TRAVEL experts have given their top tips on how to bag yourself a luxury hotel room even if they claim to be sold out online or near impossible to book.
Ahead of a busy summer of travelling to major sporting events, off on glamorous beach holidays or just for city getaways getting yourself a hotel room can often be the trickiest yet most crucial part.
The first tip from The Points Guy says to always consider making contact with the hotel you want to stay in even if it claims to be fully booked online.
They say many travel hotspots are hindered by how search engines work meaning some rooms might not always show up on an internet search.
By booking with the hotel directly, either over the phone or even in person, you could not only get the complete layout of the available rooms that a website can’t show but you could also find a bargain.
Ellie Nan Storck, The Point Guy’s managing editor of hotel content, said: “Search engines may not always be 100% accurate, and you might be able to negotiate a rate, depending on how much work you want to put into it.”
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Another bold option for those thrillseekers on their travels is to simply walk into a hotel and ask for the availability at the front desk.
A second tip given was to use third-party booking sites instead of going directly through the hotel’s website.
Travel agencies like Expedia or Booking.com are as popular as ever as they can offer last-minute reservations at a cut-down price.
They update more regularly than an official hotel website in most cases meaning you can get a room hours before you need one.
But booking a flight with a hotel room also has its perks through these kinds of websites.
Henry Harteveldt, founder of travel industry analytical firm Atmosphere Research, said: “Many airlines partner with Booking, Expedia, and others for lodging content. Sometimes, these rates may be discounted.
“It may be worth exploring these to see if there are hotels that meet a traveler’s needs for location, quality, price and amenities.”
Although The Points Guy did give a word of warning saying if you book through a third party provider make sure to check the fine print.
As the actual hotel isn’t selling the package if you run into any major issues you’ll need to contact the provider which can lead to several issues.
The lack of a face-to-face with a human who isn’t on site can make issues much trickier to solve.
The third and final tip centres around changing locations.
Consider if you may be willing to move around a city on your trip as you can often get a hotel room for a single night much easier than for an extended period of time.
This applies especially to crowded cities such as Paris for the Olympics or German cities for the upcoming Euros.
Look into booking a different hotel room for each night of your trip which are all within a car or train journey of each other.
The website’s senior hotels reporter Tanner Saunders said: “If hotels are hard to come by or expensive in one area, try renting a car and exploring more of the country you are visiting.
“You might find better deals in the outskirts of the city or even in a town nearby.”
Accomodation can also be cheaper if its closer to an airport for a number of reasons such as noise, traffic and the lack of a big city on the doorstep.
Saunders continued: “Hotels near an airport are often less expensive.
“Sure, you might have to train for 30-plus minutes, but you could save so much money.”
It comes as a flight attendant revealed saving money on flights is an art – it’s something that a lot of people claim to be good at, without offering any great solutions.
Her tips included being flexible, avoiding pricey luggage additions and to keep an eye on mistake fares where your ticket lists the incorrect price.
As millions of indecisive Brits have been said to suffer with “holiday choice paralysis”.
It is caused by too many options when planning a trip – including where to go, where to stay – and how much to spend.
A poll of 2,000 travellers found 45 per cent are overwhelmed by the high volume of hotel recommendations and 20 per cent end up feeling confused.
