Several years back it was a hectic affair trying to get the best rate hotels around. This meant that you had to call your travel agents in order for them to look through their data and quote for you a price. Trusting that your travel agent was good enough to get you the best rate, you ended up getting quite high prices because you didn't have another option. After the arrival of the internet however, everything has been made easy and anyone can check a through a number of websites and compare different hotels before booking.
Generally, if you check and compare different sites you are guaranteed to get the best rate hotels but if your source is one of the very best then you are guaranteed to get the best hotel for a rock-bottom price. There are several ways in which you can get a hotel with the best rates. One such way is to call both the provided toll-free number and the local hotel. At times the hotel reservationists at the other end of the toll-free number are only provided with a fraction of the rooms to sell and may only know one price. On the other hand, the staff in local hotels usually have more discretion in setting rates and may know of a promotion that these reservationists may not know about.
Another way to achieve this is by joining the hotels' loyalty programs through signing up for the free clubs in the hotels before you have been assigned a room. Joining these clubs could lead to a complimentary newspaper, late checkout, an upgrade to a suite, or even low rates and discounts. Most of the best rate hotels usually have these complements that are open to all customers. You can also earn free hotel stays by using reward credit cards. These help customers to earn points that are later translated to free three-night stays in hotels and so on.
Always ensure that you plan to travel at the good times of the year to avoid being overcharged. Certain times of the year can be quite expensive to travel especially when there is influx of tourists. Many hotels tend to raise their rates during peak seasons. It is always good to adjust your travel dates even by one day or swap to the travel locations. This might help you access the best rate hotels right from the start of your negotiation.