There are more than five ways to overpay for a hotel room.
These are the five I’d tell you to fix before finalizing your next reservation. Each one has cost me real money at some point over the past 12 years of booking hotels for my own travels.
You get to cut to the chase and put these into action on your very next trip.
1. Locking in a non-refundable rate to save a few dollars
I choose the refundable nightly rate for every advance hotel booking I make. Hotel rates are up and down like the stock market and I want to be able to cancel and re-book when a better price comes along.
It’s the best of both worlds, actually, because you get the peace of mind knowing you have a place to stay for your trip while you continue to track prices for your hotel and others nearby. (Google Hotels makes this easy to do with their “Track Prices” alert.)
My aha moment came while booking a rental car years ago for a trip to southern Spain with my favorite tool for tracking the minute-by-minute rate changes from car rental companies. Why wasn’t I tracking hotel prices like I do flights and rental cars?!?
It seems obvious now and I cringe to think how much money I sent off never to be seen again. Thankfully, we move forward and don’t dwell in the past. (Breathe in, breathe out)
So, learn from my mistakes and don’t be tempted by the non-refundable hotel rate just because it appears to be a more appealing number. Track and re-book when the rate dips. The money you save will beat that non-refundable rate any day.
ProTip: I now book refundable rates for a few hotels in my destination and track them all. This way, I have better odds that a lower price will come along for at least one of the hotels.
2. Assuming “free breakfast” is actually free
I always compare a hotel’s rate with and without “free breakfast” and you should too.
Then, I pair that with looking for info and reviews about what the actual breakfast includes. Is it a full breakfast with hot and cold choices or is it a simple continental breakfast with fruit and baked goods?
One breakfast isn’t better than the other. It’s about understanding what a potential higher nightly rate (because breakfast is included) gets you and if that’s enough value for you when you factor in the food and convenience.
When I took my first of what is now many trips to Europe years ago, I naturally figured it made a ton of sense to choose the “breakfast included” option when booking hotel nights. But a lot of times I was disappointed because the choices didn’t seem worth it.
And eventually I saw that I could get a much better price for the same croissant and coffee at local cafes. The same holds true elsewhere too. A bagel and cream cheese from an NYC bagel shop or deli will always be cheaper than getting it as part of a hotel breakfast.
3. Not checking for new hotel openings
Do a quick search in your destination for new hotels and you might stumble upon introductory rates that are much lower than comparable, more established hotels nearby.
Reviews and social proof are everything when it comes to making someone feel like they’re choosing the right hotel for their trip. And that’s exactly what new hotels don’t have and why they need you.
I had this happen in Paris. I found a beautiful, upscale boutique hotel in the 6th arrondissement with ornate tapestries and gilded mirrors that had just opened for less than $200 a night…during the holiday season. I saw the price and couldn’t book it fast enough compared to the other prices I was seeing.
Fast forward a few years, I tried to book another stay at the same hotel. Let’s just say at $700 a night, those grand opening rates were long gone.
It’s easy to do. Just search Google for new hotels in your destination or ask your AI tool of choice to make a list of hotels that are recently open or about to open in time for your trip. Then, go to their website directly and look for special pricing.
4. Never asking the hotel to match or beat the online rate
It never hurts to call (yes, call) a hotel directly and ask if they can give you a better deal than what you’re seeing online.
Worst case scenario they say no. But on the flip side, you might discover a better price, a special offer, or even a matched rate with better perks (like waived resort fees) that you didn’t see online.
You can even ask about specific discounts like for teachers, seniors, or veterans while you’re on the call and often not publicized anywhere online. On one of my calls, I told the agent we were celebrating our anniversary. She made sure we got a room with a sea view.
Just remember to ask about the cancellation policy before agreeing to a new rate. It always works in your favor to keep your options open for as long as possible.
The last thing hotels want to do is pay a fee to an online booking site. And you won’t know just how badly they want to avoid this fee until you ask.
5. Skipping the cashback/points portal before you book
Never skip making a few extra clicks to earn points or cashback rewards through a shopping portal on every hotel booking. It costs you nothing, can get you a double-digit percentage return on your hotel booking, and quite honestly, is an absolute no-brainer.
My preferred portal is Rakuten because I earn American Express points that I can use later, usually by transferring them to one of Amex’s airline partners for flights. But you can also earn straight cash back, too.
On portals like Rakuten, you can book directly through a lot of hotel brands (important if you want to earn nights for status) and online booking sites like Expedia.
Either way, you earn the percentage return listed for the merchant you choose. And these rewards are in addition to any cashback or points you’d earn by staying at the hotel or paying with a specific points credit card.
The Verdict
I could keep going. (I’ve made a longer list of hotel booking tips.) But these five are the mistakes I’d fix first if I were starting over.
Not every mistake here will cost you the same amount. One might not even apply to a particular trip. But after a decade of travel, they’ve added up to real money…money I’m sure you’d rather keep in your pocket.
Have questions? Let me know if the comments below.
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