there are a couple of things that you'll need to consider…
The first thing to consider when looking for cheap hotel rooms is the duration of your stay.
This will have a big impact on the type of deals you’ll find, so you’ll need to think about whether you’re staying somewhere short-term or long-term.
If you’re only staying in the destination for a couple of days then you might find some fantastic deals on budget hotel rooms.
However, if you’re planning to stay longer (say at least 2-3 weeks), it may be best to opt for an apartment/studio room where you can cook your own meals to save money.
Many properties offer great discounts for long-term stays too!
Another thing to think about is the dates of your trip. Are they flexible? Or are you restricted to a specific timeframe?
If your dates are flexible, then there are a couple of things to consider!
The time of year you visit is the first one. Understandably, if you’re staying somewhere during peak season you’re guaranteed to be paying more.
However, if you visit somewhere during their shoulder season you can often find some very cheap hotels.
You’ll also want to research your place of choice and see if they’ve got any important events/festivals or holidays coming up.
Prices often skyrocket during these times so your accommodation will undoubtedly be more expensive.
If you’re wondering how to find cheap hotels then I've got a huge tip for you!
Hotel prices vary drastically depending on the area you choose to stay in, and this goes for every country in the world.
Many destinations (especially cities) have both cheap and expensive areas, and if you’re looking for a budget-friendly hotel you’ll often need to compromise on which area you stay in.
Take Los Angeles for example; it’s a very expensive city in general, but if you avoid the ‘touristy’ areas you’ll pay a lot less.
Neighbourhoods like Beverly Hills, Hollywood, and Santa Monica are very pricey, but areas like Chinatown and Venice are usually much cheaper.
Lastly, you’ll need to think about what you’d like to be included with your stay.
Many places include extra bonuses such as free breakfast, WiFi, and parking, so that’s always something to look out for. If you can bag a free breakfast then fantastic!
However, if you’re after some more luxurious facilities including a fitness centre or a swimming pool then this will undoubtedly up the cost.
One of the best options to counteract this is by staying in a hostel, either in a dormitory or a private room.
Although many of them don’t offer luxury facilities, they do often have a shared kitchen which you can use and a shared lounge area.
Some of the larger hostels even offer free walking tours, an on-site bar, pool tables, and entertainment!
When looking for cheap hotel rooms the first thing you’ll want to do is to check comparison websites. This is one of our top travel tips!
There are plenty of them out there, but some of the most popular options include Trivago, Kayak, Tripadvisor, and Skyscanner.
These websites search hundreds of booking sites to find the best deals, meaning they often offer the cheapest prices around.
Now, the price you’re offered will differ depending on the comparison website you choose so it’s always best to check a couple if you’re not in a rush.
Many of these sites are incredibly easy to use, and you can easily filter out hotels based on what you require (e.g pet-friendly, WiFi, facilities etc…)
Not only will you often find the best price by using a comparison website, but it’s a much more efficient way of searching for hotels rather than checking endless websites.
So if you’re wondering how to get cheap hotel rooms, then this is one of the best tips I can give you!
Trivago is one of the largest hotel search sites in the world, and is one of the best comparison websites out there!
It compares over 5 million listings from 300 different booking sites and is incredibly easy to use.
Once you’ve searched for your destination, you can easily filter out the options by price, accommodation type, and ratings among other things.
If you’re looking for travel tips on how to find the cheapest hotel deals, then I’d recommend signing up for a few booking sites and trialing their reward programmes.
You’ll find plenty of websites that offer these reward programmes, and the rewards themselves will differ from member-only discounts to free hotel stays after a certain amount of bookings.
Other booking sites offer credit that you can use towards future trips, so it all depends on which websites you sign up for.
Some of the best platforms for these personal discounts include Booking.Com, Expedia, Hotels.Com, Agoda, and Trip.Com.
If you’re still unsure, then try searching for a destination on your account and then whilst you’re logged out. Trust me, you’ll see a big difference.
You don’t have to receive all the promotional content by email either, as you can just sign up and then unsubscribe from the emails afterwards!
This is one of the best ways to save some cash, so make sure you take a look at these personal discounts before booking.
One of the best examples of this is Agoda as they offer a variety of coupons and deals!
These can all be found on their website, and they change from time to time.
However, one of their best features is the fact that they offer cashback for you on certain hotels, which can often make the prices cheaper than other booking sites.
Although it's not often the case, sometimes booking directly with the hotel company can be cheaper!
Once you’ve found a hotel that you want to stay at, check the comparison websites mentioned above and see what price you’re getting.
Then you’ll want to head to the hotel’s website to see the price that’s quoted to you, and if they’ve got any other exclusive discounts available.
