Between the latest travel apps and many travel sites offering access to top hotels and villas, finding accommodation for your next trip is now easier than ever. You also have services such as Airbnb and Accommodation.co.uk granting you access to alternative accommodations in almost every city across the globe. To make it even better, you can now find the best deals online just as easily.
There are ways you can get discounts and special offers on the best holiday accommodations no matter where you are going. We are going to review some of the best tips and tricks right here in this article.
Be an Early Bird
The saying, “the early bird catches the worm,” applies to hotel and villa booking quite perfectly. You will find so many more discounts and special offers by booking your accommodation early. You can even get around the usual high-season price-hike by booking early.
When you know you will be traveling during high season, such as when you’re visiting a city that will be hosting a popular festival or a music event, you want to book your accommodation as early as possible. You will get much better rates compared to when you book late.
Booking early also gives you one additional advantage: you have more time to search for deals and special offers. That brings us to our next tip, which is….
Search Around for Deals
There are plenty of websites that offer access to special deals on hotels and accommodations. All you have to do is compare offers and find the right voucher code to use when making your reservation. You can even claim free extra nights and other bonuses; freebies can be just as interesting as discounts in certain situations.
Don’t forget to visit travel blogs and general travel sites too. Many hotel chains and hotels in popular travel destinations work with travel bloggers to attract more guests. They regularly offer special discounts for readers of popular travel blogs.
Go Holiday Rental
If your main goal is to save money on the accommodation for your next trip, you also want to search for holiday rentals. You will get so much more amenities and space for much less money compared to hotels and luxury villas. In fact, you can get a luxurious villa for yourself at an incredible rate.
There are a lot of sites that let you book holiday rentals. “These sites also offer discounts and special offers to attract guests to the properties they manage or advertise, which means you can easily save more money in the process” suggests Thomas from Shortletsmalta. It’s definitely worth keeping an eye on these deals.
Very, VERY Late Deals
There is also the long list of last-minute deals you can benefit from, especially if you use your smartphone to make reservations. Apps such as Hotel Quickly allow you to quickly find a place to stay and get a good price for it. There is only one catch: you may not always get the best rooms.
Last-minute deals are offered by hotels with unoccupied rooms on the actual day of your stay. These rooms are offered at great rates and with additional discounts to benefit from, but you still risk not being able to find a good room in a hotel near where you will be spending most of your time during the holiday.
The Secret Offers
Open popular hotel booking apps and you will notice secret deals popping up every now and then. Secret deals offer accommodations at great rates, but you don’t really know which hotel you’re booking (hence the name, secret deals).
Secret deals are a big hit among backpackers because of the great discounts they come with. Similar to the last-minute deals, however, you’re paying for those discounts with some extra risks you have to bear. If you think the cut is worth it, then I say go for it.
Although you don’t really know the exact hotel you’re booking, secret deals still let you book a hotel in or near a particular city or travel destination. You won’t be too far from where you need to be and you can save a lot on your accommodation.
Ask!
Last but certainly not least, you can get great discounts on your accommodation by, well, simply asking for a discount. The hotel market is a competitive one right now and hotels are more than willing to offer extra discounts and freebies to win your business.
When you’re traveling solo, for instance, you can negotiate a better rate almost every time. Hotels assume they are catering to two guests (meaning two breakfasts, two toiletries, etc.), so negotiating a better rate is a good idea. Hit the Live Chat button on the hotel booking site and see if you can get additional discounts added to the rate.
These are some of the best ways to find great deals on accommodations online. Utilise these tips when planning your next trip and prepare to save a lot of money while still getting the best room in a great hotel.