While even cars have gone the way of reliable sticker prices, hotel reservations remain a haggler's game, with arcane and confusing rules and terminology that seem aimed to sneak dollars out of your pocket even as you think you're making out well. Take the term "corporate rate," for instance. Most people assume that since corporate employees travel a lot, they must get a good rate, right? Well, some of them do, but not the ones who ask for the corporate rate.

Following are some free tips for getting the best discount hotel reservations anytime you travel. Some hotels are more flexible than others, but these free tips should keep you on the winning side of the bargaining table.

Use a discount hotel reservation service
Shopping online is one of the best ways to get the best discount hotel rates. Some of the most reliable hotel brokers include:

• HotelsAtAnyWhere offers savings of up to 70% off the best hotels in some of the world's best hotels.
  
• USAHotelGuide offers deep discounts and cheap hotel rates on online reservations for over 30,000 hotels worldwide.
  
• HotelDiscounts is the leading hotel provider on the net offering discounts of up to 70% off on online hotel reservations.
  

Ask for a discount or lower rate.
Sounds simple, but very often works like a charm. Ask about discounts, lower rates, promotions, specials or any of the following special rates: AAA, senior, family, hotel membership, weekend, government discounts, frequent flyer, convention, shareholder, or corporate rates. Hotels even often have what is called a "fallback" rate, for travelers who are resisting the quoted rate.

Call the hotel directly (instead of the 800 #).
Many times discounts are offered at the hotel that can't be submitted through the 1-800 Central Reservations System. The 800 agents have no direct access to room availability, and are often not authorized to negotiate. Hotel agents are generally more in touch with availability, discounts, and are therefore more flexible with rates. (This is very often the best way to go, no matter what price you want to pay. 800 agents often have very limited access to actual booking info, as many chains allot a select number of rooms to the central reservations system. They may even tell you a hotel is sold out when in fact the hotel is discounting rooms because of low booking rates!)

Leave your bags in the car.
Don't haul a huge piece of luggage into the lobby, and then tell the agent that you'd just as soon go elsewhere if they can't bring their rates down. You look tired, hassled, sick of lugging bags, and, to a shrewd hotel clerk, ready to pay handsomely to unpack that bag.

Be sure to get confirmation numbers.
For anything you do, whether booking or, especially, canceling a reservation, get a confirmation number. "If you must cancel your reservation, do so within the proper time allotment and get a cancellation number along with the name of the agent you spoke with. Record the information in case you are billed for a no-show reservation. If the agent does not offer a cancellation number, ask for it! Without a valid cancellation number most hotels will not issue a credit."

Keep an eye on your credit card statements.
Very often, buried in all that junk stuffed in with your credit card statement, are vouchers or guarantees for good hotel rates offered in conjunction with your credit card company. Typically, you have to request a specific rate code, included in the "literature," and reserve and pay for the room with the specific credit card (or one issued by the same bank or company).


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