How To Save Money On Hotels In 2022

*This post has been reviewed by an Illinois Registered CPA. However, when making important financial decisions, it's best to speak with your financial advisor.

Last Updated on August 4, 2022

Learn How To Save Money On Hotels

Everyone loves to travel. But traveling comes with some challenges. You need to think about accommodation, food, and transportation. Some people choose to rent their own place while traveling, while others choose to stay at hotels.

Staying at a hotel has a lot of advantages. You do not have to worry about cleaning and changing sheets, but also about food and cooking. Many hotels offer room service and have lunch packages. You would have everything covered, and you could focus on visiting the place.

The only thing you have to do is pay the price. That could be a challenge since some hotels tend to be expensive. That is the disadvantage here, but do not worry. There are many tips that could help you reduce the price.

In this article we are going to cover how to save money on hotels. You are also going to find out how to protect yourself in case of having to cancel the reservation. Then we are going to mention some apps and websites that will help you save money on hotels.

How To Save Money For a Trip and Hotel

Before you go on a trip and choose a hotel, you need to think about saving some money. Depending on the location, hotels can be expensive — especially, if you want to visit the big ones, with luxury rooms. Having cash saved gives you security in case something happens.

You could save money in many ways. It could take you three to six months of saving to afford your dream vacation and hotel, depending on how much you save. You could save money on different things, like food, bills, and rent. To save money on bills, you could use the half payment method. It allows you to divide your bills in half and pay them by the due date. That way, you won’t get into debt.

When you save money on the things we mentioned, you could put that savings away for traveling and hotels. Some other useful methods to save money are:

In the table below, we’ve compared these two methods and how each one works. You can see how the 50-30-20 method is focused on dividing your income in three categories. The digital envelope system is more focused on organizing your savings with online envelopes and storing your cash in them. Check it out:

50-30-20 method	Digital envelope system
1st category – needs (essential things) = 50%	Divide the online envelopes into categories, the main one being “money for a hotel”.
2nd category – wants (pleasure things) = 30%	Store cash each month in them.
3rd category – saving (emergency and goals) = 20%	Keep track and be careful to not overspend the money.

With the 50-30-20 method, you could also combine the income from “wants” and “saving.” That way, you could save double the money for traveling and hotels.

Tips To Save Money On Hotels

Ever since the economy has shaken up, hotel prices have gone up. It does not matter if you want to stay in a top hotel or an average hotel. It would still cost you a significant amount of money. But there are various tips to help you save money on hotels. Some of them are:

Take advantage of the hotel points program
Apply for a hotel credit card
Get hotel cash back
Research about BRG (best rate guarantee)
Pay in advance

Hotel points program

If you travel regularly, you must be familiar with these programs. A great way to earn hotel points is to buy from the hotel itself. Also, try to stay at the same hotel every time you visit the same location. That way, you will collect points, and you can use them for your next reservation. Loyalty programs are designed exactly for that. Some of the best ones are the Wyndham Rewards, Hilton Honors, and Marriott Bonvoy.

Hotel credit card

Now, this has nothing to do with bank cards nor having to fix your credit score. The thing about hotel credit cards is that they allow you to use them between partners. Hotel partnership is a joint relationship between hotels to boost sales and resources.

If you do not stay at the same hotel every time, you can find out who the partners are for that hotel. Then you can apply for a credit card and use it for different hotel partners. They even offer free bonus points when you sign-up. You could even score a free night at a hotel room.

Hotel cash back

It is possible to earn cashback from hotels. To do that you could book a room through another online portal. For example:

Hotels.com
Booking
TopCashBack
Dosh

Best rate guarantee (BRG)

BRG means that the hotel guarantees that the rates at their site are the best. If you later find a better price on a different website for the same hotel, you could use BRG to lower your price. Many people may not know that this option exists. They tend to miss out on a huge opportunity to save money.

Pay in advance

Many hotels offer the possibility of a discount if you pay the price for the room in advance. That way, you can even save a certain percentage of your money depending on the hotel. This might be attractive to people who tend to travel on a regular basis. It saves them headaches along the way because they know they have it all covered.

Get Cheap Hotel Rooms

If you want to get cheap hotel rooms, there are six known ways for you to do that:

Research websites and social media for deals
Try to catch last-minute deals
Negotiate the prices
Use affiliations
Pick a different location

Social media and website deals

Look for the social media pages of the hotel you have in mind and follow them. Many of them tend to promote special deals. They have deals for special dates and holidays. Also, check out their websites to be informed on those special deals.

Last-minute deals

There are many sites that publish last-minute deals. They are special because they have a reduced price for their last-minute call. Check out Hotels.com or HotelTonight to see if there are any available last-minute deals.

Negotiate prices

Sometimes, the price on their website is negotiable. You could call them to explain your situation and ask for a lower price. Some hotels may accommodate you, especially if it is for a longer stay or a low-traffic season.

Use affiliations

If you are part of some special groups, you could qualify for a discount on travel. For example, if you are a student, senior, government employee, or AAA member. You can check the website or call and ask the hotel for these kinds of deals.

Change location

You could also check out other hotels around the same city. If you do your research well, you could land a special deal at a different hotel. Also, try to get a hotel away from the city center, as they typically have cheaper rates. So, be sure to check all your options.

