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As a family traveling can be expensive.  Over the years we have become experts at finding low-cost, high quality lodging wherever we travel.  These are our top 10 hotel tips for getting the most value out of a vacation.

Overview

Traveling does not have to cost a fortune.  However, it does require some upfront research.  A given hotel will have a wide range of prices.  With careful planning it is possible to stay at a high-end property for a fraction of the normal price.

Our money-saving tips are designed to help readers find the most suitable hotel at the best price.

Top 10 Tips

1. Determine Location
2. Know the Season
3. Pick Type of Hotel
4. Read Reviews
5. Search Online for Best Price
6. Look for Perks
7. Look for Fees and Extra Charges
8. Look for Vacation Packages
9. Consider a Vacation Rental
10. Consider a Hostel or Campground

Determine Location

When visiting an area location is often a key factor.  For example, a visitor to San Diego may want to stay on the ocean.  This clearly limits the number of hotels.  If staying on the beach is essential this is a requirement.

Unfortunately, a prime location can come at a premium price.  It is often wise to look at a range of options.  For example, in San Diego.  How much extra will it cost to stay at a beachfront hotel?  What if I am a block or two from the beach?  If I stay inland what are the transportation options?

On a recent trip to Nashville we wanted to stay downtown so we could enjoy the nightlife.  Unfortunately, hotel prices where sky high.  However, by staying two miles from downtown we were able to find a high-end hotel for about a third the price.  Furthermore, this hotel had free downtown transportation.

Booking.com

Know the Season and Time of Travel

Planning when to travel is critical for both weather and crowd conditions.  As a family we hate crowds and tend to plan our vacations during times when we think other people will not be going.  In many cases this means putting up with less than ideal weather.

San Diego is a beachfront town blessed with good weather throughout the year.  Of course, in the summer crowds tend to flock to the beach.  Hotel prices rise accordingly.  The good news is that if you are looking for a beachfront location San Diego can have some great deals off-season.

It should also be noted that San Diego has some of its cloudiest weather in the summer. The terms “May Gray” and “June Gloom” refer to the often overcast conditions during those months.  On the other hand, if you don’t mind some clouds, May can be a great time to travel because it is not crowded.

In general, when traveling we like to avoid crowds.  This means when staying in a resort-type we like to go in the off-season.  When our kids when kindergarten age we pulled them out of school to go to Disney World the second week of December.  Crowds were minimal and the weather was gorgeous.

Our children are also lucky to get a winter break and a whole week for Thanksgiving.  During the weekend before Thanksgiving and into the first part of the week many tourist areas are not crowded.  We have used that period to go to places like the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg.  We stayed here for 3 nights before Thanksgiving, leaving to see relatives the day before.

The same is true for traveling on holiday weekends.  We like to go to ski resorts the day after President’s Day.  On one trip to Yosemite we checked in on Memorial Day Monday in time to watch the crowds driving out.

In the Southwest we have learned that places like Arizona and Palm Springs have great hotel deals in the middle of summer when the weather soars to 100+ degrees.  In a dry heat we have learned that this is tolerable and make regular summertime visits to the desert.

In large cities like San Francisco we have received great deals on business hotels in the weekend.  In many cases these are luxury business hotels that cater to weekday travelers.  On the weekends, prices can plummet to fill up rooms.

Booking.com

Pick the Type of Hotel

There is an entire range of hotel types to choose from.  Of course, price is a key consideration, but even within a given price range there can be a wide range.

At the upper-end of the scale are luxury hotels and resorts.  A luxury hotel is more about service while a resort will generally focus on activities, often for the entire family.  Many resort hotels are designed so you can spend your entire vacation on the property.

Most of our resort vacations have been trips to the Caribbean where we stay at an all-inclusive resort that provides all meals and drinks in the price.  These type of resorts are not common in the United States.

We have gone to some ranch-style resorts in the Southwest and also some desert resorts in Pam Springs and Arizona.  During the hot months we have found great values on these places, but note that the fees can quickly add up when a place is not all-inclusive.

