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How to Save on Hotels: 17 Techniques That Really Cut the Price

A night in a hotel is the most expensive line in the budget of almost any trip. The good news: you can almost always shave 20–50% off the price if you don't hit book straight away and instead go step by step.

There are no magic promo codes or secret sites here. Just the ordinary mechanisms every hotelier uses: direct sales, long-stay discounts, low season, free cancellation and comparing offers. All of it works without knowing languages and with a Russian card.

Read it straight through or jump to the technique you need. At the end there's a step-by-step action plan and answers to common questions.

Techniques that cut the price

Book directly with the hotel

Aggregators charge the hotel a 15–25% commission, and it's already built into the price on the middleman's site. Write to the hotel directly — by email, on WhatsApp or through the form on its site — and ask for the price without commission. Small family hotels and apartments are almost always ready to give it. Direct contact also makes it easier to arrange a late checkout or a free breakfast. There's one downside: payment and confirmation are often less convenient than on an aggregator.

Tickets: 5–20% cheaper, sometimes more · Always, but especially for small hotels and apartments

Money-saving tip: Find the hotel on an aggregator, copy the name into search, open its own site and write: I see a room with you at X — can you give me a price without commission?

Ask for the best price right in the chat

Simply asking politely whether there's anything cheaper works surprisingly often. At the desk and in a chat the manager has room to move: unsold rooms, rates without breakfast, a lower category. It's not cheek — it's normal negotiating practice. It works especially well in low season and when you check in the same day. The main thing is to ask without complaining and to be ready to confirm the booking right away.

Tickets: 5–15%, sometimes a room upgrade · Works in hotels without a rigid rate system

Money-saving tip: Write: We're staying 4 nights and our budget is limited — is there anything cheaper available? If so, we'll book right away.

Book with free cancellation

A rate with free cancellation costs a little more and lets you change your mind right up to a couple of days before arrival. That opens up the main trick: lock in the room early, then watch the price. If it drops, you book again cheaper and cancel the old booking. The saving from this usually beats the gap between a non-refundable and a refundable rate. Just check the exact cancellation deadline — they all differ.

Tickets: Insurance against overpaying and losing money · Always, if the rate isn't much pricier than a non-refundable one

Money-saving tip: Book a refundable rate, set a reminder 3 days before the cancellation deadline and compare the price once more.

Long stays: ask for a discount for a week or more

Almost every hotel has long-stay rates in its system, but they aren't always visible in search. The longer the stay, the more willing the hotel is to cut the price: for them it means less cleaning, fewer gaps and less commission to an aggregator. In apartments a weekly discount is standard, and for a month the price falls to almost half the nightly rate. Always ask about the discount as a separate question instead of waiting for it to appear on its own.

Tickets: 10–30% · From 5–7 nights, and from 14 nights a discount is almost guaranteed

Money-saving tip: When booking 7+ nights ask: what's the price for the whole week, not per night?

Apartments with a kitchen instead of a hotel

A flat or apart-hotel often costs the same per night as a decent hotel, but you get a kitchen, a fridge and a washing machine. That means breakfast and some dinners are made at home rather than in a café — and food on a trip usually eats more than accommodation. Other pluses: more space, a separate bedroom, the chance to do laundry instead of paying for a laundry service. One honest downside: cleaning and check-in are often not as polished as in a hotel.

Tickets: Save 30–50% on food costs · Trips of 3+ nights and any trip with children

Money-saving tip: Don't count the price per night — count price per night plus food per person per day, and compare the two options on that total.

Hostels and private rooms in them

A hostel doesn't have to mean a bunk in an eight-person room. Almost every one has private rooms: your own room, often with your own bathroom, but at a price well below a hotel. Shared areas with a kitchen and free tea save money too. It's also an easy way to meet travel companions and pick up tips about the city. If you do take a bunk, take a place in a 4-person room — the difference from an 8-person one is small and you'll sleep more peacefully.

Tickets: 2–4 times cheaper than a hotel · Cities where you only sleep; short stops

Money-saving tip: Filter your search by private room — you'll see a hotel price without a hotel.

Neighbourhoods outside the centre

A hotel 3–5 stops from the centre costs noticeably less, and the extra travel time is 15–20 minutes. Count not only the price but the cost of transport: it's often better to stay near a metro a bit further out than within walking distance of the main square. Look at the districts where locals live: cafés and shops are cheaper there, which gives you a second saving on the trip. The only thing worth avoiding is areas with no transport at night.

Tickets: 20–40% cheaper than the centre · Always, if there's a metro or transport nearby

Money-saving tip: Open a map, mark the centre, count 4–6 stops along a metro line and look for accommodation there.