How To Save Money When Staying In A Hotel

If you can’t save money for a trip or hotels, you could also consider going on a budget and saving money while you are there. Some well-known tips for saving while you are in the hotel are:

Use free Wi-Fi
Use hotel parking
Do your laundry
Skip the bar

If you subscribe to the hotel loyalty program, you could get free Wi-Fi. That would save you a lot of money, and you could also add points to your card. You could also get a Wi-Fi travel router and use it for your vacation.

Make sure to book a room that includes a parking spot since parking at the hotel could be cheaper than parking in an offsite lot.

Not having to worry about laundry is great. It could cost you a lot of money if you did that job at the hotel. So, make sure to find a local laundry room, and you could do your laundry there for a lower price.

Yes, hotel bars are fancy. But they can also cost a lot. You could have drinks in your room and invite some friends over. Or you could go out to a local bar which could have more affordable pricing.

How To Save Money On Food When Staying In A Hotel

We separated this section because there are more ways to save on food in a hotel:

Book an all-inclusive resort
Book a hotel where there is free breakfast
Make your own breakfast
Get a room with a kitchen

All-inclusive resorts include the room and unlimited food and drinks. It could be cheaper to book an all-inclusive room rather than having to pay for each meal. Be sure to check their website to see what deals they offer. If you can’t find an all-inclusive room, you could search for a room with a free breakfast.

But if you can’t find a room with free breakfast, your other option is to do your breakfast yourself. You can buy some items and be creative. You can save a lot of money by doing this. Shop in local stores and make sure to get the essential items. You could also do your other meals in your room.

Your room needs to have a kitchen for you to be able to cook. That way you will save money for eating outside or in the hotel. But if your room does not come with a kitchen, make sure for it to have at least a microwave and a coffee maker.

How To Cancel Hotel Reservation And Get Your Money Back?

Things happen, and life is unpredictable. If you can’t make it to your trip, you must be wondering how to get your money back from the hotel. You could do the following:

If you booked your room through a third party site, you could contact them.
Call the hotel, be polite, and explain your situation. They could agree to give you some of your money back.
Check your insurance. Many travel insurances cover these situations. If your plan has the option “cancel for any reason,” then you could get your money back.
Use reviews to your advantage. If the hotel does not accommodate you, you could leave them a bad review on their social media pages or google.
Sell the hotel reservation to another person. There are resale websites that do this. You could exchange it for something else or you could get your money back by selling the reservation.

Best Apps To Save Money On Hotels

Some of the best apps to save money on hotels are:

Booking
Hotels.com
Orbitz
Expedia
Priceline

Booking	Hotels.com	Orbitz	Expedia	Priceline
Access to 28 million accommodation listings	Wide selection of accommodation	Over 845,209 hotels	3 million + properties	24/7 customer support
24/7 customer support	Offers rewards	Offers rewards	500+ airlines, cruises, and car rental offerings	VIP Visa card (card holders become Gold members and have access to hotel and rental car savings)
Booking for business travels	Price guarantee	VIP access (more stays, and perks)	Rewards and coupons	Loyalty program
Available in 43 languages	Offers instant savings	Insider prices (savings of 10%)	Refund for canceling (within 24 hrs – no fee)	Express deals (up to 60% on hotel deals)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How to save money fast for vacations and hotels?

You can save money fast for a vacation and a hotel by planning your budget. Then you can make a plan to save for a few months. For that, you can use many methods or budgeting apps.

Can I live for free in hotels?

No, you can’t live in a hotel for free. Yet, many options could help you to live in a hotel for a cheap price. We mentioned some of them in this article. If you manage to earn free hotel nights through coupons or loyalty program points, you could experience living for free in a hotel for a few nights.

Can I refuse to pay for a hotel room?

You can refuse to pay for the hotel room, but there are consequences for this. They could sue you and you could end up with criminal charges. If you do not like something from the hotel room, the best way is to talk with a superior and resolve it privately.

What should I do if I can’t afford to pay the hotel bill?

If you overspend while on a vacation and you can’t pay the hotel bill, you could make a deal with the hotel. For example, you could pay your bill in two or three parts. That is why we advise you to pay in advance. That way you are protecting yourself and establishing your limits.

What are the best hotel booking sites?

Some well-known hotel booking sites are:

SmarterTravel
Kayak
HotelsCombined
Tripadvisor
Trivago

Sources:

Smart Traveler Enrollment Program. Retrieved from https://step.state.gov/step/

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Booking for business. Retrieved from https://business.booking.com/en-us/?aid=2140276;label=BKN_d3d3LmJvb2tpbmcuY29tX19XaW5kb3dzX0Nocm9tZV8xNjU3OTc2Nzc1Xy9fQnVzaW5lc3MgVHJhdmVsIGJ5IEJvb2tpbmcuY29tIHwgQm9va2luZy5jb20gZm9yIEJ1c2luZXNzX2VuLXVzX01L

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Refund timelines, policies and processes. Retrieved from https://www.expedia.com/service/#/articles/396/53/15253

Feb 1, 2022. Expedia rewards, terms and conditions. Retrieved from https://www.expedia.com/lp/b/exp-rewards-terms

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