In reference to the previous point, always make an account as well to see if that offers up any better deals.
Once you’ve tried these two things, you can always go one step further and contact the hotel yourself through email or by phone.
Quote the prices you’re getting and sometimes (just sometimes), they’ll give you a promotion, a free night, or some extra bonuses including breakfast and WiFi that might not be included otherwise.
Even getting a free breakfast every day might offer better value for money, than prices elsewhere.
Hilton or Hotels by Hilton as it’s often known is one of the most popular hotel chains in the world.
As you head to the website, straight away you can see they’ve got a section about exclusive offers and deals. This includes booking ahead and saving up to 20%, a free night's stay, and package deals.
Although these deals may not always be cheaper than comparison sites, they can be so it’s always best to check.
Although this isn’t specifically a tip on how to get deals on hotels, it will certainly save you some money!
Foreign transaction fees can be a right pain and booking hotel rooms is no different, especially if you’re paying on arrival which some hotels offer.
It’s also the case for some hotel websites if you’re choosing to book directly, however, some booking sites don’t require this.
The easiest way to avoid these fees altogether is to pay with a local currency card. You can withdraw money just like any other debit card and use them in everyday transactions.
Just make sure that you select the ‘pay in local currency’ option when you use it as you’ll get the best exchange rate.
There are plenty of great international card providers out there including Easy FX, Wise, and Caxton, but we’re going to discuss our favourites now…
Monzo and Revolut are our two top picks for currency cards as they can be used in any country and you won’t be charged conversion fees.
They’re both FREE to use and all you need to do is download the app, enter your details, and you’ll be sent a card through the post.
We’ve written a comparison article ‘Monzo Vs Revolut’ if you’re struggling to decide which one to use!
Just keep in mind that these two currency cards are UK-based.
If you’re wondering how to get hotel discounts then this nifty little trick is one of the best things you can do!
For this tip, you’ll need to make sure you book a hotel room with free cancellation.
Many comparison websites state this when you book, or you can check the hotel’s terms and conditions if you’re booking directly.
Often many hotels offer you the chance to cancel your room 24-48 hours before your stay for no charge.
This gives you a great opportunity to save money if the hotel decides to slash its prices closer to the time. Many properties often do this if they’re trying to fill rooms!
If that happens you can simply cancel your booking for FREE and then book straight away again for the lower price.
Whether you book the hotel on the same website or not is completely up to you, but for this tip to work you’ll want to book the cheapest option.
This is a rather straightforward one, but it’s a great way to save on rooms.
Like many other hotel websites, Booking.Com easily shows whether hotel listings offer free cancellations.
There’s a filter down the side of the page that you can click, and you’ll only be shown accommodation options that offer this.
As you search through, it will come up in green so it’s easy to spot!
Nowadays, so many people own a credit card but most people just have one from their bank.
Although they’re great if you’re looking to delay money coming out of your account or build up a credit score, you often won’t get any rewards for your purchases.
If you travel frequently, then you may want to look into getting a hotel rewards credit card.
Many of the companies out there offer huge bonuses for simply signing up and spending a certain amount within 3-6 months.
You can then earn points through a variety of purchases after that, and these can be converted to hotel bookings and even flights depending on the card.
Some of the most popular options out there include the Hotels.Com Rewards Credit Card, the Capital One Venture X, and the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card.
Here’s some more information on the best hotel credit cards out there if you’re looking to do some research! Forbes also has a great article about hotel rewards credit cards!
After doing some research, many travellers seem to have a preference for this hotel rewards credit card!
It’s got one of the lowest annual fees, no foreign transaction fees, and you can convert the points to hotel partner programs.
Not only that, but this credit card offers you the chance to book accommodation directly through their rewards portal.
Although the likes of Booking.Com, Expedia, and Hotels.Com all offer loyalty schemes, you can join one directly through the hotel brand.
If you’ve got a favourite hotel company then it’s always best to check if they offer their own loyalty scheme.
The majority of luxury hotel chains like Hilton, Intercontinental Hotels, and Shangri-La all offer these types of schemes.
There are often different levels to them, and you have to be invited to some of them. However, most of the loyalty schemes you can just join meaning you can earn points during every stay.
The rewards will differ for every company so it’s a good idea to have a read of the terms and conditions to see which is the best one if you’ve got no preference for the hotel chain.
However, generally, you’ll be able to earn free stays, discounts, and other added benefits.
Here’s some more information on the best hotel loyalty schemes if you’re looking to research this further!
If you love luxury accommodation and you frequently stay in Marriott hotels then you’ll want to sign up for their loyalty scheme.
