Deep Discount Hotels
“What are some ways to find deep discount hotels?” Finding cheap hotels is more of an art than a science. You have to have research skills, negotiating tactics and a gut instinct for what the hotels will accept. Believe it or not, it is possible to negotiate a deep discount with hotels, provided you do it at the right time.
First, if the first point of contact won’t play ball, try again. Working in a travel agency taught me this fairly quickly: if you don’t like the answer a hotel gives you, hang up and call again… You’ll almost always receive a different answer. Get a feel for the person, and if they seemed preoccupied with the word “No” move on.
Use humor and horror. If you can make the gatekeeper laugh, they suddenly open up and are on your side. Get them emotionally involved; shock them with your horror story of a plane trip, tell them you got mugged, cry, tell them a joke…anything to get them interested.
Try working it off. Some hotels will offer deep discounts or sometimes even free rooms if you offer to do some sort of labot. This could be helping direct traffic, digging ditches or washing dishes… like the previous points, you never know unless you ask.
I have mentioned this in other articles, but should mention it again here: if you want a nice discount on hotels, try not to travel in the summer (or any other seasonal tourist trap, like fall on the east coast). Many hotels are just as nice in winter as they are in summer. My wife and I went to New Zealand during the winter and saved a bundle of hotels. Keep these points in mind when looking for deep discount hotels, and remember: everything is negotiable. |