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Frequently Asked Questions about hotels
What's the cheapest hotel booking site?
We've run the numbers comparing major booking sites and found that most often Trip.com finds the cheapest hotel prices. Agoda wasn't far behind, coming in at second.
You can compare cheap accommodation across multiple booking sites at once for yourself right here.
Which sites let me use a coupon code to book accommodation?
Using one of our coupon codes at these sites will save you money on your stay. Some may ask you to pay for your stay upfront rather than on arrival in order to apply the code to your booking, but the same cancellation policy does apply so if you are able to cancel, you'll be able to get refunded.
What's the cheapest night to stay in a hotel?
In busy city centres, the weekends are often cheapest as the prices are high during the week when people are travelling for business. It's often the opposite in holiday destinations where weekdays are cheaper because most people are holidaying at the weekend.
Hotel rates can change quickly depending on supply and demand. If there's an event in town, then the prices are likely to go up to meet the demand. You might get a feel for which night is cheapest if you compare hotel prices ahead of time. It's also advisable to stay flexible with your travel dates and avoid busy school holiday periods if you can.
Is it better to book directly with the hotel?
Sometimes. Research is always important when you're looking to save money. If you've done your due diligence, looked at hotel deals and found something you like, stop before you book. Stop, and take a look at what the hotel is offering directly on its website, go the extra mile and compare what its competitors are offering.
They may offer a lower price or extra inclusion or have a guarantee to match a lower price. It's simply a matter of checking.
We know of 13 sites that have price match guarantees including Expedia and Wotif.
Can you negotiate hotel room prices?
Yes. If you've done your research there's every chance you can get a better hotel deal armed with that knowledge. It's a matter of picking up the phone (rather than emailing) and asking. It never hurts to ask, the worst thing they can do is say no.
You might leverage finding a competitor's lower prices or brand loyalty if you're a member. Often hotels are more than happy to match prices, some even have a best price guarantee as mentioned earlier.
Do hotel prices go down last minute?
Yes. There's nothing worse for a hotel than empty rooms at the end of the night, so often they'll discount their rooms in hopes of filling them up. Sites like Lastminute.com.au and hoteltonight.com have sprung up to help you take advantage of these kinds of hotel deals.
If you're travelling spontaneously you can even try visiting a hotel on the day you arrive and ask them if they've got spaces available. You just might score a great room for a bargain.
Is it better to book a hotel in advance or last minute?
In a comparison of 10 hotels, we found 6 had their cheapest dates in the next week while 4 had their cheapest prices up to 2 months away.
This suggests you can find the best deal either by booking a week out or a couple of months in advance. Remember that when booking last minute you risk missing out on your preferred location.
Extra time and research are an advantage. Some hotels might even offer early-bird discounts. They might not be as cheap as a last-minute deal, but it's a good compromise for peace of mind.
Having trouble choosing between two hotels? We've analysed popular hotel chains for perks like free breakfasts, complimentary Wi-Fi and loyalty programs where you can earn points toward free stays.
Can't decide where to stay? Compare popular hotel chains:
We've pinned some of the world's largest hotel chains against one another. We compare everything from the breadth of locations to Wi-Fi access to loyalty programs.
Best Western vs...
Comfort Inn vs...
- Holiday Inn
Crowne Plaza vs...
- Holiday Inn
Hampton Inn vs...
- Hilton
Hilton vs...
- Hampton Inn
- Hyatt
- Sheraton
Holiday Inn vs...
- Best Western
- Comfort Inn
- Crowne Plaza
- Premier Inn
- Travelodge
Hyatt vs...
- Hilton
- Marriott
Marriott vs...
- Hyatt
- Renaissance
Premier Inn vs...
- Holiday Inn
Rennaissance vs...
- Marriott
Sheraton vs...
- Hilton
Travelodge vs...
- Holiday Inn
Before you book, read our hotel guides
Some of the brands we work with to bring you the best offers
How to find cheap hotel deals online?
Book directly with the hotel
If you're seeing a cheap rate on a travel booking site, check and see what the hotel is offering direct on its website. The cheapest rates are often available direct as many properties, including Accor Hotels and Hilton have best price guarantees. So, even if you are seeing a cheaper price elsewhere, they'll match it to get you to book direct so they won't be losing out on any commission that would be paid to a booking site
To sweeten the deal, the property may be willing to offer you an even lower rate than what you're seeing online since or swing free breakfast or Internet access during your stay.
