5 Booking Secrets That Save You $300 on Hotels

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1. Book Directly Through Hotels for Secret Discounts

You’d be surprised how often hotels offer cheaper rates on their own websites.

Those “best deal” booking sites sometimes sneak in fees that make your total higher. Sneaky, right?

Here’s what to do instead:

• Call the hotel directly and ask if they can match or beat online rates.
  
• Join hotel newsletters to get member-only discounts and flash sales.
  
• Ask for free upgrades. You’ll be shocked at how often they say yes when rooms are available.
  

👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Before booking online, make one quick call to the hotel and simply ask if they can give you a better rate than the one you found.

Make It Easy: Use Capital One Shopping to check for promo codes or lower hotel rates automatically at checkout.

2. Stay Weekdays Instead of Weekends for Lower Rates

Hotels love to jack up prices when everyone else is traveling.

If you can swing weekday stays, you’ll get the same room for way less. And usually without the crowd of weekend tourists.

Here’s the magic formula:

• Monday–Thursday stays are often 25–40% cheaper than weekends.
  
• Fewer guests mean quieter stays and better service.
  
• Last-minute weekday deals often pop up when hotels try to fill empty rooms.
  

👉 Here's How You'll Do It: When planning a trip, shift your dates by a day or two and compare the weekday vs. weekend prices. You’ll instantly see the difference.

3. Travel Off-Season for Cheaper Rooms

Here’s a secret: hotels drop prices fast when tourism slows down.

So instead of fighting crowds during spring break, visit right before or after. Same weather, same views, less cash.

You’ll notice big wins like:

• Off-season rates can be 30–50% lower than peak months.
  
• Fewer tourists means better photos (and no photobombers).
  
• More room availability so you can choose the perfect spot without overpaying.
  

👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Google your destination’s off-season dates, and plan your next getaway just outside the busy window.

Make It Easy: Consider a weatherproof travel bag so your off-season trip is stress-free, rain or shine.

4. Use Comparison Sites to Find the Best Deals

Ever booked a room, then found the same one $80 cheaper elsewhere? Yeah, that hurts.

Comparison sites do the heavy lifting for you, showing every rate side-by-side so you don’t miss a deal.

Here’s how to make them work for you:

• Search multiple platforms like Expedia, Booking, and Google Hotels before deciding.
  
• Use filters to find free breakfast, Wi-Fi, or cancellation. Because those extras add up.
  
• Turn on price alerts so you get notified the second prices drop.
  

👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Compare three booking platforms, note the lowest price, then check the hotel’s official site before booking.

5. Avoid Paying for Extras Like Breakfast or Parking

Hotels are masters of the “add-on” game.

But if you skip those little upsells, you’ll save enough for dinner at a nice restaurant instead.

Here’s what to skip or replace:

• Breakfast packages can cost $20+ per day. Grab a local café instead.
  
• Parking fees can easily run $40 per night in big cities. Use public parking nearby.
  
• Bottled water or snacks from minibars? Just… no.
  

👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Before booking, look at what’s included and choose the “room only” option if the extras don’t add value.

Make It Easy: Consider a compact travel cooler to store your own snacks and drinks during your stay.

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