With Marriott Bonvoy Benefits, you’ll get plenty of awesome features including exclusive member rates, complimentary in-room WiFi, and mobile check-in.
As you complete more stays with the company, you’ll get more benefits as there are different member levels.
This one is perfect for more spontaneous travellers!
Unfortunately, not everyone has the option to be flexible with their holidays due to requesting time off, work commitments, and other factors.
However, even if you’re not flexible in the dates you can be spontaneous with the destination!
If you’re wondering how to get cheap hotels last minute, then there are plenty of fantastic websites offering these kinds of deals.
You can search through the website and they’ll offer you a HUGE variety of last-minute deals that could be flying out in a couple of days to a couple of weeks.
Some of these hotels will have a substantial amount of money off, and you can also book package deals if the flights are a bargain too.
Many of these websites offer deals for countries across the world ranging from the United States to Europe, so there’s something for everyone!
This is a great website if you’re looking to find last-minute hotel deals!
Last Minute.Com offers a variety of flash sales, late summer deals, and exclusive savings on package deals.
Whether you’re looking to visit New York or explore the streets of Rome, this website offers some fantastic hotel deals.
Booking with Last Minute.Com is also hassle-free with total protection, interest-free payment plans, and some of the hotels even offer free cancellation.
There are plenty of special deals out there when it comes to travel, but the question is where to find them.
Websites like Wowcher and Groupon offer a variety of exclusive discounts for a wide range of items, but they also offer great deals on hotel rooms.
The best way to find deals like this is to either sign up via email, create an alert (some websites allow you to do this), or simply scroll through the travel section.
Many of these hotel stays often include room or dining upgrades, free breakfast, and other benefits so it’s a great place to find some fantastic bargains.
Just keep in mind that the travel deals will often change daily, and they won’t stay there for long so you’ll have to be quick.
Make sure you read the terms and conditions too before you book!
Just one example of this type of website is Wowcher, where you can save up to 80% on travel deals!
However, Wowcher is UK based so this will be different if you’re from elsewhere in the world.
There are other websites out there that follow the same principle including Groupon, Travel Zoo, Go Groopie, and Living Social.
Just make sure you check the terms and conditions first to see if the deals apply to your country of origin!
This is one of the BEST things I can advise for booking a cheap hotel room.
There are plenty of fantastic websites out there that offer price match guarantees including Booking.Com, Macdonald Hotel & Resorts, and Wyndham Hotels.
However, some booking sites will go that one step further and BEAT the price, rather than match it. This includes:
As you can see, there are so many awesome deals out there!
If you find your preferred hotel cheaper on another site, then contact the hotel and go through their price match guarantee.
You’ll often receive some fantastic discounts and benefits for it!
IHG offers one of the best price match guarantees out there, as not only will they match the price you find elsewhere but they’ll also give you reward club points if you’re signed up to their loyalty scheme.
In fact, they’ll give you up to five times the usual IHG Rewards Club Points up to a maximum of 40,000 - that’s a lot of points simply for finding the hotel cheaper on another website!
Not only will your stay be price matched, but you’ll have tons of points to spend on your next stay.
If you’re wondering how to find the cheapest hotel dates, then this tip is for you!
Although you can find some great bargains searching the web, it can be tedious, especially as there are so many fantastic comparison websites to look at.
However, why not make this process easier for yourself?
Some websites offer a ‘price match alert’ which will save you a ton of browsing, as they’ll do the work for you!
Rather than you continuously search each day to see if the prices have dropped, you’ll get a notification on your phone or through your account when you’ve signed up.
This works for both the destination and the dates, although this can be edited if you change your mind on when and where you’re going.
Make sure you take full advantage of websites offering this as not many of them do!
One of the best websites for this is Kayak, as you can create price alerts for hotel stays and even flights if you need to.
It’s an incredibly handy tool, and all you need to do is click the bell icon after you’ve searched for your chosen destination.
Then after that, you’ll be notified through the app or your account if you’re on a desktop when the prices drop. Pretty handy right?
They’ve also currently got a ‘price freeze’ option for flights, so hopefully they extend this to hotel stays!
Although this doesn’t relate to the actual hotel price, it’s a great way to save money.
There are endless cashback websites around the world that will give you a percentage of your money back for booking through them!
It’s only one extra step for you, and you can get between 1-15% back on your purchase, especially on flights and hotel stays.
This can often mean £100s off your trip if you’re staying in a luxury hotel and you’re travelling during peak season.
Just keep in mind that the cashback available to you will differ depending on which website you use, who you book your stay with, and the terms and conditions.
