Unlike shopping in the grocery store, where the prices are set and boldly stated, trying to get the cheapest price for a hotel room is often fraught with hidden fees and arcane terminology that is meant to fool the untrained traveler. But a savvy one, armed with these tips will be able to protect himself and his family.

Tip #1

Ask for a lower rate

This may seem too simple, however, most hotels have “fallback” rates for those customers who are resisting the regular rate. Ask to see if they have any discounts or special promotions such as: senior, frequent flier, hotel membership, government or teacher discount, convention, family, off peak, shareholder or corporate. Or ask straight out for a better price, you’d be surprised how often this can work.
 

Tip #2

Shop Online

Many online travel sites have special deals. To name just a few of them, Expedia, and Travelocity. Note, however, these sites can charge booking fees, so search around for the best rate. Another online option are sites like Trivago, Kayak, or Mobissimo, they search a wide range of travel sites and then send you to the provider for final bookings.

One can also check the individual hotel's website for special web deals.
Another little trick is to check  the online travel websites more than once, perhaps a few times over a period of weeks because as you get closer to your date the prices change, sometimes drastically. For the brave at heart you can try to book last minute deals, sometimes those are the cheapest, as the hotels scrounge to fill rooms.

Even if you've already booked your hotel room, look online again or speak with the hotel to see if rates have gone down. If they have, cancel your original booking and rebook. But be sure to check your hotels cancellation policy prior, to avoid any fees.   
 

Tip #3

Travel at off-peak times

If your schedule can be flexible, for example, like traveling mid-week and staying at a B&B, instead of on the weekends, when most people go, you can get a better rate. Or, conversely, if you know of a hotel that serves mostly business travelers you can stay there on the weekend when you will possibly get a beter price. The opposite would apply for a hotel that caters to weekenders you could try staying there midweek. On a broader scale, know when peak seasons in your destination are, such as Summer time travel to Europe or winter time travel to the Caribbean. Prices will then be at their highest, if you schedule your time at off -peak seasons, you could save yourself a bundle.
 

Tip #4

Try a package deal

If your not too picky about where you stay, you can shop for both airfares and hotels at the same time. The deals generally outweigh the inflexibility of picking your own hotel. You may also find a hotel and flight combination that is cheaper than a flight by itself.


 

Tip #5

Don't just look at big hotel chains.

There are great alternatives to these hotels, like B&B's, youth hostels, or independently owned small hotels. However, they can't always be found on the usual search engines initiall search. Travel guide books like lonely Planet, rough guide and the like are a good resource for information about lesser known places to stay.