Priceline is the best in my opinion.  There are tricks on how to get the area that you are seeking at a very low rate.  I can explain if you are interested in learning.

Juliette

....in some cases not a site at all but calling a hotel directly.

-- Modified on 6/27/2015 5:01:47 PM

As I said before,  I always use priceline when purchasing a hotel.  Please keep in mind that once you book this hotel, you can not get your money back. Also, you can always get a cheaper rate if you wait till 2 to 3 days before you book.  There is times where I waited till the night before to book and got a great rate.  But, if it is a place that is a big tourist place like DC, you don't want to wait that long unless it is the fall or Winter.  I have gotten 4 star hotels here for $80 or $90 before.

The first thing you do is go here: http://www.priceline.com/promo/hotel_winning_bids.html.  This will tell you how much other people have paid for their hotels according to star level.  You then sign into Priceline.com.  I am going to use the DC area for example.  You hit the hotels tab and fill in the information then hit search.  From there, you hit Express deals.  That will give you a general idea at how much you are looking at according to area and star level.  Whatever that price is, you can possibly get anywhere from $20 to $50 a night cheaper.  You then click on "name your own price." Let's say you are wanting a 3.5 star in the Crystal City area. You don't click on that particular area yet.  You want to find the areas that are not 3.5 star hotels. You do this by clicking on each area and see what pops up as far as star level.  For instance,  when I click on Mt. Vernon VA.  there are no 3.5 star hotel.  You need to write that area down on a piece of paper. They are considered as free bids.  After you have written all non- 3.5 star hotels down,  the bidding begins.  You click on the star level hotel you want and the area.  Depending on how many free bids you get is how low you can go on your bidding.  If I am only going to get 3 free bids,  I am going to go average rate on my bidding.  If I have a lot of bids,  I am going to bid low.  If I start off bidding $50 and they won't accept,  I go to $55 then to $60 and etc.  The other option is that you can bid in higher increments but when you put in your credit card information,  don't put the correct 3 digit code located on the back of your card in.  Make up a number.  If they approve of your bid, they will send back a reply asking for the proper code.  If they don't accept your bid, they will ask you to try again.  Once you know they will accept your bid,  you can then reduce it to see if they will take that bid.  For instance say you don't want to do your bids in $5 increments.  Just put in a higher number than you are really willing to pay. If you didn't put in the proper 3 digit code, you can still go back and change your bid.  Once you are happy with your bid, you then put in the correct code.  I hope you can understand this.  It is difficult to write it all down.

Juliette