As my regular readers already know, I recently came off a 2 week stay
at a motel in between the end of our stay at our old place the
beginning of our stay at our new home. So I thought I’d share some tips
on saving money on hotel rooms.
It seems that every part of traveling is expensive and few things
vary in price for basically the same item as motel rooms. Doing a quick
check on Expedia, I found that room prices in nearby vary from under $50 on the low-end to nearly $300 per night for the Four Seasons!
Doing the math on the Four Seasons, that works out to basically renting a studio apartment for a mere nine grand per month.
Motel Location
Are are the three most important things to consider in real estate?
Location, location, location. The same holds true for hotels. If you are
going to a convention, the savings from a cheaper motel across town may
be eaten up by having to pay for daily transportation.
Staying in town as we were, we had our own car to drive around, but
we spent the extra $10 per week to stay at the motel that was 5 miles
from my wife’s job instead of 15. Doing this, we saved more than that
amount in gas.
Extended Stays
If you are stuck in a motel room for a week or more, look into places
that offer a weekly rate. Motel 6 weekly rates are 60% of a week’s
worth of their daily rate!
Also, for extended stays, spring for the room with the mini-fridge
and microwave. You will save a ton by buying some simple groceries to prepare in your room instead of having to eat out 3 times per day.
Lastly, laundry becomes an issue. I’ve found that guest-only laundry
facilities at motels are cheaper than laundromats. The longer you stay,
or the more clothing you consume, the more this becomes an issue.
I’m not talking about credit card rewards. Many hotel chains these
days offer membership rewards. Usually, the rewards are things like
stay 3 nights, get one free. But some chains give you the discount
up-front. Best Value Inn provides members with a 15% savings. And if you
aren’t a member of their “value club” at booking, simply sign up online
and get your membership number in an email to use right away.
Speaking of discounts, take stock of your memberships. AAA has worked
discounts with most hotel chains. If you are traveling with someone
over the age of 60, you can often get a senior discount. And it never
hurts to do a quick search for discount codes.
Skip Hotel amenities
Many hotels throw in all sorts of amenities to attract guests. Unless
there is some MUST-HAVE feature, ignore the list of amenities. A pool
doesn’t do you much good if you aren’t bringing your swimsuit. And if
the continental breakfast isn’t out yet before you leave, or gone before
you wake up, that’s just wasted money.
I didn’t bring my coffee maker with me because I could get
complimentary coffee in the lobby. You know how many times I got my free
cup in 12 mornings? Twice. It didn’t help that it was during this time
that I tried my hand at being a newspaper carrier and needed my coffee at night instead of the morning.
Note: Wifi isn’t necessarily a must have feature. There are likely many free sources of wifi in the area and you can always tether from your smartphone.
Food
Avoid the food served by the hotel (aside from complimentary
breakfast and/or coffee). Room service prices can be marked up as much
as 500% compared to a restaurant. And those little bottles of alcohol
can be as pricy as their bigger brothers!
Try to plan your meals out ahead of time. Just as room service is an
expensive way to eat, restaurants nearby are usually more expensive to
take advantage of clueless tourists. Or skip the entire hassle and bring
these 11 Must Have Tools for Cooking on the Road and eat for a fraction of the cost of dining out.
Pet Friendly?
If you are traveling with a pet, make sure the pet can stay in your
room with you and inquire about any additional costs. There not being
any extra charge for our Trident was the deciding factor for us to go with Motel 6 instead of America’s Best Value Inn.
Source : http://www.edwardantrobus.com/2013/personal/financial/6-tips-for-how-to-save-money-on-hotel-rooms
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