by KateMB

Created on: June 15, 2008

In order to get a great hotel for an absolute bargain, one must be willing to make a few sacrifices. But be aware, if you want to get a top class hotel for a steal, then you must take a bit of a gamble. Research is the key when bargain hunting for hotels, and if you play your cards right, there is no reason you can't pick some luxury accommodation for a fraction of the normal price.

Firstly, you must be willing to wait until the last minute to book. This may sound risky for those of you who have never tried it before, however at most places you are likely to go, there are many hotels competing for your business, and it is practically impossible for every one of them to be full. Remember in the hotel business, a room empty is a room wasted, and that empty rooms are not making them any money, so naturally hotels want to have all there rooms full. Many hotels offer rooms at discount rates for people who are booking no more than two weeks in advance. Have a look at discount accommodation websites, such as wotif.com and lastminute.com. These sites offer cheap rates for people booking at the last minute. You can often find rooms more than 50% cheaper than anywhere else.

In a time where travel agents are a dying breed, and the internet is taking over, it is perfectly safe, and generally far cheaper to reserve accommodation on the web. All you need to do is be smart about it.

Make sure you start looking for your accommodation months before your trip, even if you plan to book at the last minute. That way you have plenty of time to find the perfect hotel for you. Find different hotels which appeal to you, and then search for reviews on those hotels. Sites such as tripadvisor.com offer reviews from third party sources on hotels all across the world, and you can see what others thought of the hotel, and whether there are any problems with it. Then compare the price of the hotels from multiple sources. Look not only at the last minute websites, but regular hotel websites, as well as the website of the hotel itself. That way you find out weather you are really getting a good deal from wotif or last minute. By waiting to book you are taking a calculated risk, and it is up to you to figure out whether you would be saving enough to make it worth while.

Finally, if you want some really cheap accommodation, then you can't go past the secret hotel deals on wotif or lastminute.com. A secret hotel deal involves booking a hotel, the name of which you are not told until after you have paid. The reason for this is because the deal is generally so cheap that the hotel doesn't want to put there name to it. These deals are not for everyone, as you cannot be sure exactly which hotel you will be staying at, but if you do a bit of research you will be able to narrow it down to a few possibilities. For instance, if the secret hotel deal is for a 4.5 star hotel, then search for all the 4.5 star hotels within the approximate location of the secret hotel. Then cross check the facilities of the secret hotel, with the facilities of all the hotels in the area. This should narrow it down to a few, if not only one hotel which it could be. That way you know the possibilities which it could be, and can therefore make an educated decision on whether or not to take a punt, an book the hotel. It is a great way to save a fortune on luxury accommodation.

So by taking a bit of a gamble, it is possible to get a great deal on a hotel, and save heaps of money when traveling.

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