I have several mottos. One of them is ’’NEVER PAY FULL PRICE.’’ Often I can actually get away with living by my motto - seeing as I hate paying the retail or list price for ANYTHING from groceries to hotel/motel stays.

So, with all of this in mind, I offer up the following suggestions. When used in any combination or individually, they greatly improve your chances of getting a rate that is lower than published or advertised for the motel or hotel you are planning to patron.

First, CHECK THE INTERNET. Services such as priceline.com will generally get you a better rate than you expect. For example, if you plan to stay at a particular hotel (a specific location, not just the particular chain), look
it up. Offer twenty-five percent less than the asking rate for the room. Generally your offer will be accepted - if not, most services allow you to bargain or try again. Bartering and bargaining are not just yokel-ish haggling: They’re works of art! Bargain wisely and you’ll surely come up with a decent offer!

RESERVE IN ADVANCE. Try to reserve at least two weeks in advance of your stay. While on the phone, be blunt. ’’Do you offer any discounts?’’ Let them know how many people are with you, whether or not this is a business trip (your home business MIGHT qualify for a discount, depending on what exactly you do and why you’re traveling), et cetera. Once I wanted a room for one person, for six days and six nights. The manager told me that, if I took the room for a seventh day (one week) then she could give me the weekly rate versus the daily rate - thus saving me approximately eighty dollars!

ASK ABOUT FREQUENT GUEST RATES. Some motels and hotels will actually enroll you in Frequent Guest programs - the more times you stay at one of their locations, the sooner you’ll earn either discounts or a free stay. It never hurts to ask, so don’t hesitate to speak up!

Finally, DON’T BE PICKY. If there are two great hotels across the street from each other, talk to both of them. If they’re both offering great service with secure and comfortable rooms, there shouldn’t be much problem with changing your mind. If you’ve always, ALWAYS stayed at Hotel X, but find that Hotel Y across the road is offering better rates, it’s worth considering. Competition is fierce among hotels, so don’t hesitate to use that to your advantage.

Another tip: Generally the rooms will be less expensive if you are staying during the week versus Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays. And, of course, traveling during the summer (when everybody is on vacation) automatically means higher rates. So, if there’s any way you can stay during the week, in
off-peak seasons, go for it!

Keep in mind that, just because you’re angling for a discount doesn’t mean you should expect shoddy service. Whether you’re paying five or five thousand dollars a night for a room, you deserve respectable, decent customer service - if you are dissatisfied, try not to make a scene. Instead, draft a courteous letter outlining your complaints and have it mailed to the manager of the hotel or motel in question. He or she will generally apologize and, in the future, make an effort to provide better service. This, of course, is
not something you do any time you want a free room - reserve it for those times when you’ve honestly been mistreated and you’ll surely see better results in the future.