Some websites will state that you can get up to 15% off, and then once you actually read the policy, this is for expensive car rentals and flights rather than accommodation.
However, it’s definitely worth doing so I’d recommend signing up for the top cashback website in your country!
Top Cashback is the highest-paying cashback site in the United Kingdom and is completely FREE to join.
You can earn cashback with 1000s of companies, and sometimes you’ll get a reward simply for signing up.
Top Cashback is primarily for the UK and the United States, but there are options out there across the world including Be Frugal, Rakuten, and Swagbucks.
Package holidays are extremely popular and although they can be expensive you’ll often find some great deals.
Many people prefer to book their hotel and flights separately (which you’d have to if you’re going for an Airbnb instead), however, there are some bargains to be found with package holidays.
I’d always recommend checking holiday agents first before booking your trip separately and comparing the prices.
Sometimes, you’ll save a lot of money by booking your flights, hotel, and even rental car together!
An even better way to save money if you’re purchasing a package holiday is to pay through a cashback website and use your hotel rewards credit card.
This way, you’ll earn a % of your money back from the trip and you’ll earn a ton of points that you can put towards future holidays!
A great way to spend your money if you ask me!
If you’re looking for cheap package hotels or last-minute deals in the UK, then make sure you check out TUI.
They offer a variety of great package holidays all across the world ranging from Canada to Sri Lanka, so there’s an option for everyone!
We have used them a bunch of times, and the deals are sometimes almost too good to believe. We spent 10 days at a luxury all-inclusive in Cancun (this one here) for a total of £1,800. Everywhere else we could find, that deal would have ben $4,000+.
Other big websites across the world that are great for package deals include Expedia, Qantas, and United Airlines.
Now, this isn’t often something many travellers think of!
New hotels are opening across the world every day, and many of them offer insane discounts to encourage people through the doors.
These prices are known as ‘special opening rates’ and you’ll often never find them this cheap again!
Discounts can be up to 50% of the usual price, and some places even offer complimentary stays but this is rare - unfortunately…
Aside from the website I’ve detailed below, you can keep an eye on Hotel Designs.net so you’re up to date with hotel plans and openings.
If you’ve got a favourite hotel chain, you can always keep an eye out on their social media platforms or blog to find out if they’ve got any new projects happening!
Be The First specialises in luxury and boutique hotel openings across the world, and you can find some real bargains on here!
Although they only feature 4-5* hotels, this website offers hotel rooms for an absolute steal, and you can even reserve rooms in advance before the hotel has even opened.
Not only will you be one of the first people to stay at these hotels, but it’s likely that you won’t find prices anywhere close to these special opening rates!
With hotels in a variety of countries ranging from Australia to Iceland, this isn’t a website you want to miss out on.
If you don’t mind being spontaneous and having a surprise, then I’d recommend looking at ‘secret hotel’ options or mystery offers.
Even the most high-end and popular hotels are likely to have empty rooms at some point, and many of these rooms can be bought for an absolute steal.
Although some rooms can be bought on other websites after they’ve slashed their prices, some can only be stayed at through secret deals or mystery offers.
This means the hotel is kept a secret until you’ve paid, although you’re given all the general information you’ll need beforehand including price and location.
Priceline and Hotwire are two great websites for this, and if you’re looking to be sneaky then you can do a bit of detective work first where you can find out their hotel list by area!
Bid Goggles is another great option for trying to figure out the hotels in the area, but this only works for Canada and the United States.
Late Rooms offers incredible prices on rooms at 4-5* hotels, but the exact company is of course kept a secret until after you’ve paid.
You’ll be given the star rating, facilities, general location, and price, although the actual hotel will be kept a complete surprise.
Using websites like this is the perfect way to save money on spontaneous trips! There are plenty around but this one is UK-based.
Now you know how to find the best deals on hotels, it’s only fitting to take a look at some of the best booking sites out there.
Finding fantastic hotel deals can often be quite difficult, but it’s so much easier when you’ve got a good booking site.
There are plenty of rental sites out there that people use to book hotels/accommodation and everyone has their own preference.
However, here are a few of my personal favourites and why I think they’re so fantastic!
Booking.Com is undoubtedly one of the best options out there if you’re looking for cheap hotels!
This booking site lists over 28 million hotels, hostels, and other accommodation types, and these properties are found all across the world.
The BEST thing about using Booking.Com is that they have a Genius Loyalty System. Through this, you can get discounts on rooms if you’ve already booked a certain amount of stays with them!
These discounts range from 10-20% and can be used in over 390,000 hotels.
Not only that, but if you make it to the highest Genius level, you’ll benefit from other features too including free breakfast and room upgrades.
