Low Hotel Rates

How to Get Low Hotel Rates

You don't have to pay top dollar to get top-notch service

Request all the basic discounts: Discounts are often available to senior citizens, members of automobile associations, and military personnel. But those who are eligible have to ask for them. 

Ask for a still lower rate: Hotels are often willing to reduce rates if doing so will fill empty rooms. Money magazine reports that budget motels have an average occupancy rate of 62 percent. That's a lot of rooms in need of filling: don't be afraid to ask the check-in manager for a still lower rate.

Call a reservation service. By purchasing rooms in bulk at reduced prices, these services pass savings on to you – usually 25 percent to 50 percent off the regular rates on mid-priced and luxury rooms.

The Cheapest Places to Sleep

Here's what you'll find inside America's budget motels

They all look the same when you're cruising the Interstate at 65, but there is a world of difference between budget motel chains. True, travelers don't go to them for the amenities, but some budget chains are a lot more budget-oriented than others, and some go out of their way to buck the budget stereotypes. La Quinta Inn chains, for example, offer free coffee and Danish to guests – no great leap for mankind, but a little nicety almost unheard of at budget motels just a few short years ago. Besides, senior citizens might want to choose the motels which don't offer senior discounts, while CNN fanatics can learn where to turn in for their for their daily fix. You can judge motel chains (Comfort Inn, Hampton II, La Quinta Inns, Super 8, Red Roof Ins, Travelodge-Thriftlodge, etc.) according to comfort, convenience, cleanliness, price and safety.

Hotel in Jamaica. Photo by Elena.

The New Kings of the Road

Why not take a home with you on your next vacation?

To all those hip folks who wouldn't be caught dead in an RV: think again. Kids love 'em. A 2015 poll by the University of Michigan found the 36 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds plan to purchase a recreational vehicle in the near future, a higher proportion than any other age group. Of course, older folks still love'em too – people 55 and older represent more than half of all RV owners. Still, sales of the kind of folding camping trailers that are popular with entry-level buyers increased by 46 percent in 2018 – record growth in an industry that generates $15 billion in annual retail sales.

Why? Those who had already purchased RVs cited comfort (easy-swivel captain's seats!), convenience (no lost luggage!), and a “good value” (home cooking every night!), as their primary motivations. And of course, there is the simple thrill of trekking across the nation as our pioneer ancestors did: with a kitchen in the back seat and a bed in the trunk.

Driving an RV may be convenient – if you're up to the task of parallel parking – but buying one can be daunting task. RVs cost anywhere from $50,000 for a basic trail to upward of half a million dollars for those deluxe custom buses favored by rodeo stars and country western singers.

Options vary widely, from handy dashboard cup holders to deluxe built-in home entertainment centers. The only thing that doesn't vary much, in fact, is the mileage, which is universally bad – about 8 to 10 miles per gallon at best.

With so many choices available, you may want to rent an RV first to see what kind of amenities you will require on the road, and, more important, to see if gypsy life is really all that you and your traveling companions had dreamed.