book cheap hotel rooms

Where can you book cheap hotel rooms? The rapid expansion of the budget airlines has fuelled an explosion in weekend and short breaks. But booking the flight is the easy part; next you have to find a cheap hotel room.

Although there are lots of 'cheap hotel' websites, there aren't many good cheap hotel booking websites. Most 'cheap hotel' websites don't have online booking or online availability and the choice is often limited.

Here we recommend a collection of great cheap hotel booking websites, each offering an excellent choice and rock bottom prices - where you can book online.

But before we get to them, we offer some advice and tips on how to get the best deal.

How to book cheap hotel rooms

1. As with most things on the web, our first piece of advice is to shop around.
2. Unlike flights, as long as there is no conference or major event in London (and you can check that at whatsonwhen), you will often find the best deal by leaving booking late. Booking between two and seven days in advance usually yields the cheapest central london hotel rooms. But don't wait until the day as prices go back up.
3. The cheap hotel booking sites negotiate discounted rates based on volume so it's usually cheaper to buy through them. Usually, but not always. Don't be afraid to try the direct approach but, to get the best rate, you must ask if they have any special offers.
4. Sometimes adding a weekend night will lower the rate for all of the other nights of your stay.
5. Compare prices, but compare locations too. It's usually worth paying a little extra to be nearer the centre of town, or your preferred attraction.
6. Don't just rely on 'star' ratings. Look at the facilities the hotel has and rank hotels based on the facilities' importance to you.
7. If you want a cheap hotel at the weekend, look at hotels in or near business districts. Business people only want hotels during the week. These hotels are usually of a 'superior' standard but, in order to attract weekend custom, they offer excellent weekend deals.
8. If breakfast isn't included in your room rate, eat at a local café. It's usually cheaper, fresher and better than in your hotel.

Where to book cheap hotel rooms

Superbreak - with a quick search engine, you can find a cheap hotel quickly and simply then book it online. Room rates, facilities, grades, detailed descriptions and even photos are available for most hotels. They also offer london theatre breaks and serviced apartments.

Holiday Extras - for london hotels only - a discount website focusing on airport hotels, they have a limited choice of central london hotels, but the ones they do offer are at unbeatable prices - from £40 a night (per room, not per person). Click on 'london' in the 'airport' box, enter your dates and click 'proceed'.

Hotel Connect - this is an excellent website to get a baseline on the rate you should expect to pay. Browse their special offers and, once you've searched, click for a description and picture of the hotel and other essential information.

At Total Stay you can book hotels at up to 70% off published rates. Check the comprehensive hotel information and independent reports then book and get instant online confirmation. The website covers the big chains plus independent hotels.

Click & Go Now - 'Europe's leading online hotel discount wholesaler', this site offers savings of up to 60% on over 60,000 hotels, online real time booking and guaranteed availability. After a quick and easy to use search you're presented with a broad range of central london hotels. Click on any of the hotels for a comprehensive description of the hotel and its location.

Expedia - the UK's number one online travel agent should always be included in your cheap hotel search. There hotel prices are good and, if you book a hotel and flight together with expedia, the whole thing can work out 20 - 30% cheaper than booking them separately via a discount flight and cheap hotel website.

OTC - have a database of over 70,000 hotels worldwide and a quick search engine. You can find a cheap hotel quickly and simply then book it online. As with expedia, you might look at their city breaks section, where you can add a flight and hotel and get a discount on both.

Lastminute.com - if you are traveling to a 'main stream' destination, such as london or new york, always include lastminute within your cheap hotel search. A regular place for bargains.

The whole process should take no more than half an hour, and will ensure that you get the best deal.

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