To finish off, Booking.Com offers a price match guarantee so if you find the property cheaper elsewhere, make sure you get in touch!
Airbnb doesn’t primarily focus on hotel rooms as they’re a peer-to-peer booking site.
However, you will find hotel/hostel rooms on there and you’ll be able to find some fantastic deals on vacation home rentals, apartments, studios, and other quirky accommodation options.
This platform has every type of rental you could imagine ranging from cosy cabins to secluded igloos, so there’s something for everyone.
Many of the properties on Airbnb also feature excellent facilities including an equipped kitchen which will help you save a lot of money in the long run!
One of the highlights of using this booking site is that they offer ‘Airbnb Experiences’. These are essentially a way for you to get involved with some awesome activities in the area you’re staying.
Although Hostelworld doesn’t have as many listings as some of the other booking sites, it’s specifically tailored towards budget travellers.
It’s actually one of the first places you should check if you’re looking to book cheap rooms!
They have listings in 178 countries ranging from Thailand to Peru, and there are over 13 million guest reviews on their website.
Not only does Hostelworld offer a hostel chat where you can connect with other guests before you get there, but they also have a very unique feature called ‘Roamies’.
Roamies are small-group tours run by the company where you’ll get to stay in the world’s BEST hostels and explore the area while you’re there.
They are extremely cheap compared to other tours out there, and they operate in Asia, Europe, Central America, and South America.
Kayak is one of the best comparison websites out there, as it searches through hundreds of booking sites to find you great deals.
By searching through Kayak, you can save up to 35% off hotel rooms which is a huge saving for us travellers!
This way, you’ll find it easy to book the cheapest rooms, rather than scouring the internet yourself.
There are two other great reasons to search for cheap hotels through Kayak; their price alerts and their rewards system!
Firstly, the price alert system is incredibly handy as you’ll be notified through the app or your account when prices drop.
Secondly, Kayak offers a unique rewards system with OpenTable!
You’ll essentially be earning points whenever you book restaurant reservations, and if these rack up you can then redeem them against a hotel stay.
Trivago is another fantastic comparison website if you’re looking to book hotels for cheap prices!
It’s one of the biggest hotel search sites in the world; comparing over 5 million listings via 300 different booking sites.
Their system is incredibly easy to use too, as all you need to do is search the destination and the dates that you’ll be staying.
From there, you’ll have a HUGE variety of options that can be filtered by price, accommodation type, and ratings.
There are plenty of other more niche filters too including free cancellation, being pet-friendly, and specific on-site facilities such as a swimming pool.
Whether you prefer to stay in luxury chains or quirky independent hotels, Trivago has something for everyone!
It offers such an easy way of comparing deals which is why it’s such a big hit.
For this article, I’ve only detailed five booking sites to give you a quick idea of the options available to you!
If you’re looking for a more detailed guide on specific booking sites, check out our guide on the best vacation rental sites.
Here you’ll find the key differences and highlights of the best booking websites out there, so it’s quite a hefty one.
There are so many fantastic ways to find cheap hotel rooms, but one of the first things you should do is to check comparison websites for the best deals.
Other popular ways to get cheap hotels include using local currency to avoid transaction fees, collecting rewards with loyalty schemes, and using a hotel reward credit card!
There are so many fantastic apps that offer ‘in-app’ discounts such as Booking.Com, Expedia, and Hotels.Com.
However, Kayak has to be the best option as you can set up price alerts through their app. This means you’ll get a notification when the prices drop, so you can bag yourself a bargain.
It completely depends on the hotel you choose! For many hotels, it’s best to book your room in advance and benefit from ‘early bird’ specials.
However, some hotels do tend to reduce their prices closer to the time of booking if they’re looking to fill up the rooms. This is a great way to find some last-minute deals so it’s an option if you’re planning a spontaneous trip.
This will differ depending on where you’re travelling to but generally, the best days to book a hotel stay tend to be Friday and Saturday.
Monday through to Wednesday tend to be the most expensive days to book, but as you get to the weekend prices start to drop.
If you’ve been wondering how to get cheap hotel rates, as you can see there are so many tips you can take advantage of!
Some will work better than others, and this is something to consider.
If you’re a frequent traveller then collecting points with hotel loyalty schemes and using a hotel rewards credit card may be the most effective way for you to get bang for your buck.
However, if you’re just looking for the odd trip then I’d recommend taking advantage of package deals, coupon websites such as Wowcher, and the free cancellation policy.
Do you have any more questions on how to get the best hotel room rates?
Or do you have any tips of your own, that you think we've missed?
Let me know in the comments below!
If you love to travel on a budget then here are some other guides that you may find useful:
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