5 Travel Hacks to Book Cheap Hotel Stays

It doesn't get much better than staying at a nice hotel for a fraction of the usual price. I did so earlier this summer, redeeming points I'd earned on one of my top travel rewards cards. When you save on the hotel, you can spend more on activities, going out to eat, and the rest of your trip.

While hotel stays can be expensive, there are also lots of ways to pay less than the normal nightly rate. Here are the best travel hacks you can use to book cheap hotel stays.

1. Sign up for hotel loyalty programs and look for ways to earn bonus points

We'll start with a simple one. Sign up for an account with the loyalty programs for any hotels you visit. It's free, and you'll earn points you can redeem toward stays.

As a loyalty program member, you earn points every time you stay with a hotel. Many hotels also offer ways to earn bonus points. For example, I recently received an offer to earn 1,250 Hilton Honors points for completing a quick survey. Hotels often send out offers like these by email, so keep an eye out for them.

The fastest way I've found to earn bonus points is with hotel credit cards. These usually have welcome offers for new cardholders, and some of them offer 100,000 bonus points or more! Click here to see our list of the best hotel cards and open one today.

2. Open a hotel card with a free night certificate

Hotel credit cards are useful for more than just earning points. They also have other special perks, and one of the most common is a free night certificate. You typically get one per year, but some cards also give you the opportunity to earn more if you spend enough.

The hotel cards that have free night certificates also charge annual fees. But it's possible to save much more from the free night than you pay for the annual fee. There are highly rated credit cards with $95 annual fees and free night certificates you can use at properties costing $250 or more per night.

3. Visit in the shoulder season

Tourist destinations generally have three seasons:

• The busy peak season when prices are highest
• The offseason when prices are lowest
• The shoulder season that falls in-between the two

If visiting during the peak season isn't a must, you can save big by booking a stay during the shoulder season. Viqal, a virtual concierge for hotel groups, reports that hotels may offer discounts of 10% to 25% during the shoulder season.

A trip during the shoulder season is also a good choice if you want to avoid the crowds. Destinations won't be completely dead like during the offseason, but they also won't be packed with people.

4. Get a package deal with a travel agency

Instead of booking your flight, hotels, and activities separately, look for a package deal. Travel providers generally buy airfare and hotel rooms in bulk for these packages, so they're able to get a discounted rate.

Package deals aren't always cheaper. You'll have to do the math to make sure. But they can be, and they're also a convenient option that saves you time when booking your trip.

If you have a Costco membership, Costco Travel is worth checking out. It's known for offering high-quality and reasonably priced package vacation deals.

5. Book a last-minute getaway

Sometimes, waiting until the last minute can work out in your favor. When booking a hotel stay, it could save you some money. Average room rates are 13% lower for stays booked 15 days out than for stays booked four months in advance, according to a study by NerdWallet.

The last-minute deals are even better at high-end hotels. Average room rates were 22% less 15 days out than they were when booked four months in advance.

When booking a hotel, it pays to know a few travel hacks. I've used those hacks to save hundreds and even thousands of dollars on hotel stays, and anyone could do the same.