Save on Lodging for Your Next Trip

It’s August – still time to fit in a vacation. But have you nixed that road trip because staying in hotels is just too expensive these days? Read on for some ideas to save money on that lodging. The tips are valid any time of the year that you drive and are looking for a good, inexpensive place to stay.

Joe SuperSaver and his wife recently took a three week vacation to New England, with 19 nights on the road. Total cost for all lodging … $61.79/night, including all taxes.

Did Joe stay at some flea bag place where you need to be armed with Lysol, ammonia, and industrial strength cleaners before you can even set foot in the room? No. Here’s a sample list of places Joe stayed and prices he paid (before taxes):

Comfort Inn
Hershey, PA $48.50

Ramada Inn
Hyde Park, NY $77.00 (weekend)

Best Western
Concord, NH $69.99 (weekend)

Comfort Inn
Portland, ME $63.50

Marriott Spring Hill Suites
Peabody, MA $69.00 (weekend)

Quality Inn
Falls River, MA $68.95

So how did he do it? Learn these four secrets.

1) He took advantage of off-season rates.
In New England, most attractions open around Memorial Day, and high season starts around June 15. Joe took his trip between Memorial Day and Father’s Day, enjoyed cool weather, and did not have to deal with crowds. He stayed at a non-chain hotel in the resort town of Bar Harbor, ME for $60.30 per night – with a terrace overlooking the ocean. Peak season rates (July-August) for that same room at that same hotel, according to their website, is $153.00.

2) He used his AAA card wherever it was accepted.
Hotels routinely give a discount for a AAA or AARP card, sometimes as much as 10% of the posted rate. Joe got a sizable AAA discount every place he couldn’t use a coupon. As an aside, Joe also used his AAA card to save about $30.00 on admission charges.

3) He used hotel coupons.
The six hotel prices listed at the top of the blog were all coupon rates. At nearly every interstate Welcome Center in the US, you will find a rack or kiosk loaded with one or more hotel coupon saver guides. These guides include coupons for significant discounts for walk-in customers. The hotels figure that a discounted room still brings in more revenue than an empty room. These coupons are usually first-come, first-served, and you may be turned away if the place fills up for the night. Joe had a pretty high success rate, and found an alternate hotel with coupon nearby when the place was booked. On weekends, the room rate will almost always be higher, or the coupon may not be honored at all. Remember, you cannot make a reservation to guarantee these rooms, but the discounts make it well worth the effort. If you want to plan ahead for an upcoming trip, you can find some of these guides online. Try travelcoupons.com and roomsaver.com for starters.

4) He packed his camping gear as an alternate.
While this may not be practical for everyone, Joe and his wife enjoy tent camping and spent 4 of the 19 nights at campgrounds. National and state parks have the most comfortable surroundings and are the cheapest. Joe was happy to have his camping gear when he pulled into Mystic, CT for a couple of days. He tried his coupons at a couple of places and was told that a convention had booked all the rooms in the area. Rather than spend well over $100.00 per night, Joe found a local campground that was nearly deserted for $27.00/night including all taxes … and hot showers.