When going on a trip, a lot of careful planning is involved. This holds true especially when booking a hotel. There are a few ways to get cheap hotels apart from just looking into various websites. Here are some of them:

1. Check the hotel websites : Most of us have a preconceived notion that it is only the online discount sites that offer great prices. However, this is not always true. You can get amazing deals with some great offers if you directly approach the hotels through their websites. Better still, you can become a part of the hotel loyalty program, which is totally free.

2. Use your credit card : Credit cards don’t always land us in trouble. They do get us some good deals in the form of cheap hotels. You get great benefits like free night stays and cash back bonuses. Sometimes when using a debit card, you might have to pay an incidental deposit, which may take time to be refunded.

3. Always compare : The one mistake most of us commit is to get overly excited at discount advertisements. We consider them as great deals and make the booking almost immediately. But in doing so, you might miss some good and cheap hotels. You may find a better deal later, but you may not be in a position to go for it as the amount at the previous hotel may be non-refundable. Only an occasional site promises to refund the difference, if you find the same hotel for cheaper price elsewhere. But even in this case, it has to be according to the original booking dates and type. So always compare the rates. Go to sites where you can get multiple costs of various hotels.

4. Cash on someone else’s reservation : This is one of the best ways to find cheap hotels. There are people who have to cancel their hotel reservation at almost the last minute. In such a case, they won’t even be eligible for a refund. Several sites like Roomer facilitates the selling of such reservations online at much lower prices. You can conveniently cash on such offers and book one of the amazingly cheap hotels.

5. Check in midweek : If possible, avoid hotel booking on the weekends, which in other words, is referred to as the rush hour. For cheap hotels, opt for weekdays when the prices are comparatively low and hotels are less crowded. You can have great time dining and at the spas and pools. You can even go for business hotels, which offer very low rates especially during the off season.
Now that you have a list of tips and tricks to find hotels at cheap rates, you can go ahead and plan your next vacation.