There’s an old maxim that states, “you get what you pay for”, and in the world of travel, we’ve found this particularly true.

You see, travel should be all about the experience.  When we travel, we desire to witness marvelous things, relax, spend time away with loved ones, meet new people, learn new things; and come home with experiences that enrich our lives, and create special memories that we can share with others and cherish for a lifetime.

When you make price your #1 priority in planning a vacation, chances are very high that you will come away disappointed.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  We all have budgets that we must live within.  I’m simply saying that while price must certainly be a consideration, it shouldn’t be your #1 consideration.

When you type “best hotel deals” into Google, you’d better be prepared to deal with some shyster working out of a closet in a Third World country, have a gorgeous view of the parking lot, sleep next to a noisy elevator all night long, or likely be placed in one of the worst rooms in the hotel.

I will never forget the time we opted for one of those “best hotel deals, and when we arrived to the hotel, the entire place was torn apart for remodeling and we listened to jack hammers all night!  ACK!

Hotel price shoppers are the least satisfied travelers in the world!

According to a recently released J.D. Power Hotel Study, “when guests choose a hotel primarily because of price, satisfaction is significantly lower than when they choose a hotel based on other criteria”.

They go on to say that the most satisfied guests overall are those who seek out information through online sites like travel blogs, hotel review sites, and the recommendation of friends and family.

In other words, they are driven to find experience, and not willing to sacrifice experience on the alter of price.

How to Save Money on Hotels & Resorts

1. The absolute #1 way to save money on hotels and resorts is to travel in the shoulder/off-season.  Take Scottsdale, Arizona for instance.  If you come here in January, be prepared to spend nearly $500/night for a luxury hotel.  If you come here in May (shoulder season, still not too hot), you will pay less than $150/night for the exact same room!  Shoulder and off-seasons exist everywhere in the world.  Learn these, and you will save a lot of money.
2. Use Facebook & Twitter – if a hotel/resort is seeing a drop in their occupancy rates, the very first place they will offer deals to stimulate the market is in their Facebook and Twitter accounts.  Once you have determined a desired hotel/resort, follow their Facebook and Twitter accounts.  Ask them questions.  Ask them what time of year is typically their shoulder season.  Hotels and resorts love talking to potential customers on their social media channels.
3. Use a professional travel advisor – I must confess, this is the first time these words have come from my lips.  Due to overwhelming demand from our readers, we have just launched a travel advisory service so that we can assist a limited number of our readers with our expertise in the world of travel.  We’re now affiliated with the Virtuoso Network, a collection of the world’s most expert travel advisors, and we found that a luxury cruise line was offering incredible deals that were made available only to the customers of the 3,300 luxury travel advisosrs in this network.   As it turns out, this luxury cruise line wanted to fill out their cabins for the rest of the year, so they turned to the Virtuoso advisors to fill the gap.
4. Join hotel/resort travel clubs – most hotels and resorts have a free club that you can join to have access to special privileges.  By simply giving them your email address, you will find things like free upgrades, free breakfasts, free Internet, and much more.  These additional benefits can add up to a lot of money, and greatly enhance your travel experience.

While we have other money saving tips up our sleeves, these are the ones that will give you the most bang for your buck.  So, come on, let’s go travel and have some fun!

Links:

• J.D. Powers Hotel Study
• Roaming Boomers Travel Services

If you enjoyed this article, sign up for our monthly newsletter to keep abreast of our best travel tips, on-location reviews, exclusive travel offers, group travel events, and much more.