We are staying at the Marriott Residence Inn on Harbor Blvd. for Free! We have a Marriott Rewards card and we travel a lot for business and are using some of our points for a free 3 night stay the week after Thanksgiving. Woo-hoo....I love free!
Other than that, if I am not using points, I usually go with the name your own price option via Priceline, and I select the 4 star option, or at the very minimum, the 3 star option. I have snagged great places, like the Grand Hyatt for $55 a night, and Hotel Menage for $55 a night.