While there are many sites on the Internet that will tell you that you can get the
best rate through them, in the end, the best way to obtain a hotel room on the cheap,that isn't a dump, is to do some sleuthing in your own. Nothing beats the persuasive power of a phone call towards the hotel itself. Remember: it never hurts to ask. Of course, you can even make out like a bandit by bidding on the room you want. No hotel wants their beds empty.