The Rack Rate Rule

The rack rate rule is a very simple one, indeed.  You NEVER EVER pay rack rate for a hotel room.  There are many deals to be had when booking a hotel.  The best place to start your quest for hotel steals and deals would be Priceline.  Buy naming your own price and placing bids on Priceline, you can slash your hotel rate by as much as 50%.  No, I am NOT KIDDING.  If you love staying at four and five star hotels but do not like paying four and five star prices then Priceline is your best bet.  Some people are uncomfortable using Priceline due to the fact that you are not able to chose your exact hotel.  You bid on a certain star hotel in a certain area and your credit card is charged if your bid is accepted.  They will not reveal the name of the hotel until after a hotel has accepted your bid. If your only concern is a certain quality of hotel in a certain area then this will appeal to you. 

My second choice would have to be Hotwire.  Hotwire works similar to Priceline with the exception of bidding.  They give you the rate for certain star level hotels but do not disclose the name of the hotel until you have purchased the hotel at rate disclosed.  You can still get realy good rates but rates are not as good as Priceline.

These two travel websites are the only ones I EVER use for booking hotels.  Why pay $200 for a night at a hotel when you could only pay $90.  Hotels love for customers to book rooms directly from their websites but savy travelers NEVER do. Take my advice and save that extra cash for a nice massage.