Low season

In high season the price of accommodation can be double the shoulder season for the same room and roughly the same weather. If your dates are flexible, shift the trip by a couple of weeks — sometimes that saves more than all the negotiating put together. It's especially obvious by the sea: the velvet season after the peak is cheaper and you can still swim. Also check whether big events fall on your dates: an expo or a marathon pushes up prices across the whole city.

Tickets: 30–50% against high season · Shoulder season: late April, October, November, February

Money-saving tip: Check the price of the same hotel two weeks before and after your dates — the difference is often obvious at once.

Weekdays instead of weekends

Cities with a business flow get pricier on weekdays, but tourist ones do the opposite — they get pricier on Friday and Saturday. If you can check in on Sunday and leave on Thursday, the price is often 20–30% lower for the same night. It's especially noticeable in seaside and mountain hotels: locals fill the weekends and the weekdays sit empty. You also get shorter breakfast queues and a freer pool.

Tickets: 15–35% per night · Sunday to Thursday, except holidays

Money-saving tip: Shift your dates so that the Friday–Saturday and Saturday–Sunday nights don't fall inside the booking.

Tourist and resort tax

In many countries a tourist or resort tax is added to the price — collected right at the desk. On an aggregator's site it's often not shown or hidden in small print, and for 7 nights for two it can add up to a noticeable sum. The tax varies: a fixed amount per person per night, a percentage of the cost, or only in high season. Ask about it before booking so you can compare options on an honest final price.

Tickets: 1–5 € per person per night, sometimes more · Paid on site, not included in the price on the site

Money-saving tip: Ask the hotel in writing how much is payable on site in total, including taxes — and put the number into your comparison.

Cashback services for bookings

Cashback services like Backit, LetyShops or EPN return part of the booking cost to your card if you reach the booking site through their link. The conditions are simple: first a click on the service's link, then the booking, then confirmation. Payouts can take a long time — up to several months. Important: don't turn off ad blockers and don't open the same site in another tab, or the order won't be credited.

Tickets: 1.5–10% back to your card · Works if you book through an aggregator with a partner link

Money-saving tip: Create a cashback service account in advance and only reach the aggregator through it — 5–10% comes back on its own.

Airline miles and points for a hotel

Airlines give miles not only for tickets: partner hotels award points for stays. Miles can be spent on a future ticket, which effectively cuts the cost of the trip. Earning usually goes through a special section on the airline's site, not through an ordinary aggregator. The rate is small, but if you fly regularly anyway it's simply a way not to lose points.

Tickets: 2–10% of the booking amount in points · If you fly with that airline or collect miles

Money-saving tip: Before booking, open the hotels section on your airline's site and compare the price with the ordinary one — often it's the same, plus miles.

Hotel chain loyalty

Big chains give programme members a club discount that an ordinary guest often can't see. Points also accumulate and can later be exchanged for free nights. Another plus: members get free room upgrades more often. Registration is free and takes a couple of minutes. If you travel often, it makes sense to pick one or two chains and stick with them.

Tickets: 5–15% discounts plus free nights · With 2+ bookings in one chain per year

Money-saving tip: Create an account in the chain's programme before booking and only book after logging in — the price often drops.

Late check-in, early check-out

If your plane lands at 11 p.m., paying for that night in a hotel is almost pointless — you'll just sleep there a few hours until morning. It makes more sense to take a night transfer or check in in the morning rather than from the evening. Same with departure: an early flight means the night was paid for nothing. It's not always convenient, but one night saved out of four is already a noticeable sum. Check the early check-in rules: sometimes it's free when rooms are available.

Tickets: Saving one night = 15–25% of the booking · Evening or night flights

Money-saving tip: Count not the number of nights but the number of real hours in the room — and drop the empty nights.

Check real photos and reviews

Beautiful photos are often taken in the hotel's best room, and you'll get a different one. Look at guests' photos, not just the official ones, and read recent reviews from the last 2–3 months. Look for repeated complaints: noise, smells, air conditioning, a window facing a wall. It's not direct cashback, but it's the main source of overpaying — paying for something that isn't there. If many reviews criticise the same thing, believe them rather than the rating.

Tickets: Protection against overpaying for a fake room · Before booking, always

Money-saving tip: Open the reviews with photos, sort by newest and read 10 in a row before you pay.

Paying with a cashback card

Ordinary bank cashback in the travel or hotels category returns a percentage of the booking amount. If you have a card with that category, pay with it rather than cash at the desk. Some banks give boosted cashback for purchases abroad or at certain services. It stacks with cashback from the booking service if the conditions allow. Check the limits and the monthly category in advance.

