Five Ways to Book Cheaper Hotels

Close up photo of hand ringing a hotel reception service bell to attract attention

One of the most common questions I get from people relates to booking cheaper hotels. My obvious answer is to pick up a hotel or bank rewards credit card and use the rewards to cover hotels. But using rewards isn’t always an option, in which case you’ll want to book the cheapest rates possible. Here’s a review of how I book cheaper hotels:

Cash + Points. If you don’t have enough points for a free night and cash rates are too high, consider cash + points. Pretty much every major hotel rewards program offers cash + points rates, which can be a terrific value. Both the cash and the points rates are usually set based on hotel category, so if paid rates are high you can get save a lot of money with a cash + points redemption.

AAA/AARP.  Did you know that you do not need to be a senior citizen to qualify for an AARP card – anyone can join and membership is as cheap as $1 per month. AAA membership fees are higher, at $56 – $119 per year for California residents. Regardless of which one you go with, you’ll usually get 10 – 15% off most hotel chain standard rates.

Club1 Hotels. Club1 Hotels is the best kept secret (literally) in travel OTA’s. I learned about them about two years ago and never book a hotel before checking their rates first. For example, I saved over $1300 on my stay at the Nizuc Resort in Cancun last year. Just last week I was looking at rates in Cancun. A 3-night stay at the Finest Playa Mujeres was a full $500 cheaper than the hotel website.

I’ve also been looking at Hyatt Ziva rates and they are consistently 40-60% cheaper on the Club1 Hotels site. Membership fees start at $99 per year, but you do get $25 off your first reservation, a $30 LuggageFree gift card and a 1-year ShopRunner Membership. That more than makes up for the fee, but the real value is in the savings you’ll get on your hotel bookings.

American Express Travel Benefits. If you have an American Express card, you’re in for a world of savings. For starters, Amex Platinum cardholders are entitled to spa credits, free nights, breakfast and other great benefits through Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts. Don’t have a Platinum card? You can still get added value through Hotel Collection bookings if you have an American Express Gold Card. This includes a $75 hotel credit, room upgrades based on availability, bonus points and more. These perks can be a great way to save money on your hotel stay, even if you’re not saving on the actual room booking.

Citi Prestige. I jumped on the Citi Prestige bandwagon and my favorite thing is by far the fourth night free benefit. That’s an instant 25% savings on paid hotel bookings, which is as good as it gets. Yes, the Prestige Card has a $450 annual fee, but depending on how often you use this benefit (and others), it can be absolutely worth it.

Those are my tips for saving on hotel bookings when a full point redemption is out of the question. Do you have any tips to share? Please do so in the comment section.