When I first started traveling, I was a total mess when it came to booking my hotels. I would bounce from chain to chain, book hotels on the other side of the city, and miss out on amazing amenities while chasing the lowest-priced room. Now I know better! Today, I search for hotels that have what I need, are close to where I need to be, and offer tremendous value for my money.
In this sponsored article by Dosh, I’ll share how you can be strategic when you book your hotel rooms to get the room you want while saving up to 40% off.
Read: What is the best app for last-minute hotels? – Dosh vs Hotel Tonight
In This Post
How to book hotels like a power booker
Even if you don’t book hotel rooms very often, if you follow these tips, you’ll receive maximum value for your money and effort without spending a lot of time doing it.
Read: How to save money on food while traveling
Don’t always book the lowest price room
Our brains are wired to search for the lowest so “we’re not wasting any money.” But that approach isn’t always the best strategy. When you’re willing to spend a few more dollars, you can receive perks, points, and other amenities that are worth far more.
For example, looking at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Nashville Downtown, there are many rates available for a weekend stay. The base rate is as low as $249 per night, but you could save a lot of money by spending a little more.
For example, for only $16 more per night, your family of four (including two kids age 5 and under) could have free breakfast every morning. That’s only $4 per person for breakfast! You would be hard-pressed to eat breakfast at a fast food joint for $4 per person.
Search for important amenities
It can be frustrating when you’re searching for a hotel and the results are cluttered with hotels that don’t meet your needs. Quit wasting your time! Before clicking search, jump over to the advanced search option to check the boxes of the important amenities that you really need.
Do you need a pool, on-site gym, or a free airport shuttle? All of those options (and more) are available when searching for hotels on their website or with a cashback app like Dosh.
Narrow down the area
When you search for a hotel in a big city, finding a great deal on the other side of town isn’t that great of a deal. Whatever savings you’ll receive isn’t worth the cost or the hassle from commuting back and forth from the hotel to your activities or meetings.
Instead, narrow down your search to hotels that are close to where you need to be. Even if the room is a couple of dollars more per night, isn’t the convenience (and extra sleep) worth it?
And if you’ll be exploring different parts of the city during your trip, don’t be afraid to book multiple hotel rooms. For example, if you’re visiting Disneyland for a couple of days, then hitting the beach for a few more, before finally exploring Hollywood and all that Los Angeles has to offer, it doesn’t make sense to stay in one hotel for the entire trip.
Instead, book hotels that are close to your activities so you can avoid traffic and wasted time driving back and forth. And you might save even more because hotels are less expensive in other parts of the city away from the major tourist attractions.
Read: How to turn your work trip into a “bleisure” vacation
Get cashback from your hotel reservation
I never book a hotel without getting something extra from the reservation. Using a travel rewards credit card is an absolute must to earn bonus points or cash back on my bill. Those bonus points are usually worth 2 to 5% of the cost of your hotel room, which is nice.
But where you can save real money is by booking your hotel reservation with an app like Dosh for major cash back. Dosh offers competitive pricing to online travel agencies which ensures you get great rates on your room. But what sets Dosh apart is that you can receive up to 40% cash back on hotel rooms at over 600,000 hotels around the world.
I recently used Dosh to book a hotel room for my summer road trip. Not only did Dosh offer a better base rate, but I also received additional cash back! What I love is that the Dosh app shows you the prices available at eight other websites like Priceline and Expedia so you can easily see how much money you can save.
The Bald Thoughts
You can book a better hotel room for less money by using these tips. The hotel will have the amenities that you are searching for and is located near where you need to be during your trip. And when you book your reservation with the Dosh cashback app, you can receive up to 40% cash back once your stay is complete.
What are your favorite ways to book hotel rooms for added benefits? Do you use apps like Dosh to book your room or do you book directly on the hotel’s website? Let us know in the comment section below.
