How to Find Budget Hotels

Accommodation is one of the single highest costs on any holiday budget, even if you're taking a flight to your holiday destination. However, there are budget hotel deals around if you know how to find them. Take a look at the tips below to see if any of them can help your holiday finances go further.

1. Low-season rates are usually lower than high-season rates. Unless you are fixed to high season dates for your holiday due to work or school restrictions, consider having your holiday earlier in the year, or later. Often late spring and early autumn offer relatively good weather in which to enjoy the more affordable rates offered by hotels hoping to pick up visitors outside of the main rush.
2. Budget hotel rooms can sometimes be found by hotels that usually accommodate business travellers. Weekend short-stay visitors can often cash-in on these hotels throughout the year, but during the summer when there are less conferences and meetings taking place in the major cities, these hotels try to recoup some of their costs by attracting tourists during the lull in business clients.
3. Depending on how you intend to get around on your holiday, you will find cheap hotels are usually situated just outside major cities. This will mean that you will need to use public transport, such as local buses, or the London underground if you're in the capital, in order to see things. You'll incur costs on your transportation but this will be a lot lower than the difference in hotel room costs for the city centre, and those for a nearby town.
4. Check if the hotel you’re interested in has any special offers that may put it within your budget. Some hotels have special offer rates that will discount your stay if you include a specific night, or stay for a certain number of days. Other hotels offer discounts for people who fit criteria such as pensioners, others may discount their rates for people who hold rail cards or travel using companies that have an arrangement with the hotel. Over a week these rebates could put a standard priced hotel in the centre of your destination within the same budget range as a cheaper hotel further away.

Once you find a budget hotel that looks perfect for your holiday, make your reservation as soon as you can. Budget hotels fill up quickly, especially during busy periods.