Use those best price guarantees
Hotels aren't the only ones that offer best price guarantees in order to get your business. Many booking websites, for example hotels.com and lastminute.com.au offer price guarantees. Some even let you price match up until the day before you check-in, so if you see your hotel room drop, it's worth hitting them up for some extra money in your pocket.
Be mysterious
If you're not too fussy about which hotel you stay in, try booking a "mystery hotel". Sites such as Hotwire offer unnamed-until-paid-for hotels in Australia, New Zealand and around the world at a discount of up to 60%.
You'll get just enough of a description to have an idea of where you're staying and the quality of the hotel, but you won't be able to confirm the name of the hotel until you've made your booking and paid for your stay.
Here's an example of the information you'll see on a hotel listing on Hotwire:
Use a booking aggregator such as our Hotel Finder search tool
Working with a range of different hotel chains, booking engines and independent accommodations will show you the rate of a hotel that appears for your preferred dates across multiple sites.
It's as simple as finding the best offer available for you on your dates and clicking through to that site to make the booking.
Here's an example of how it works:
We searched for a 4-star hotel on the Gold Coast on a random date 13 May 2017 and selected the Mercure Gold Coast Resort from the results. The tool then searched multiple hotel booking sites, and displays a few examples of rates, highlighting the lowest price available, which in this case was Wotif.com. To go ahead and book that rate, just click "View Deal" and you'll be redirected to a page where you can follow through with your booking.
Chance your luck with a last minute hotel
Hotels absolutely hate empty rooms and if they have some spare for the night, they'll often sell them for a hefty discount. Sites such as lastminute.com.au and LateRooms were made for these kinds of deals.
If you're travelling on the fly, you can always chance popping into a hotel on the day and asking if they have room for you. If they do, you could get lucky and score a premium room for a budget price.
Check out that new hotel
It might not have the reviews or recommendations yet, but popping the cherry on that new hotel has its benefits. Often hotels that are opening soon or have just opened will sport discounted launch fares as they teethe. This is a great way to get a hotel on a deal as well as try out a swanky new hotel that hasn't been broken into yet.
New hotels also appreciate feedback on how they can improve their services, so don't forget to leave them a tip.
Give your feedback (good and bad)
Being in the hospitality feedback, hotels are always appreciative of your feedback - both good and bad. Something wrong with your room? Don't be shy! Tell them! Hotels are often happy to oblige and may compensate by offering you another room, a room upgrade, free items or a discount on your stay.
Don't be ashamed of a little schadenfreude.
For various reasons, people have to cancel hotel reservations, even ones that have already been paid for in full and aren't refundable. That's something you can take advantage of now. Sites such as Roomer work as a middleman to resell prepaid rooms at a discounted rate.
According to Roomer, the resold rooms are available for as much as 75% off the original price, which means you can save big if a room is available on your desired travel dates. While the site does take a cut of the sale, the majority goes back to the person who originally made the booking.
Find your home away from home
Booking a central aparthotel with full cooking facilities and multiple bedrooms can often cost an arm and a leg. Luckily, you can use hosting sites like Airbnb to find homely accommodation around the world. You'll come across a mix of options, including entire apartments, spare bedrooms, granny flats and even backyard camping spaces.
Choose your payment options wisely
No matter how you book, booking fees and payment preferences differ widely and its good to verse yourself in your options before forking over the dollars.
Some hotels charge you to pay by credit card, so it might be worth hitting the ATM or money exchange for the right amount of bills to pay them in cash.
Sites like hotels.com often have coupon codes and deals but the only way you can redeem them is by paying upfront. If you're not quite 100% on the room but don't want to miss the bargain, choose a refundable booking. Even though you have to shell out some money to secure it, you'll get a full refund if you cancel within the free cancellation period.
Be flexible
If you're flexible about when you can travel, consider where you're going when you're trying to decide which days to travel.
Generally, city stays are cheaper from Friday to Sunday, as hotels cash in on business travellers during the week, while country and coastal stays are cheaper from Monday to Thursday, when accommodation is plentiful after the weekenders leave. During the less-busy days, rates drop to help fill empty rooms - and you may just get the hotel pool to yourself.
