Cheap Last Minute Hotels

By calling the hotel directly, you can frequently get a lower rate than the one advertised on the web. However, you must call the hotel itself, not the national 800 number, to get these rates. To look up the phone number of the specific hotels you've noted in Steps 1 and 2, go to Google Maps and click on "Find Businesses".

1. Type the name of the hotel into the "What" box.
2. Type the city the hotel is located in into the "Where" box.
   
3. Click "Search Businesses".
4. Check to make sure it is the same hotel you found in Steps 1 and 2: some chains have multiple hotels with similar names in the same city.
5. Call the local number of the hotel. It will be the number that does not have the "800" area code. You will get a better rate by speaking to the hotel directly than by calling their national 800 number.
6. Ask what their rate is for the dates you wish to stay there.
7. If you are a frequent guest of a specific hotel chain, booking through the hotel chain will garner points and amenities that booking through a third-party web service will not.

Step 3: Ask for a discount

• Always ask for a discount when you speak to the hotel. If they don't offer you a discount, ask them if they will upgrade you to a better class of room at that rate.

1. While speaking to the hotel, ask, "Is it possible for me to get a discount?" or "I was hoping to pay a little less." Don't say, "I found a better rate on the Web"; they'll just tell you to book it on the Web.
2. Some specific rates you can ask for: rate for a death or major illness in family, church rate, government rate, weekend rate (if the hotel is not full, you can get this on weekdays as well), reunion rate. Don't ask for a student rate or AARP rate; students have a bad reputation, and AARP rates are not much lower than full price. Corporate rates can be good, but it depends on the corporation and the hotel.
3. Be nice. The nicer you are, the more likely you are to get a better rate or an upgrade.
4. Call after the reservation office has closed for the evening; the front desk clerk, if he or she is not busy, is more likely to give you a lower rate than the reservation office or the hotel manager is.
5. If the clerk is busy, offer to call back; being cons Step 4: Ask if they will match the lowest rate
   • Most hotels will match the lowest rate you've found online. Additionally, many chains have programs in which they offer big discounts if you find a rate lower than their lowest rate.
   1. If their lowest rates aren't as low as the one you found online, ask if they will match the rate you found.
   2. Many chains have a Lowest Rate Guarantee program. If you find a rate lower than the lowest one they offer on their website, they will give you an even more deeply discounted rate. See below for several chains' programs. Remember to read the fine print!

While there are many sites on the Internet that will tell you that you can get the best rate through them, in the end, the best way to get a hotel room on the cheap—that isn't a dump—is to do some sleuthing on your own. Nothing beats the persuasive power of a phone call to the hotel itself. Remember: it never hurts to ask. Of course, you can also make out like a bandit by bidding on the room you want. No hotel wants their beds empty.