If you’re looking for your next getaway, but are concerned about price, here are four websites you can use to find cheap hotel reservations.
Traveling can give you a well-deserved respite from your everyday life or a chance to reunite with friends and family you haven’t seen in a long time.
No matter what you’re traveling for, the fees can start piling up. Between flights, activities and accommodation, there are a lot of things you need to keep in mind when booking your trip.
So why spend more than necessary? Hotel reservations can end up being extremely expensive, but finding the cheapest accommodation that will satisfy you has never been easier with these sites.
SEE AS WELL: The best travel apps to save time and spend less money on your trip
First on this list is HotelsCombined, an online booking aggregator for every element of your trip, whether near or far.
Above all, HotelsCombined is easy to work with. All you have to do is indicate where you want to stay, the dates of your trip and the number of rooms you need, whether for adults or children. It’s very good if you manage to find a travel companion to accompany you.
Interestingly, you can choose from a wide range of options when it comes to your stay, rather than just which city you are staying in. If you have a hotel chain you prefer, you can enter by name, or you can enter specific addresses or landmarks if there is something specific you are trying to visit.
From there, HotelsCombined scours the internet for the best hotel deals. What’s great here is the control you have over the type of results you get.
If you are looking for a specific price range, you can define it. You can also change how HotelsCombined determines the price. You can search for hotels that have free amenities such as free internet or parking, or by location.
If you’re trying to stay near a certain area of town, or some distance from a nearby landmark or friend’s house, then it’s very useful here.
There are also other categories, such as themes, hotel features, etc., but the most useful is the HotelsCombined rating system. Based on hundreds or thousands of verified guest reviews, these reviews help give you an accurate idea of how good or good your stay was.
Next on this list comes Trivago, another online booking aggregator. This means that Trivago scours the internet for the best deals it can find and displays them all neatly for you to consider, giving you more money to spend on travel essentials.
The process behind Trivago is quite simple. You enter your location, date range, and number of rooms you are looking for. From there, Trivago takes you to a screen showing you the best deals it could find for you.
This process is quick and responsive, which makes Trivago feel good if you’re looking for a quick overview of what might be available.
Some filters are also available here, but not particularly expensive. You can search by price, type of property and a few others. If you are looking for something specific, however, you may run into problems.
The most telling feature of this page, however, is the map. Other aggregators such as HotelsCombined also offer this map, although for some it is hidden behind buttons or menus. With Trivago, it is highlighted.
This map allows you to visually see where your reservation will take you, and if you prefer, you can even choose reservations based on their location on the map. There are also reviews available to help you get an idea of your stay, although the number of reviews seems to vary widely from hotel to hotel.
So far this list has included booking aggregators, but Booking.com is actually an online travel agency or OTA. This means that instead of searching the internet for the best prices available, it helps you book travel services directly from suppliers.
It does not mean that you are using the site too much. Booking.com works a bit like an aggregator in that you enter the location you want, travel dates, and the room size you need, and the site returns the results for you to consider.
The filters Booking.com offers are solid, with a wide range of options ranging from price, booking type, ratings, location, and more.
Booking.com even tells you when your travel dates don’t match availability particularly well, and offers you different travel times that it says would help you find better availability or a better price. It’s super useful if you’re working on a more flexible plan and looking to save more money.
The review system for Booking is also quite extensive. Reviews can only be left by people who have actually booked and completed their trips through Booking, which means you can rest assured that you are not seeing dishonest reviews one way or another.
Finally, we have Tripadvisor. If you’re looking to plan your entire getaway in one place, then Tripadvisor is a good candidate to do so.
While all of the entries on this list have allowed you to book flights, activities, and more in addition to your hotel reservations, Tripadvisor is the one that focuses the most on it. That’s fine if you can’t find free city guides and recommended routes.
This is evident when you first come to the site, as you will find that all Tripadvisor asks is where you are traveling. Once you select the hotels tab, you’ll see a more familiar interface.
There are many filters you can browse here, with various offers, amenities, etc., as well as standard price and location options. You can also search using the map if you wish, but you will need to select this option manually.
The biggest draw with Tripadvisor is the reviews, though. Tripadvisor encourages those who stay to leave reviews, and as such, you will find some of the most detailed and personalized reviews to be found on this site.
There are tons of guest-uploaded photos you can browse to get a real sense of what your stay might be like, and the reviews tend to cover everything stay-related.
READ ALSO: 6 apps to find cheap or free places to stay while traveling
Find the perfect trip for you
As you can see, there are a wide variety of different options when it comes to finding the best hotel reservations and deals. No matter what you’re looking for, you can find the perfect trip with just a few searches, and with these websites, it’s easier than ever.