Tickets: 1–5% of the amount · On any card payment

Money-saving tip: Pick the travel category in your banking app in advance for the month of the trip and pay only with that card.

Hybrid: a hotel for a couple of nights plus apartments

You don't have to pick one format for the whole trip. Take a hotel for the first 1–2 nights — to recover from the journey and get a feel for the area — then move to apartments that cost less per night. The first nights in a hotel are convenient: you can leave your bags and breakfast is nearby. After that a kitchen and a washing machine cut your daily spending. Moving takes a couple of hours, but the saving over a week usually covers it.

Tickets: 10–25% of the accommodation cost · Trips of 5+ nights

Money-saving tip: Book the hotel for the first 2 nights only and the apartments from the third, then compare the total.

Rebooking: a refundable booking plus price monitoring

Accommodation prices move up and down: after an early booking they often rise at first, then fall 1–3 weeks before arrival if the rooms haven't sold out. The trick is simple: keep a refundable booking and check the price of the same room once a week. If it drops, book again and cancel the old one. This is the only way to get both a guaranteed room and the best price. The main thing is not to miss the free-cancellation deadline.

Tickets: 10–30% if the price falls · From 3 weeks before arrival

Money-saving tip: Set a weekly reminder for 2 minutes: open the hotel, compare the price, rebook if it pays off.

Stay a little further from the main attraction

The logic is the same as with neighbourhoods, but inside the neighbourhood: a hotel two streets from the main square can be a quarter cheaper. The price depends not on quality but on distance from the spot everyone heads to. Sometimes it helps simply to pick a hotel by the next metro station or on the neighbouring embankment. Count the steps to transport, not to the attraction — that's more honest.

Tickets: 15–30% · Cities with an expensive centre

Money-saving tip: Compare the price of a hotel 500 m away and one 1.5 km away from the main spot — the difference is visible at once.

Free ways to find cheaper

• Map mode and sorting by price on an aggregator — Open your accommodation search in map mode and sort by price — that way you see at once which areas are cheaper, not just specific hotels. Drag the map away from the centre and watch the price fall. It's a free way to understand the price geography in a minute, without calls or messages.
• Compare the same hotel on 2–3 sites and on its own — Copy the name and check it on a couple of aggregators and on the hotel's own site — prices and cancellation terms often differ. While you're at it, see whether the aggregator has a best-price guarantee and what it covers. Five minutes of comparing sometimes saves more than an hour of negotiating.
• Promo codes from Telegram channels and travel bloggers — Channels about travel discounts and bloggers regularly post aggregator promo codes for 5–15%. Look for a code for your specific trip, not a generic one. Check the expiry date and the conditions: some codes only work on new accounts or in certain countries.
• Direct listings from apartment owners — On platforms like Sutochno.ru, Avito or in local groups, flats are rented out directly, without an aggregator's commission. The price is usually lower and it's easier to agree on a weekly discount. Check the reviews and the owner's identity verification so you don't run into a scammer.
• Best-price guarantee from hotel chains — Big chains promise that their site's price is no higher than anywhere else, and otherwise they refund the difference or give a bonus. If you find it cheaper, write to support with a link to the offer. It's free and sometimes gives you not just the difference but extra points as well.

Action plan: how to book

Step 1

Settle the dates and areas before you search for hotels. Shift the trip to weekdays or the shoulder season if your dates are flexible — that's the biggest saving and it costs nothing. Open the city map, mark the place you'll mostly be heading to, and count 4–6 transport stops outwards. Write down 2–3 areas where you'll look for accommodation, and only then start searching.

Step 2

Collect 8–10 options and bring them to one number. Count not the nightly price but the total: nights, taxes on site, breakfast, getting to transport, food if there's no kitchen. Check each option on the hotel's site and on a couple of aggregators. Separately flag the ones with a kitchen — they often win on the total even if the night is pricier.

Step 3

Book the most interesting options with free cancellation and reach the aggregators through a cashback service. Write to 2–3 hotels directly and ask for a price without commission and a long-stay discount — it takes ten minutes and the answers often surprise you pleasantly. Pay with a card that has the travel cashback category. Note the free-cancellation deadline for each booking.

Step 4

Once a week until arrival, check the price of your chosen room — about a minute per hotel. If the price has fallen, book again and cancel the old booking, keeping an eye on the deadlines. 3–5 days before arrival, call or write to the hotel and confirm check-in, late checkout and the final amount payable. If something doesn't add up, that's the time to rebook while options are still available.