Travel in the shoulder season
Not quite peak season and not quite low season, the "shoulder" season fits in between the two. If you're not going to a destination that's really weather-dependant, consider travelling during this period.
If you travel just on the outskirts of peak season, which we think is the best time to travel, you're more likely to get the perks of peak season - like nice weather and - but with fewer crowds and less of a demand for accommodation, which often means lower prices.
Book your stay in advance
Hotels like to know that rooms are going to be filled. So much so that often rooms booked and paid for in advance (usually somewhere between 15 and 45 days) are discounted by up to 30%. If your travel plans are set in stone, take advantage.
Get with the program
Join the rewards program offered by the hotel or booking site. While it may not always save you money at first, you can earn free nights, points that can be used towards free nights or upgrades, and perks such as complimentary upgrades and free Internet access.
Here's a few examples of what rewards programs are offering:
Flash your frequent flyers card
Most frequent flyer programs let you earn points when you stay with their partner hotels. Stay loyal to these brands and flash your frequent flyer card when you book or check-in to nab points that you can later redeem for hotel stays, flights and more.
Showing your frequent flyer card is also a great way to drop some "loyalty clout" which could give you that extra edge to better service or even a possible upgrade.
If nothing else, you'll earn points.
Sign up for price alerts
Don't waste your time checking sites day after day hoping prices will change. Instead, sign up for price alerts so that you'll get notifications direct to your inbox when prices fall.
Online booking sites such as booking.com and hotels.com have this functionality. Simply nominate the destination and dates you're looking at and they'll send you an email when the dollars start to shift. After that, it's simply a matter of jumping on the room when the price is right for your budget.
Lock it in
If you see a refundable rate you're happy to pay, book it, even if you have a hunch the price may drop. Since it's refundable, there's no obligation for you to stick with the booking. You'll have the security of knowing you have somewhere to stay as well as the freedom to look for a better deal elsewhere.
Stay longer
It costs a lot of money to change the sheets, towels and restock the minibar, so it's no surprise hotels would rather you stay a bit longer. There's often a huge benefit to staying three nights rather than two, five nights rather than four and so on. Hotels will sometimes offer discounts or free nights to guests who are willing to stay a bit longer.
Here are some examples of what discounts are offered:
To buffet breakfast or not to buffet breakfast?
This is a question. You'll find when booking your room you'll often be given a slew of extras you can opt in for such as buffet breakfast or romantic wine package for an added fee. This might sound luxurious and tempting, but before you commit do a quick search to see what the price of a local breakfast or bottle of wine costs and what exactly is on offer from them.
You may find the hotel is ripping you off for your eggs and toast in the morning. Or, you may find that their buffet breakfast is an amazing bargain.
Tell your friends
Referral programs are a dime a dozen these days and the hotel industry is also playing the game. Before you book, check to see if the hotel or booking site you're on has a referral program that can score you bucks when friends book through them.
For example, hotels.com offers a massive $50 off your friends' first booking with it and pays you back in kind by giving you $50 off your next stay. Airbnb has a similar program that gives you $22 travel credit when your friends take their first stay of $97 or more.
Current hotel offers
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60% Qeeq Diamond annual membership
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20% off hotel stays in Australia and New Zealand at Oaks Hotels& Resorts
Up to 20% off secret deals
Up to 30% off International hotel rates at Agoda
Member Price: 40% off or more on over 100,000 hotels
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NSW caravan park stays from $108 at Wotif
Up to 43% off holiday deals
EXTRA 10% off Your First Groupon on Goods, Local or Travel Deals
30% off hotel stays in Australia and New Zealand at Oaks Hotels & Resorts
Australia stays from $68 per night
Gold Coast stays from $143 per night
Sydney hotels under $200
Melbourne stays from $90 at Lastminute.com.au
10% off all bookings at Oaks Hotels & Resorts
20% off selected properties at Oaks Hotel & Resorts
Up to 30% off International hotel rates at Agoda
Sydney: Up to 15% off stays using members only rate booking
Perth stays from $20/night
Up to 25% off Darwin stays
Busselton holiday rentals from $190 per night