Luxury hotels are the places we tend to stay at less often.  The exception is if we get a great online value for a hotel.  However, because we don’t tend to spend much time in our room, we are not willing to pay a great deal extra for service and amenities.

One exception on luxury hotels is when we find a great price on a business hotels.  Many business hotels have significantly lower prices on weekends and can be a great deal.

At the lower price range there is a big difference between value hotels and budget hotels.  Budget hotels are places like Motel 6 and Super 8.   We have had some nightmare experiences at these type of places and generally will avoid them.

On the other hands, certain chain hotels like Marriott’s Fairfield or Courtyard Hotels, Holiday Inn Express, Hilton Garden Inn are a popular choice.  These places are no frills but they tend to be clean and often have breakfast included.  In the Midwest we have had great success with the Drury hotels.

Boutique hotels are another great option.  Most cities have unique independent hotels that are often located close to major points of interest.  In many cases these hotels can be a good value and offer a unique perspective on an area.

Read Reviews

In an online world finding opinions is easy.  Reviews are a great source of information about hotels.  Of course, you will find a great deal of complainers, so you really need to read many reviews to get a full picture.

When reading reviews, I am looking for common themes.  Is there remodeling going on?  Is service and cleanliness consistently an issue (not just from the complainers)?  Is the hotel location/amenities all they claim to be?

Most importantly I like to follow the opinion of a trusted reviewer.  If someone has written a great deal of reviews, I can follow them and understand their criteria and expectations.  I generally don’t like to follow people that write a great deal of negative reviews.  When a person generally writes positive reviews, I will take their negative reviews more seriously.

Search Online for Best Price

Prices for hotels can vary significantly, even for the same room on the same night.  It pays to do multiple online searches.

Online searching can be confusing because there are so many options.  However, it basically comes down to three types of search options

1. Online Travel Agency (OTA): Sites like Booking.com, Hotels.com, Hotwire and Priceline are online travel agencies or OTAs.  These are sites that let you book an entire vacation package including airfare, hotels, car rentals and more.  In many cases they have rewards programs for frequent users.  Expedia is the largest player in this area and its brands include Hotels.com, Hotwire, HomeAway, VRBO, Orbitz, Travelocity and trivago.
2. Hotel Web Sites: You can often find the best price directly from the hotel.  In the case of major hotel brands there will often be rewards programs that reward frequent travels to hotels within their network.  Popular hotel groups with rewards programs include IHG (over 5,000 hotels), Marriott (7,000+ hotels) and Hilton (6,000+ hotels).
3. Online Aggregators: Online aggregators specialize in searching multiple sites including OTAs and hotel web sites to get the best price. In theory they should be the winners.  However, in some cases they don’t always find the best price.  In our opinion the best aggregators are HotelsCombined and Kayak.

Hotels often drop prices at the last minute to fill rooms.  Many search engines offer the option to search for last minute deals.

Look for Perks

Of course, hotel reward programs can offer many extra benefits.  However, there are many other benefits to look for.

Free breakfast is an obvious one and something as a traveling family we always appreciate.  Now many hotels will have afternoon/early evening happy hours with free food and drinks.  This is always a nice perk.

Traveling with kids we are always looking swimming pools and other activities.  A good swimming pool can go a long way towards making for happy children after a long day of travel or sightseeing.

Shuttles that take you to and from the airport or major tourist sites are another great benefit.  In some cases, you can save money at a hotel that is further out from the center of the action.  In this case a hotel shuttle is a great feature.

Other perks are more along the lines of avoiding extra fees.

Look for Fees and Extra Charges

A hotel can look like a great value at first.  However, extra fees can quickly add up.

The most obnoxious extra charge is the “resort fee.”  This is a hidden fee that is usually around $30 a night.  It often does not show up in the search engine and is only in the fine print.  Just be sure to look for a resort fee.

