How to save money on hotels in other cities?

[TiffanyK]

I've learned a lot from these boards on saving money in Disney but how do I save money for other locations? We are a family of 6 and from what I understand it doesn't make sense to use priceline for hotels.

We are wanting to go to Williamsburg and the DC area sometime in the next few years. Any tips for hotel savings?

Thanks!

 

[kilee]

DC is a great budget trip. Primairly because most attractions are free!!!! As for lodging it is alittle harder to find a true "bargain" in DC. Personally, when we on vacation we consider $40.00 and under a night to be a deal. We have only ended up in a "dive" once too-- which only lasted for a night. However, DC is kind of like NYC. Cheap rooms are hard to come by. Personally the best deal I've gotten there so far was at I believe a Quality Inn for $69.00 a night. The rooms and hotel were beautiful. It was by the Iwo Jima memorial. We are going back to DC in March-- and I am in the current process of trying to find a room. So far no luck. I did find a really good internet rate for the Hilton of $125.00 a night, but I'm still searching!!! Your best bet is just to do searches for the city. Try keywords of DC HOTEL DEALS or DC DISCOUNT HOTELS-- just keep searching. My best deal yet, was a hotel (in Orlando) that I got for $19.99 a night for 10 nights. Not through priceline either. The same room was going for $50.00-75.00 elsewhere!!!! Do you know the hotel front desk clerk was so impressed with my rate, she also gave us a free upgrade to a better view(we had booked parking lot view). I put close to 30 hours of search time to get that rate, but it was worth it!!

 

[macs4us]

We stayed at the Hilton for free on points (went during points stretcher dates) for a week. You can convert some airline miles to Hilton hhonors points, and I got a Hilton Hhonors Platinum Amex (no fee). Check http://www.mileageworkshop.com/ for ways for free points and airline miles you can convert to points. Erewards emails can also earn you points. You can use your points for Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Homewood Suites, etc.

Quikbook.com often has great rates for rooms in DC.

Hope this helps!!!

 

[ripleysmom]

Go to www.biddingfortravel.com They can tell you everything you need to know about going through Priceline.

I know that I used Priceline to get a room in Miami and got a great room for $50 which was about half of what it was going for on the discount sites.

 

[time101]

I second the idea of using Priceline. We've dont this on just about every trip we've taken in the last couple of years. We have never been disappointed.

Again, BiddingforTravel is the best resource for Priceline stays.

 

[kilee]

The only drawback to using priceline is the double occ thing. In a family oriented place like Orlando-- you have a harder time getting a king room than a double, and usually don't have to worry if you are traveling w/ kids and need more than 1 bed. However, in some "business cities" the opposite is true. King rooms are abundant especially on the weekends when the business men and women are back home. So in places like DC, NYC & Boston you run a greater chance of only getting a 1 bed room. If this poses a problem, then you may need to reconsider that angle. I think for saving money on a room in Orlando though, priceline is the way to go.

 

[disneysteve]

My best tip for finding a hotel in Washington or in NYC is - Don't. Stay outside the city where the prices are much cheaper. When we go to NYC, we usually stay in Secaucus, NJ, just a few minutes away.

When we go to DC, we stay in Alexandria or Arlington, VA. There are many hotels located a short walk from a Metro station so getting in and out of DC is simple.

As for finding bargains, always check at least sources: the hotel's website, the hotel chain's 800 number and the hotel's direct number. Its amazing how much those sources can differ. And once you book a rate, that's not the end of your search. Every few days until your trip, keep checking those sources to see if rates drop or specials are announced.

A few years ago, I took my wife to NYC for our anniversary. That was the one and only time we actually stayed in the city at the Rhiga Royal (we're Marriott Reward members). I booked and rebooked 5 times. The price we finally paid was $57/nite less than the price we originally had, so it pays to be persistent.

Steve

 

[powellrj]

We also use priceline when booking rooms at other places. I wouldn't use priceline without biddingfortravel though. If biddingfortravel doesn't show anything for where I need to go, I use orbitz or expedia or someplace like that to get an idea of what hotels are out there and how much they cost, and then I use the hotels website and usually get pretty good rates. My ds is in the Army and I can get him better rates than he can get on the base. He is always amazed at what I can find for him in the way of prices. The only down side is the time it takes for finding the bargains. But if you have the time to do the research, you can really get some great bargains.

 

[HockeyDadof2]

Priceline is great, we use it frequently for weekend trips to SanAntonio. I was amazed to get a hotel on the river walk for $40 a night, mind you that's the same room I got in the past for $125 and thought that was a decent deal. We also got resorts in San Antonio for $65 a night.