So, you’re trying to find a decent hotel without spending a fortune, right? It used to drive me nuts. I’d spend hours jumping from one hotel’s direct website to another, or just stick to one big booking site I knew, and hope for the best. Sometimes I’d find out later I totally overpaid, or my buddy got a way better deal for the same dates. Super frustrating.
My Old Way Was a Bit of a Mess
Honestly, my old method was basically just guesswork. I’d think of a hotel chain, go to their site. Or I’d use that one big booking portal everyone talks about. I didn’t really have a system. I’d see a price, maybe glance at a couple of photos, and if it looked okay and was in my rough budget, I’d book it. I wasn’t really comparing much, you know? Just taking what I could find quickly. And yeah, I definitely missed out on some good deals or ended up in places that weren’t quite what I expected.
Then I Got Smarter with Comparison Websites
Then one day, I was planning a weekend trip and was getting really annoyed with the prices. A friend mentioned they always use comparison sites. Not just one, but a couple. Lightbulb moment! I thought, why am I not doing this? It’s like, these sites are built to do the heavy lifting for you.
So, here’s what I started doing, and it’s become my go-to process now:
- I open up a few tabs. Seriously, I don’t just stick to one comparison site. I usually have two or three different big-name ones open. They don’t all have the same deals or the same hotels listed, believe it or not.
- Punch in the basics. Destination, dates, number of guests. Easy peasy. This is where everyone starts.
- Filter, filter, filter! This is key. First thing I usually filter by is guest rating. I’m not staying in a dive to save a few bucks, so I usually set it to “Very Good” or “Excellent,” like 8+ or 4 stars out of 5, whatever the site uses. Then I’ll look at price. Sometimes I sort by price, low to high, after I’ve filtered by rating.
- Map it out. Location is huge for me. Most sites have a map view. I zoom in on the area I want to be in. No point getting a cheap hotel if I have to spend a ton on taxis or it’s miles from everything.
- Read the recent reviews. Not just the overall score. I actually read what people are saying, especially the recent ones. I look for comments on cleanliness, noise, staff attitude. If I see a bunch of recent complaints about the same thing, that’s a red flag.
- Check what’s included. Is breakfast in the price? Is there Wi-Fi? What about cancellation policies? Sometimes a slightly more expensive room with free breakfast and cancellation is a better deal than a rock-bottom price with nothing included. You gotta watch out for those “extra fees” too, like resort fees or city taxes. Some sites are better at showing these upfront than others.
- The quick cross-check. Once I find a hotel I like at a price I like on a comparison site, I sometimes do a super quick search for that hotel’s direct website. Just to see. Nine times out of ten, the comparison site has the better or same deal, but once in a while, the hotel itself might have a special offer. Doesn’t hurt to look for 30 seconds.
Why This Works for Me
Doing it this way takes a little bit of clicking around, sure, but I feel way more in control. I’m not just grabbing the first thing I see. I actually feel like I’m finding the best deal for me, considering location, quality, and price. I’ve definitely saved a good chunk of money over the years doing this, and dodged a few bullets by paying attention to those reviews.
I remember one time I was booking a city break, and the first few options looked okay price-wise but were way out in the sticks. By using the map filter and checking a couple of different comparison sites, I found a much better-located place, slightly higher rated, for only a tiny bit more. Totally worth it. It’s not rocket science, just being a bit methodical about it.
