One way to start your next vacation off right is to book a hotel stay at a discounted price. The good news is that nowadays you can find hotel deals online for a fraction of the normal price.
So before you call a hotel to book a room directly, here’s what you need to know to get the best and cheapest hotel online:
1. Compare prices
Comparing prices before you press “pay” should be your first step towards getting the best hotel deals online. You can research all the options available and then compare the shortlisted hotels on travel comparison sites (i.e., Hotels.com, Travelocity, HotelsCombined.com, etc.).

2. Visit hotel sites directly
After narrowing down a few hotels that you would like to stay at, simply visit their respective websites. Hotels sometimes don’t supply all their room types or additional price information to comparison websites. Therefore, visiting their individual websites directly can be helpful in getting you that deal. You can get special deals and discount coupons of a hotel at several online platforms, but hotels do provide some special deals and coupons exclusively on their own website. Therefore, don’t forget to check such lucrative deals on the hotel’s website.

3. Keep fees and extras in mind
Some hotels charge booking fees and credit card fees, and comparison websites usually fail to provide such information upfront to users. Therefore, it is always wise to check out such fees and extra charges at the hotel’s own website prior to booking.

4. Off season bookings
After finding the best hotel deals online, you can still contact the hotel in person to avail some extra special discounts and upgrades. It specifically applies to off season times when plenty of hotel rooms are vacant, as you can easily negotiate a room upgrade and other extra benefits.

How to ask the hotels for special deals before booking online?

• Contact the hotel personally

If you wish to seek extra benefits and hotel deals before you book online, then invest some extra time and effort into contacting the particular hotel personally to enquire about ongoing deals or offers that are available at the moment.

• Ask about an upgrade

If you are lucky enough, the hotel might offer you a free room upgrade, a price reduction, or any other such benefit that was not available online. If they don’t, just ask.

• Extended stay deals

Hotels usually give such offers on extended stays or as part of their loyalty programs. Therefore, never hesitate to ask for special deals if you are planning a longer stay at a particular hotel.

Does timing affect getting the best hotel deals online?
Timing has an important role to play when it comes to fetching the best hotel deals online. However, the saying “early bird gets the worm” is not applicable on booking hotels at the best prices online. It’s actually the other way around, as you are more likely to hit the best deal if you wait for the last minute to book. Additionally, the best hotel deals generally surface right after holidays or on Sundays, Mondays, or Thursdays.

Signing up to a hotel’s loyalty program can help
By signing in a hotel’s loyalty program, you can easily nab the best deals. Factors to consider before signing a program include:

• Whether the hotel properties are available in cities you wish to visit
• How valuable are the rewards
• How quickly you can earn them, and
• What value do they offer

Understanding how the rewards can be redeemed can help you make this crucial decision with ease.

Why sign up for online alerts about price drops?
By signing up for alerts on hotel price drops at your favorite online booking sites, you can relax and be certain of being notified whenever the price drops or when special offers and discounts are offered at your hotel of choice.