Top 5 Booking Sites for Hotel Deals

I know most budget travelers are also planners, because that’s how you end up with a smokin’ deal that gives you extras and is located somewhere convenient to things you want to do (usually). I have loads of websites I like to hit up, but here are my top five go-to sites.

Why do I use them and why are they useful? While I’m sure you have plenty of your own preferred sites, you might find a new one with this list, especially when you see that they all offer something different.

1. Hotels.com

Yes, they are one of the most popular hotel booking sites, but with good reason. They have a fantastic low-price guarantee and also offer the Welcome Rewards program where after staying a collective 10 nights in hotels booked through their site, you receive a free night.

Of course, it’s not just ANY hotel. You can’t have stayed in Motel 6s and put in a claim for a free night at the W. They add up what you’ve spent all 10 nights and then take the average of those. You can either spend a night for free within that budget or use that as a credit towards a higher-end lodging.

Hotels.com is always having some promotion going, so it’s a lot easier to save than you think. Right now you can get 30% off participating hotels and a $50 gas card. That’s awesome if you plan to rent a car or go on a road trip. And if you don’t, use it at home to save money driving to and from work or taking the kids to camp.

2. Venere.com

I found this website when it was first starting out and only had accommodations in the UK and big cities in Europe. It’s come a long way since then with worldwide listings, including ones in small towns.

There are many great things about Venere, but my top three include not having to prepay, excellent hotel reviews from travelers and listings for accommodations that you can’t book online. Now, that sounds tricky, but usually if you can’t book a hotel online, you also can’t find it online.

Venere doesn’t have the no prepay deal on all their hotels. It depends on where you are traveling, but about half of what I’ve searched now doesn’t require you to put down anything when you make a reservation.

I love this! As much as I like to have everything paid for by the time I leave, what if I find a better deal elsewhere? I’m not saying I will, but I might. It’s a pain to have to cancel a booking, wait for your card to be refunded and then rebook elsewhere.

To be clear, I’ve used Venere many times and have always been happy with my choice of accommodation and their rates and have never had any issues at all. They have a larger selection to choose from than a lot of sites, especially when you’re looking for places to stay in Europe and the UK. They even include apartment-hotels and B&Bs.

3. HotelClub

This is another site that has grown successfully over the last few years. Now covering worldwide destinations instead of just the UK, HotelClub offers a new twist on booking your accommodations. They give you cash back (which I call cash forward) towards your next booking with each completed reservation you make through them.

At first, this may seem like a ploy to get more of your money – let’s face it, it’s mostly that – but you can also see the value in getting a discount on hotel rates after making just one reservation through the site.

Unlike other booking sites, HotelClub has attainable tiers that give you even more for your money. Your very first booking gets you 4% cash forward and puts you at Silver Club Membership. Bookings 2-5 put you into Gold Club Membership and get you 5% cash forward.

On your 6^th booking you become a Platinum Club Member and get 6% of all bookings as credit toward your next one. The only break in these is when you make a last-minute reservation, which only garners you 2% credit. You must keep your account active over a 24 month period in order for your credit to not roll off your account, but that’s easy enough if you take at least one vacation a year.

Even better, you don’t even have to use your club bucks on your next booking. You can save them up and choose to use them towards any reservation you choose.

4. BookIt

I tell travelers over and over how many great deals can be found on BookIt. I don’t say this because they pay me to. I say it because it’s true.

I have used them and recommended them to friends and family and we’ve all had excellent experiences with them. People are skeptical because their prices were so low, making them seem like they might be too good to be true. There are a lot of sites out there that aren’t legit, but this isn’t one of them.

BookIt partners with hotels and airlines to bring you the best deals on popular tourist destinations. Book just your hotel, book a package with airfare and even add activities. I found their prices for Disney tickets were even better than those for AAA, which had by far been the best deal I’ve found, and they even had a small, but significant discount on Universal tickets.

All in all, great value can be found on BookIt, whether you’re going to Jamaica or Las Vegas. If it’s a beach destination you’re after, I would definitely check here first, though they cover much more than sandy locales.

5. BedandBreakfast.com

Never thought you’d actually want to stay in a B&B, or that you could afford one. Amazingly, BedandBreakfast.com has a lot of reasonable options in very convenient locations.

Some of the participating B&Bs are even cheaper than hotels. You can find rates as low as $45 per night for a beautiful home in a quiet neighborhood. The benefit of staying in a B&B over a hotel is that a meal is included in your price, making it an even better deal than many hotels.

The accommodations are usually homey and also offer the peace and quiet of being in a lovely neighborhood instead of next to a busy freeway or rowdy bars, though they are still close enough to get to shopping and nightspots by foot or on public transportation. In addition to included breakfast, some B&Bs offer more extras, like cocktail hour or tea time.

If you like to get to know new people everywhere you go and get treated like one of the family, a bed and breakfast is certainly for you. Traveling with your dog? Don’t worry. There are many pet-friendly accommodations on the site, too!

It’s sometimes hard to separate the truly good sites from the millions of booking sites out there, but sometimes there are sites that are unique and stand out for their offers, customer service and user-friendliness. These are the ones to bookmark and frequent first in your quest to find rates that fit your budget for accommodations that fit your travel style.

Whether you are looking for something cozy and quiet or an all-inclusive deal that gets you unlimited drinks, you will find just what you’re looking for on these sites for your next trip. And if you can earn free nights in the process, why not do it? “Free” and “travel” do not often come as a package deal, so snap it up when you can.