This of course, will not work if you are trying for a weekend that is likely to be a popular travel weekend so if you’re considering a popular holiday or extended weekend for your trip this is probably not the best idea and you should probably be glad for any offer you can find. That being said almost any other weekend on the planet is fair game unless there are some very large and popular local events that may be drawing a sell out crowd for the local hotel industry.
Back to what I was saying, you can often not only get a better price by going between two competing hotels, but also added perks like tickets to shows, free meals, spa packages at the hotels spa, gift certificates to the hotel gift store. There are often little things a manager is willing to do in order to get your business with the assumption (often correct I might add) that he will make up the differences in add-ons and other purchases.
Some managers may get annoyed and confuse being frugal with being cheap. Please remember to tip properly. It’s one thing to save money by being frugal and another thing to do so by simply being cheap. If you do not treat the staff well they will remember you long after you’re gone. But that’s another story all together. The trick is in always being polite when dealing with managers on the phone and going with your best deal.
It is also important that you realize the best deal may not be in the cheapest room. If you’re getting one or two meals each day of your staying and only paying $5 0r $10 more a day for the privilege then you are very well coming out ahead in the bargain, particularly if one of those meals is dinner.
Tags: Basement Accommodations
