With the way the economy has been, people have had to put aside their plans for vacations and family trips in order to save money.  What most people do not realize is that if they took some time when planning their trip or vacation, they can save a ton of money, making the trip possible.  The key is finding crafty ways in getting the cheapest hotel rates.  There is more to getting a good deal then to just calling the hotel.

Let’s face it, people today are very spoiled.  Nobody likes to take an extra minute to save a buck or two.  They always favor the easy way out, stopping at a fast food restaurant rather then taking a lunch or buying frozen premade meals rather then cooking their own dinner.  This goes the same for such things as plane tickets and hotel accommodations.  Most people like things to be plain and simple, straightforward with no issues.  Therefore when it comes to shopping plane tickets and hotel accommodations they usually go with the first deal that sounds the best.

Most likely they will either call a travel agent, having them set everything up without double checking the prices that they are getting quoted or they will call the hotel directly and just go with whatever special rate the hotel is offering at that time.  The sad thing is that the people that use these methods to find the best hotel rate, generally end up paying much more than the average guest.

With a little bit leg work and a few minutes of your time, you will find that you can get a hotel room for up to 50% off the regular price if not more.  Think about it, the money you were planning on spending for your trip would increase greatly if you’ve shopped around and learned to compare hotel rates.  With the tips listed below you will find that you will spend half as much as the average travelers, therefore having more money to spend on other things, while your on vacation.

The best place to start would be to call a few hotels that are located at your destination.  Find out what specials they are currently offering and what types of discounts that you can get a using such cards as AAA or AARP.  Then ask them if they offer a special discount if you book your hotel stay on their website.  Many times you can get a much cheaper rate by going online and booking your stay that way.

The next thing you’ll want to check into would be discount coupon book is.  Many times local schools in your area sell discount books such as the Entertainment Book that offers many types of coupons for various things.  Even though the book is for your local area they generally offer a website you can go to which will allow you to check out coupons and discounts in the area you’re traveling to.  You can even get discounts on local attractions and restaurants as well as fast food chains, saving you even more on the overall cost of the trip.

Travel agencies also offer great discounts, especially if you combine different aspects of your vacation such as theme park tickets, air fare, car rental and hotel accommodations.  It can help you greatly to check with a few different travel agents to see what options you have.  Many times each travel agency will offer some sort of guarantee that they can give you the best deal in town.  This is generally how it works: if you find you can get the same deal at a cheaper rate with another travel agency, than they will either meet or beat the price of their competitor in order to get your business.

The Internet offers a wide variety of online discount travel sites.  They allow you to search several different hotels at one time giving you a wide range of discount options to meet your travel needs.  Most of these sites also offer a guarantee claiming that they have the best prices.  It is best to get all of your rate quotes in writing or sent in an e-mail to you so you have proof of the price that was offered.  This will prove that you found the same deal cheaper at another site.  These types of websites usually will give you the same rate that you found with the other site but in some cases you may find some that will beat their competitors prices by a certain percentage.

Getting the cheapest Hotel rates is easy if you know what to do and how to do it.  It may take a little leg work and a little bit of your time but in the long run it is well worth it.  The amount of money you will save will show you that it does pay off to look for discounts.  Learn to compare Hotel rates online and look for weekly Hotel rates as well.  You can find discounts during off-peak seasons and check about rate discounts during midweek, as it is usually a slow time for many hotels.  On these days, they drop their prices to pull in more guests and you can use this to your advantage by planning your trip around those days.

We all need to get away once in awhile but for most of us it is not financially feasible to do this.  You can make it possible to take that much needed trip if you learn to cut corners and make a few exceptions such as the days that you will travel.  In the end the saving will be well worth it and your wallet will thank you.