How to get a cheaper holiday: Eight tips from industry insiders on how to save and stay
Expert How You Save Approved Holiday On To While Money Tips
Who doesn’t love a hotel bargain? There’s no better knowledge either than the inside scoop so we have compiled eight tips from those in the know and how to save money and get the best deal when booking a hotel room. There are a range of tips from booking directly with the hotel, to researching loyalty schemes and even checking in late to get a better chance of a free upgrade.
This tip keeps coming up from the insiders.
Ray Kelleher, Director of Sales and Marketing at The Montenotte Hotel said that he recommends booking on a hotel's own website.
“Most hotels offer their best available rate on their own website compared to the third party agencies and I would always suggest you click on the offers tab and see what promotional offers the venue has, more often than not, there will be a surprising package available and can include breakfast, dinner, and a local attraction from your visiting location,” he said.
Seasoned traveller and Instagrammer Nadia El Ferdaoussi agrees: “I would always book direct because if you need to make any changes the customer service will always be better. Sometimes saving a few euros can be more expensive in the future, especially in uncertain times.”
Whatever the price is for the stay you find on the hotel website you should always ring the hotel and try and get a better deal. Once you speak to someone at reception they might be able to reduce the price and if they can’t reduce the price they may be able to offer something extra on your booking. Insiders say that even if you find a cheap deal on sites like Booking.com, ask the hotel if they can match it if you book directly.
Niamh O’Neill, Sales Manager with the O’Donoghue Ring Collection said that contacting the hotel directly will allow the hotel to enhance your stay and experience with the “personal touch”.
Bastien Peyraud of The Imperial Hotel in Cork City said that he recommends staying longer and getting a discounted rate. He said that many hotels will offer three nights' stays for the price of two.
Also if you have the luxury of extending your stay while you are at the hotel ask for a deal at reception for an extra night. You could get a really good deal if your stay was extending into a mid-week stay or if you can extend your weekend stay on a Sunday night.
Nadia said we should look out for loyalty rewards with hotel groups.
Bigger hotel groups often have loyalty schemes and by signing up to their email list you can be included in offers that are not advertised to the general public.
“You can get great offers when booking direct or added value such as dinner or an activity included,” said Nadia.
Tim Fenn, Chief Executive, Irish Hotels Federation said they would always recommend that people shop around to ensure that they find the best venue or package and not just rely on one source when comparing accommodation prices.
“Great value can be had by making direct contact with hotels to find out what specials may be available. When comparing properties, we would also encourage people to check what each price covers from the number of rooms to inclusive facilities to ensure that they are comparing like with like and choose the most suitable option for them.”
Always make sure that you let a hotel know too if you are celebrating an occasion as they will generally like to mark it in some way with a free bottle of wine or an upgrade. Even if you are not celebrating an occasion, insiders say that you should always ask for an upgrade when checking in. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
Planning ahead can ensure that you get the best deal say hotel managers.
Allen Flynn from The Old Ground said that his advice is to book as early as you can to get the best deal. Also travelling mid-week will ensure you get a better deal than at a busy weekend. Insiders also say that the later you check in at a hotel the better chance you have of getting a free upgrade.
Dig deep and check out the packages on offer. You can get some great value on package deals. Allen Flynn said that if you are planning any extras to book a package from the outset. If you are planning a dinner or spa for example at the hotel he said there is usually a discount on packages.