How to get the best hotel rates

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Sleeping away from home can be a expensive undertaking, so spending each dollar well is an important part of every traveler’s plans. Searching for the absolute best hotel rates is your key to maximizing luxury and minimizing costs, and CNN has come up with tips on how to do just that:

• Start using new search engines: There are plenty of search engines out there specific to travel, and chances are you haven’t tried them all out. Kayak.com, Hotels.com, and Farecast.com are all great places to start, but a quick search will uncover many others as well.
• Play with dates: Rates can differ greatly over just a few days, so use hotel rate calendars to figure out which days will be least expensive.
• Get it guaranteed: Many hotel chains promise to match any rate you can find, and some go beyond to match the rate and provide a discount. Mariott, for example, offers a 25 percent price reduction, Swissotel offers half off of the lower rate for your first night and matches the rate for following nights, and Starwood gives you a 10 percent discount. To lock in these special rates, make sure you file your low rate claim at least 24 hours in advance.
• Call the hotel directly: Instead of calling the generic 800-number, call the hotel directly and speak to one of their employees. Ask about last-minute specials and less expensive nights to stay.

Tags: hotels