Where is the best site for finding good hotels, cheap?

[Rainbowreflect]

What has been you experiences?

[radwriter0555]

1. It depends on where you want to go...

Lonely Planet is great for international ideas...

[BALLandCHAIN]

2. Do you want the ones with hourly rates?

[Rainbowreflect]

5. You caught me.

[ET Awful]

3. Ask William Shatner, I'm sure he could tell you :)

He shills on TV for cheap hotels all the time. Is it Priceline or Orbitz he shills for?

[Thtwudbeme]

4. Michael found that Hotwire.com

seems to offer the best rates; we are getting ready to drive from NC to the Grand Canyon, so this has been a burning question for us too! ;)

You MIGHT have good luck with Priceline, but it's more of a pain to use.

Where are you going? Maybe that will help me tell you-

Stephanie

[meegbear]

6. Sometimes the hotel websites ...

Got one in SF at the Best Western website cheap.

www.hotels.com can be good too.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

7. Quikbook.com, Hotwire.com, and I also check the usual three:

travelocity, expedia and orbitz. One of my friends likes Travelzoo too.

[Rainbowreflect]

8. Thanks all.

[Richardo]

9. Be very careful with Expedia....

I had a terrible experience: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=1409779

[Terran]

10. I just booked a room through hotwire.com last week

and was very happy with the result. Got a nice room in St. Louis that probably would be around $75-$80/night rack rate for $50. I recommend it.

[KurtNYC]

11. Depending on where you are going

If it is a big hotel town like Vegas, I would go with no reservation and negotiate at the desk (unless it is New Years or some peak time).

I try the hotel website then call them direct to see which rate is better. Let them quote you a rate then ask about every possible discount under the sun - AARP, AAA, etc.

My father booked through a broker website and could not get a cancellation refund -- he was flying to NYC on the morning of September 11, 2001 and his plane was diverted to Pennsylvannia. The broker said there was a no refund policy. So we told the broker they were profiting from 911. They kept the money anyway.

[hyphenate]

12. What is your criteria for "cheap"?

I usually check out Expedia for hotels/motels/hostels/etc in a new city I am tempted to visit. I found an excellent apartment hotel in Toronto as a result--nothing fancy, but inexpensive enough to make it my preferred lodging choice when I go there. It's got a kitchenette in the room, with fridge, stove, microwave oven, sink and I'm more than happy to bring home restaurant leftovers to eat the next day.

On the other hand, I find Red Roof Inns to be comfortable, less expensive than a lot of other hotels/motels countrywide, and they even allow pets. Motel 6's on the other hand, I haven't really cared for much in those I've been in. If you're looking for relatively inexpensive ones like that, Red Roof, Best Western and Super8 are the best chains. I liked some of the Econolodges, but they wanted beaucoup bucks for when I had the cats going cross country, so I passed them up.

Days Inn is another chain which isn't too bad, either. There are others, but my brain can't concentrate. I've made three trips cross country, and these are most of the ones I've stayed at.

In Europe, bed-and-breakfast inns are often less expensive than regular hotels. Unfortunately, here in the U.S., it's the opposite--b&bs are exorbitantly priced and seem to think they're luxury hotels. As a result, motels and small hotels are able to be priced less, and are decent enough to spend a night. If it's a chain hotel, they have a certain standard to adhere to, and so must live up to that standard.

Depending on where you're going, I would suggest contacting the Chamber of Commerce or Bureau of Tourism there, and have them send you pamphlets for lodgings, and you can check out those online at many different sites with rankings, user opinions, etc.