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1.)
Use the Internet. Avoid calling on the phone.
Telephoning the hotel is the most accurate channel for determining room availability,
but also has the highest cost room rates. This is
based on a report published by The Center for Hospitality Research at
Cornell. The study sampled rates and availability
for 137 possible booking dates in four different hotel segments.
2.) Check with the hotel websites, but don't expect a
better price.
The Cornell study revealed that third-party providers frequently
offer the lowest rate. Some exceptions were in the luxury
hotel market and very low budget hotel market.
3.) Shop around multiple sites.
Check with us first, but do your homework and compare rates with the major
online players. Certain hotel booking companies did better than others in the
Cornel study.
Travelocity had some of
the best rates. This was followed by
Orbitz
.
Expedia had the worst
rates. However, this was just an average ... for any particular hotel any
company may be running a special and have the best prices.
4.) Avoid convention dates. Book during off season
times.
This is especially true for Las Vegas. Avoid convention dates. Hotels can
charge up to 10 times higher than normal prices during heavy booking days. See
the following
convention calendar as a guide to see what conventions are in town during
your stay. Convention with 20,000 or more people can really impact prices. You
can also save by going during the Las Vegas off-season. See our guide on
when to go to Las Vegas for tips.
5.) Book your stay on a weekday.
Hotel rates are highest on Friday and Saturday nights. If you can book
Sunday-Thursday you will save a lot of money. In addition, the waits for
buffet lines and attractions will be shorter.