Parking can be another big expense.  In a large urban area like New York or San Francisco you can expect to pay a substantial parking fee.  Where I have an issue with parking fees is for hotels located in a suburban location where parking tends to be ample.  I look out for hotels that charge a fee in those cases as they probably have other hidden costs.

One reason we tend to avoid luxury hotels is because they are noted for extra fees.  In today’s connected age there should never be an extra fee for Wi-Fi or telephone connection.  These hotels often have expensive mini-bars with sensors.  If you so much as touch an item, you can get charged.  This is really bad if you have hands on kids in your party.

Some hotels will charge extra for additional people staying in a room.  Always look for that charge upfront.  For hotels that allow pets they often come with additional costs.

Other fees can be added for early or late check-in.  Most hotels are pretty good about letting you check in slightly early or stay a little extra.  However, some hotels will charge a fee.  It is always better to ask in advance as friendly hotels will almost always waive those fees.

Cancellation policy is another key consideration.  Most hotels have a pretty lenient cancellation policy, but it is important to check.  Pre-paying with no cancellation can often save money but can be risky.  On expensive vacations travel insurance may be a solid investment.

Look for Vacation Packages

A vacation package that combines hotel, airfare, rental car and other options can be a great deal.  Online travel agents (OTA) specialize in these packages.

We rarely take advantage of these package deals, but only because I like to hunt for the best deal.  The exception is for our travel to Caribbean resorts where we go for complete all-inclusive packages that include airfare, all meals and airport transportation.

If you don’t like doing a great of research a travel package can be the way to go.  Hotels.com and HotelsCombined/Kayak are leading sites for travel packages.

Note many aggregator sites offer travel packages.  Personally, I would be somewhat leery of using those sites.  These are doing the automated job of a travel agent by combing different web sites.  In this case the best solution would be to hire your own personal travel agent who can look for the best deal.

Consider a Vacation Rental

Vacation rentals are one of our favorite options.  These include condos or even individual homes.  Sites like HomeAway and VRBO offer a wide range of properties in all price ranges.

The downside with a vacation rental is all properties are different.  You can never be sure of what you are going to get so it pays to look closely at the reviews and pictures for a given property.

Many vacation rentals are part of large resort timeshare properties operated by companies like Marriott.  In this case they often include access to the resort amenities.  However definitely check to make sure what resort features are included.

Consider a Hostel or Campground

The more adventurous traveler can look at alternative options like a hostel or campground.

A bed and breakfast, or B&B, is a small lodging option with generally less than 10 rooms.  In many cases, B&Bs are located in a more residential area, often in a converted family home.  Often a home cooked breakfast is included as part of the breakfast part.  B&Bs can be intimidating to some travelers because you are generally in close contact with the owner/host.

A bed and breakfast It is definitely not an option for someone that likes to stay up late partying and in some cases they are not well-suited for children.  However, they are often a great value and provide a more personal experience than a large luxury hotel.

Of course, there are all kinds of B&Bs for every price range.  It pays to do research and look at what other travelers have said.

Hostels tend to be more college dorm style with a shared rooms and a common bathroom.  This is great for school groups, solo travelers, teenagers and college students.  However, it may not be the best option for families with small children.

Campgrounds can be a great option for families.  This is especially true outside big cities.  However, a city like San Diego is loaded with camping options, including sites right on the beach.

In many cases, campsites have high-end features like a swimming pool.  When we went whitewater rafting on the American River outside Sacramento, we spent two nights camping by the river.  The cost was minimal and not only were tents included but we received access to the swimming pool and playgrounds.

Conclusion and Further Research

It is possible to wing it and travel without plans on a whim.  We have done that before and had a good time.

However, with an expensive vacation, especially with a family or multiple people, planning ahead is critical.  It can not only save money but it assures you get the most enjoyment out of your visit.

Fun Diego Family is about cool places we travel.  However, we realize there are many options other than the ones we pick.  Our guides try and provide an overview of choices in any place we visit.  The goal is to help readers pick places they will best fit their given needs.

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