I hate traveling alone on business. I miss the sights, sounds and even the occassional smells that come along with having three kids and assorted animals (and, if I'm being frank, sometimes the line between "kids" and "animal" gets pretty blurry).
I find that hotel accomodations are a crap shoot. Finding good rates for that crap shoot can be even more of a challenge. I usually rely on Hotels.com and Orbitz.com, but the experts from Frommer's Travel Guidebook gives these tips for finding the best hotel bargains when you're on a business or sales trip:
- Dialing the individual hotel rather than the corporate reservation line can often get you a better price. You have more room to bargain and you can also make any special needs known to the staff (non-smoking room, room with a view, etc.).
- If you are making a reservation over the phone and you don't like the quoted rate, hang up and call back. You might have better luck with the second reservation agent.
- When quoted a price, always ask if there is a room that is less expensive.
- When making a reservation, always ask if you qualify for a special rate in one of the following categories: corporate, student, military, senior. Membership in AAA, AARP, and frequent-flier programs may also get you a deal.
- Keep an eye on additional or hidden charges, which can include parking fees, added costs for room amenities (such as the mini-bar or bottled water), a resort fee for hotel amenities, and tourist taxes. Some of these fees can be disputed successfully.
The tips work...I used one of them to save about $40 a night on a price quoted over an Internet travel site. If traveling on a budget is a priority, try one of these techniques.
You can also take advantage of talking to a live person to get a really good idea of just how clean and safe a hotel is for the price you're getting. Afterall, you don't want to end up at....
