US Hotels Travel Guide

In the United States there are tens of thousands of hotels, motels, resorts, Bed & Breakfasts and other lodging accommodations for you to choose from for business travel, vacations or a quick weekend getaway. The large selection of American Hotels can make deciding which hotel, motel or lodgeto book a room at a tough decission. USHotelTravelGuide.com will help make the choice ofhotels easier by giving you many hotel and travel articles sorted by hotel type and also sorted by destinationcities like Chicago Hotels, Miami Hotels, New York Hotels, Las Vegas Hotels and Los Angeles Hotels and other catagories. Each page has selectaccommodation and traveladvertisersplus links to other articles which you may use to further your reserch or book your Hotel room. We hope you find this site helpful and have safe and enjoyable travels. Enjoy!

7 Ways to Save on US Hotels

by: David Brights

If you're the type of traveler who just wants a decent place to hang your hat and you don't want to spend a fortune to do it, here are seven ways to save on your next American hotel room:

Be flexible

USA Hotel rates are based on supply and demand, so be aware of peak periods. If your destination's high season is from December through April and you're trying to book near the end of April, you might find considerable savings if you change your travel dates by a week or two. Also, keep in mind that at many hotel properties you'll be charged peak-season rates for your entire stay even if you straddle the dates between peak and nonpeak seasons. So ask when rates go down.

Use your frequent-flier miles

If you have a credit card that allows you to earn frequent-flier miles for purchases, contact the company (or visit its Web site) and ask about hotel deals or promotions during the time you'll be traveling. Also check with any airlines for which you have frequent-flier miles. Web sites such as WebFlyer.com track current promotions and offer tips about maximizing your miles.

Check hotel web sites

The large travel-booking Web sites often sell rooms from consolidators who have bought up empty hotel rooms. But the major US hotel chains also offer last-minute discounts, and because they're not paying the middleman (the consolidators), they sometimes have better deals than the travel sites.

Don't be afraid to haggle

Most people are so intimidated by know-it-all hotel desk clerks that they don't try bargaining for a better deal. But negotiating for a better deal is often worth the trouble, because most hotel general managers would prefer having a customer paying a lower-than-usual rate to no customer at all. And if you find something on your hotel bill that you feel is unfair -- such as an outrageously high phone charge -- don't be afraid to complain about this either. To keep your goodwill, hotels will often reduce or eliminate such charges.

Look for weekend deals at business hotels

High-end chain properties that cater to businesspeople are often busy only on weekdays. To fill up rooms on weekends, such hotels often drop their rates dramatically on weekends. Because many of these places are in leisure destinations such as San Diego, Palm Springs, and Miami, they're worth considering even if you're not traveling on business.

Make an online bid

Depending on the destination, you can save 30 percent or more off a hotel's regular rates by using bidding sites such as Priceline or Hotwire. You choose one or more levels of quality (e.g., two-star or three-star properties) and one or more neighborhoods or cities and then make your bid. You'll know within minutes if it was accepted (by which time your credit card will have already been charged). One strategy that experienced bidders employ is to target areas on the fringes of popular destinations such as the California Wine Country and Orlando. You can often get a good deal by doing this and still wind up fairly well situated.

Avoid hidden costs

Pricey little extras that hotels never mention can significantly increase the cost of your stay. Don't let this happen. Find out about resort fees, fees for parking, Internet use, safe-deposit boxes and fitness centers before you agree to stay. And don't touch the hotel's phone unless you absolutely have to -- the rates at many large properties can be more than $2 a minute even inside the United States. Also, don't book yourself into a hotel that has amenities, such as business centers or in-room fax machines, you don't need, because the cost of providing them is factored into your hotel room rate.

About The Author: David Brights writes for http://www.showcheaphotels.info where you can find out more about cheap hotels and other topics.