Choosing a hotel to stay in while on vacation can be an integral part of your trip so knowing how to find the best deals for your money is important.

Try to plan your trip in advance to ensure the best rates and be flexible. When you book during an off-season or during the week instead of the weekend you can save up to 50% off of your room rate. Booking in advance also allows you to make changes if needed and take part in any specials that are available for early reservations.

Inquire about promotional deals, specials and package deals. You can also ask for discounts for senior citizens, veterans, military, AAA, and state residents. Usually you cannot combine these discounts but you can choose the one that gives you the highest savings. Be sure that the package deal you may choose has items you will be utilizing. There is no need to add a spa package if you do not plan to use it and sometimes these deals are no less expensive than if you would have purchased them separately so be sure to ask for the room rate by itself and with the package to compare the difference.

Utilize the Internet. There are many search engines you can use to find the lowest prices; some even let you choose your own price. However, when using search engines be sure to make a call to the hotel you’re interested in first so that you can see what specials they have that may not be listed. It’s also a good idea to make a phone call even if you do book online just to verify what you have purchased or reserved. Sometimes there is fine print that you need to be aware of such as cancellation fees.

Using the same hotel as a repeat customer can also net you low costs and savings. Some hotels have frequent guest incentives so be sure to inquire about those if you have found a hotel chain that you are particularly fond of.