The tips under “Booking Your Vacation Online” in Chapter 2 will help you reduce your hotel costs, but these ideas may also help:

• Big hotel chains frequently offer the best rates for people who reserve directly through their Web site.

• For small hotel chains and independent hotels, you may do better using one of the Web sites listed in Chapter 2.

• Don't forget to check for AAA, AARP, corporate, military, senior citizen, or other discounts.

• It never hurts to call the hotel directly, which actually delivers the lowest published rate almost half the time.

• Auction sites such as Priceline.com or hidden seller sites such as Hotwire.com often deliver the lowest rates, but be sure you understand how they work and their limitations.

• Compare all the costs. Free breakfast or free Internet access (if you need it) makes a hotel a better deal, but parking fees and resort fees effectively raise your daily rate.

• Don't forget to consider total cost. Saving $20 a night at a hotel so far away from the park that you have to rent a car and drive there may not seem like such a bargain when you consider the car rental, gasoline, parking fees, and traffic.

As a final cost-saving check, call your hotel on the day you plan to arrive and ask if they have lowered their rates. It happens more often than you might think.