Finding the perfect place to fit your particular vacation budget is easier than ever before with advanced search engine options like Google, Yahoo and MSN as well as a growing list of companies devoted to providing below rack rate rooms.
Using Search Engines to Find Best Rates
Once you’ve decided on a destination, the next step is to do a keyword search. No need to type in an entire question. Using the Eternal City as an example, simply type into the search field the main words: cheap rooms Rome. Google retrieved 520,000 results in 0.41 seconds, listing 10 of the most relevant on the first page.
Additionally, the results page listed 11 more sponsored links or paid advertising for cheap accommodations as well as ten local Roman businesses with Italian telephone numbers devoted to helping you find an inexpensive place to sleep while you vacation.
The temptation to book a room at the first site is one that should be resisted. If there’s sufficient time for planning a trip, take advantage of examining several sites, being sure to read the fine print for important details about refunds and the availability of late check-ins.
Also, check to see if additional nights can be booked directly through the hotel at the online rate if you decide to stay an extra night or two. Otherwise, find a cybercafé in your destination to add nights. The online rate is generally well worth the inconvenience of a few extra few euro spent in an Internet search, often translating into big savings.
Remember too that European rooms charge by the person not the type of bed. A single means one person and a double means two people. Children, unless very young, often pay the same rate as adults.
Tips to Keep in Mind
- Shop around. Just because the web booking site is a recognizable brand name like Expedia or Travelocity doesn’t mean it’s the best deal.
- Be flexible. The most popular neighborhoods closest to the attractions don’t always have the best bargains. Often there are great deals to be had near major metropolitan transportation that will whisk you to the tourist hot spots in minutes.
- Do your homework before booking. Identify the places that are priorities to visit and plan your hotel stay central to those places.
- Read the fine print. Understand what you are buying before you make your hotel booking.
- Before you point and click, invest in a phone call to the hotel. There might be a better rate and there’s no harm in asking diplomatically if the hotel can do better than the published rate.
The beauty of the rapid growth of e-commerce is that there are more choices than ever before for astute travelers to use to their advantage. Among the best is the ability to virtually view a room before booking as well as the opportunity to visit travel forums like BootsnAll Travel or Frommer’s Budget Travel, which offer a community, blogs and forums for independent travelers. Registering to post on the boards or comment is free and easy.
With creative planning and thinking, most travelers can save on one of the biggest expenses in the budget – hotel rooms – and have extra cash to put toward the next trip or to splurge on dining out or little luxuries like cab fare.
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