How To Find Cheap Hotels For A Budget Holiday

Whether you’re planning a short but sweet city break or a two week all inclusive getaway, finding a hotel that fits within your budget is always at the top of any holiday to-do list. 

Now more than ever, Brits are looking for ways to cut costs - so here’s how to find cheap hotels without sacrificing on quality… 

How to find cheap hotels 

1. Hotel discounts

First and foremost, the easiest and quickest way to reduce the cost of your hotel is by using a discount code - which just so happens to be our area of expertise! 

Whether you’re a student, apprentice or professional, you can make the most of TOTUM’s travel discounts on everything from flights to accommodation, meaning you can book a hotel for a fraction of the usual price. 

Boasting a variety of discounts with the likes of Hotels.com, Expedia, Travelodge and more, you’ll find a cheap hotel in no time…

Some of our best current offers on hotels include:

• 10% off + flexible cancellations at Hotels.com

• 10% off hotels at Expedia

• Save 15% or more on getaway deals at Booking.com

• Get amazing value rooms at Travelodge

2. Book directly with the hotel 

Did you know that it can often work out cheaper to book a hotel directly rather than through a comparison site?

Whilst this isn’t always the case, it’s definitely worth checking out the price on the hotel’s own website before booking elsewhere. 

If the cost does happen to be higher when trying to book directly, you could always try contacting the hotel to see if they will price match with the comparison site and throw in some extra freebies. 

After all, hotels usually prefer for guests to book directly through them so they’re highly likely to offer you a reduced price or some extra additions that you’d miss out on otherwise. 

3. Check out hotel comparison websites

On the other hand, comparison sites can be a great way to secure a cheap deal - especially if they’re running their own promotions. 

Trivago, Skyscanner and KAYAK collate the best hotel offers from booking channels such as Booking.com and Hotels.com, making it easier than ever for you to find the cheapest hotels for your selected travel dates. 

With comparison websites, you can also filter hotels by their cancellation policy, finding hotels with flexible cancellations which could save you even more money in the long run (see our Rebooking tip next for more on this!)

4. Rebook when the price of the hotel drops 

If you’re wondering how a hotel’s free cancellation policy can help you to save money, allow us to explain! 

Not only is a flexible booking a great way to avoid losing your money in the case of an emergency, it’s also a very clever way to potentially save if the cost of the hotel drops nearer to the time of your stay. 

Basically, if you book a hotel with a free cancellation policy that allows you to cancel and rebook free of charge up until a certain date, you can keep an eye out to see if the cost of your hotel room drops before this free cancellation cut-off point and cancel your original booking before rebooking at the lower price! 

5. Look out for package flight and hotel deals 

Oftentimes, package deals can help you to find cheap hotels as they can work out cheaper than booking everything separately - and it can save you a lot of time in the process! 

As a TOTUM member, you’ll find plenty of fantastic holiday package deals, including: 

• £35 off holidays with Travel Republic

• £30 off holidays (minimum spend £150) with Lastminute.com

• Save up to £300 per couple on holidays to Kefalonia with First Choice

6. Check Airbnb for cheaper accommodation offers

If you’re not 100% set on staying in a hotel and you're open to other types of accommodation, it may be worth checking out the likes of Airbnb, particularly if you’re booking accommodation for a group of people. 

Villas and apartments can work out cheaper for larger groups than hotels, even if this does mean going completely down the self-catering route!

Save money on all of your holiday essentials with TOTUM

Now that you know how to find cheap hotels for your budget-friendly holiday, you can also make huge savings on all of your holiday essentials - from toiletries and car rentals to swimwear and holiday clothes.

Check out some of our top discounts that can help you to save on your next trip:

• Get 10% off at Boots with a Boots Advantage Card

• Get up to 30% off at Holiday Extras

• Enjoy 10% off at ASOS

• Get 20% off at Ray-Ban

Take a look at our other holiday guides for more tips and tricks to save money:

• HOW TO GET CHEAP FLIGHTS

• TOTUM'S BEST TRAVEL DEALS FOR 2023

• TOP EIGHT CHEAP EUROPEAN CITY BREAKS FOR 2023

Join TOTUM Student for FREE to access hundreds of student discounts on big-name brands like ASOS, Apple, Myprotein, boohoo, Samsung, and more!

Sign up for FREE, download the TOTUM app, and enjoy the latest offers, vouchers, coupons and more at your fingertips. Find out more here or download the app for Apple or Android to get started today.