Regardless if you are traveling on business or for personal pleasure or leisure, your hotel room can be costly. You can save money on your hotel room by creating a travel plan. A travel plan should have the location, dates, points of interest and the reason for the trip you are taking. However, there are additional ways to save money on your hotel reservations.
Enroll with the American Automobile Association. AAA is a motor club that provides several services such as emergency roadside assistance and travel planning. It also offers its members a discount of between 5 and 20 percent off the best available rates for hotel rooms at many major hotel chains. Call the hotel of your choice to see if it offers a AAA discounted rate.
If you are a senior citizen, enroll with AARP. The American Association of Retired Persons is a group that provide a variety of services, including health services, pharmacy services and vacation packages. AARP also offers its members a discount of 10 percent or more off room reservations. The age requirement to join AARP is 50 and over. Call the hotel you want to stay at to see if it offers an AARP room rate.
Pay for your hotel reservation in advance and save on the cost of the room. Hotels such as Hilton offer up to 15 percent off room rates whey you pay for the reservation in advance. When you pay for a hotel room in advance, you are normally charged immediately for the room on your credit or debit card. Prepaid reservations often are nonrefundable, and no changes are allowed once the room is confirmed.
Make your room reservation through a third party commercial discount travel website, which will sell hotel rooms at a lower rate. However, if you belong to a rewards program for a certain hotel, you might not receive your credits, points or miles for your reservation. For example, with Priceline, you can save up to 50 percent on a hotel room by placing a bid on a room with your preferred price.
Make your room reservation using rewards, credits or points that you have earned through a loyalty program. Many major credit cards companies offer consumers reward programs for earning points through everyday spending. Points can be exchanged for free hotel rooms. Many major hotel chains offer credit cards through different credit card companies where a cardholder can earn points and receive discounts on hotel room reservations.
