Business travelers want a 5-star experience. It’s important for business travelers to be able to concentrate on work while on the road. It also looks bad to customers if you don’t have nice lodgings.
Staying in nice hotels is, however, expensive. And hotel prices aren’t always flexible, especially if you’re headed to a conference or high-end destination.
But there are ways to save money without sacrificing quality. It’s not as difficult as you might think. Here are a few easy ways to save some money.
1. Rewards
You should join hotel loyalty programs.
If not, you’re basically refusing free money. And if you’re traveling for business, you’re traveling a lot.
It’s best to stay with the same hotel chains whenever possible. That way you will accumulate points on all of your trips.
Whenever you stay with a new chain, set up an account immediately.
There’s no rule against having loyalty programs with multiple chains. You should take advantage of every point you can get.
Accumulating points will eventually get you a free stay. If you don’t end up with enough points for that, you can use points on other things.
You might get a free drink, and you’ll definitely get better service.
2. Booking Service
Professionals always find the best prices.
Use a booking service designed for business travel like Hotel Engine.
They have the best industry connections and can get you rooms at the best rates. You won’t be able to find rates at the same prices that they do.
Finding good rates takes time. Finding the right hotel in general takes time.
You should be focusing on business. That is, after all, the purpose of your trip. When problems come up, it’s better to let someone else handle them.
Using a booking service will save you money in the long run. It will also provide a great deal of convenience. All you need to do is tell them what you need.
If you need a hotel with a fitness center, they’ll find one. If bringing a pet along is your priority, they can make sure to find a pet-friendly hotel.
It’s also worth considering looking into alternative options. Apartment rentals are good for longer stays.
Booking services can help you find those as well.
3. Timing
There are better times to book than others.
Booking a vacation right after work is not the best idea.
That’s because everyone else probably has the same idea as you. They’ve been tired at work and are ready to book that vacation. It’s best to book vacations during the day.
Search engines and price engines are run by algorithms. They can see when you have searched for something. If you search for something more than once, the price will probably go up.
It’s easy to get around this by doing your final booking on a different computer. Or you can see about going somewhere off-season.
Everyone wants to head to the beach in the summer. No one wants to head to a ski resort. But the mountains offer great activities in the summer, too.
You can go hiking while everyone else is at their overpriced beach resort.
4. Location
Being in the center of town is nice, but it’s not everything.
Staying in the perfect spot is almost always overpriced. You can usually find hotels nearby at a much cheaper rate.
It’s also worth considering saving a bit of money by staying outside of town. It might be cheaper to spend money on a taxi to and from the hotel. Or you can live like a local and use public transportation.
Think about going to unique destinations, too. Cities like these from Newsweek are the hot cities for business travel. If you have clients there, it’s of course important to visit these places.
But if your destination is a bit more flexible, choose somewhere off the beaten path. It will be much cheaper than a trip to New York.
It will also be more memorable.
5. Cutting Costs
The best way to save money is not to spend it.
Find small ways that you can cut costs here and there.
Use public transportation instead of taxis or ridesharing apps. Head to a cheaper restaurant instead of a five-star one.
Ask the hotel staff to make you a pot of coffee instead of heading to an overpriced coffee shop. There are lots of little ways you can save money.
Saving money on other things lets you splurge on a nice hotel.
Conclusion
Business travel isn’t cheap. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still save money and enjoy a nice hotel.