Booking hotels online has never been easy and now many individual hotels as well as hotel chains offer an online booking facility. Just like car insurance quotes though the price for an individual product can vary depending on who you book with. Read our top tips guide to cheap hotels below and see if you can save yourself some well-earned money.

Finding Cheap Hotels - Top Tips

Check different media - Don't forget traditional media such as newspapers and magazines when looking for hotel deals. Major chains will often run promotions in National newspapers with discount codes - some of which are not advertised on their website. The weekend papers and their magazines are often a good place to start looking but don't forget to check the terms and conditions.
Look before you Book - Try not to start looking for deals online at the last-minute and booking the first offer you see. You could end up booking a room only to find someone at the hotel reception desk they got the same room half the price. Write the name of the website, the hotel name and details on a piece of paper and methodically go through sites remembering to check like for like.
Phone the Hotel Direct - It's always worth calling the hotel direct before you book. The reason for this is that some website booking engines aren't up-to-date and you could end up being disappointed when you arrive. I recently booked a non-smoking room only to find it stinking of smoke and when I spoke to reception they said "All the rooms are smoking". They told me that the third parties booking information was incorrect. Another reason is that if you call you may be able to get extra's for the same price or for a small fee such as a Sea View, breakfast or even get upgraded to a larger room.
Check Hotel Reviews - Once you find a hotel that suits you at the right price try typing in the hotel name and the word reviews in the Google box above. You should be able to get genuine reviews from people who have actually stayed in that hotel. Like any reviews try not to take everything at face value as they may be written by the hotel owner or the owner of the hotel next door. You should be able to compare the reviews and see the genuine ones and the trend.
Star Ratings - More and more different sites create their own star (or similar) ratings for hotels but unfortunately just because something has 5 stars by it doesn't mean it has all the trappings and splendour of the traditional 5 Star Hotel. Check the hotel and room facilities and if possible find out what the Star Ratings are based on.
Parking Spaces and Charges - If you're arriving by car don't forget to check if there are any car park charges as many city centre hotels can charge upwards of £20 a night to park your car. These charges can soon add up if you're planning on stopping a few nights. Also, you may find that when you get to the hotel there are no parking spaces left so it's always worth phoning ahead to check parking arrangements.
Location, Location, Location - Don't forget to check on a map where exactly the hotel is situated and how close it is to the places you want to visit. Sometimes city hotels can be sited out of the city altogether but actually have the name of the closest city in their name. It's always worth making sure that an apparently cheap hotel room isn't going to run up huge taxi bills as opposed to a seemingly more expensive room right in the middle of the city.

These are just a few pointers to try and help you get the best deal on a cheap hotel whether it be in London, Spain, the Lake District or New York - the same principals apply - good luck and start clicking....

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