Finding Bargain Basement Accommodations

One of the things I’ve noticed through my many travels is that people often give the possibility of a good deal before even trying to get one. The art of bartering seems a lost art as the art of comparison-shopping. When it comes to travel and vacation, every penny you save on accommodations, food and transportation is a penny you have to spend on entertainment and adventure.

There are certainly enough of both to be held in the beautiful city of New York and a vacation here is like Alice s Adventures in Wonderland. There’s just so much to do and it’s almost impossible to know where to begin to see. I recommend making arrangements to save money before it ever arrived in the city. One of the ways you can do that by investing a little time each night and making copious notes on who you talked to where and what they have had you as much as price and perks for accommodations.

Most hotels today are quite willing to offer incentives to their guests to have warm bodies filling their beds. All good managers know that a filled bed she earns more money than empty beds under their care and the more money earned under their care, the more secure their positions. That said, if your beautiful notes on other hotels you have discussed tentative agreements with you are very likely to be able to deal to close one or more of them on much better than the original deal offered.

This of course will not work if you try for a weekend that is probably a popular travel weekend, so if you’re considering a popular holiday or extended weekend for your trip is probably not the best idea and you should probably be glad for any offer you find. That being said almost every other weekend on the planet is fair game, unless there are very large and popular local events that may be signs of a sold out audience for the local hotel industry.

Back to what I said, you often only get a better price by going between two competing hotels, but also added perks like tickets to shows, free meals, spa packages at the hotels spa, gift certificates to the hotel gift store. There are many little things a manager is willing to do to your business in the assumption (often correct I might add) that he will make the difference in the add-ons and other purchases.

Some managers may get annoyed and confusion is frugal with its cheap. Ensure a proper remember a tip. It’s one thing to save money by being economical and another thing to do by simply cheap. If you are not treating the staff will remember you long after you’re gone. But that’s another story all together. The trick is to always be polite in dealing with the managers on the phone and go with your best deal.

It is also important that you realize the best deal may not be the cheapest room. If you get one or two meals a day of your stay and pay only $5 0r $10 more per day for the privilege then you are very well coming out ahead in the bargain, particularly if one of those meals is dinner.