Atlanta Motel

How To Get The Cheapest Hotel Room

When you get off the bus in the Andean Mountain resort town of Banos, Ecuador, you'll see several people quickly moving towards you. Some of them will be the actual owners of the hotels in town, and others are working on commission. They'll all claim to have the nicest and the cheapest hotel.

This onslaught of salesmen may annoy you at first, until you realize what it means. There are vacant rooms tonight, and there is real competition! They have tipped their hands, and you are in charge now. Let the contest begin!

When my wife and I were in Banos recently, we let an older woman drag us off from the bus station. She showed us two hotels she owned, and we preferred the second. We were told the room would be $12. It was clean, with cable T.V. and lots of hot water. We offered $6 per night, paying for four nights in advance. She agreed.

The lesson is clear if you want the cheapest hotel room: Negotiate! The owner knew we were ready to walk away, and that there were others waiting for our business. Unfortunately, most owners here in the U.S. would rather let you drive away than knock five bucks off the room rate. Even here, however, we have negotiated decent discounts by paying for several nights in advance. Of course we let them know that we'll be looking elsewhere if they say no.

The Cheapest Hotel Rooms - More Tips

You can use the travel web sites to find cheap hotel rooms, but remember that they only give you rates for the hotels and motels that are in their system. I just did a search for Tucson, Arizona, for example, on several sites. One or two of the sites found decent prices on certain hotels, but I know of several nice motels in Tucson that are $15 cheaper than the cheapest rate they found. Use the internet as a place to start, or when you can't get any other information.

Get coupon books at gas stations along the highways. We've often found good deals using these, and it's rare that a manager won't honor them. Usually only if they're absolutely full will they refuse. Read the fine print, however, because they often charge more for certain dates, or for two people.

There are promotions done where if you "mention this ad" or just use the right words, you get up to 70% discount. Talk, talk, talk. Tell them if you're a member of the AARP, AAA or whatever. Tell the person on the phone that you saw an ad in the "Times," or whatever big paper they might have advertised in.

Get the receptionist to help you. Try asking what the magic words are. Some receptionists will tell you. You might also ask "What do I have to say to get the cheapest rate?" They will sometimes tell you, or suggest other options. Ask about the hotel too, of course. You don't want ANY room. You want the cheapest hotel that has nice rooms.

Steve Gillman hit the road at sixteen, and traveled the U.S. and Mexico alone at 17. Now 42, he travels with his wife Ana, whom he met in Ecuador. For travel stories, tips and a free Travel Secrets e-book, visit: http://www.EverythingAboutTravel.com

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posted by hotel34343248565 @ 3:04 PM 0 comments

Saving money on your mortgage

Shopping around for mortgages is so popular these days that many people can be excused for thinking that switching lenders is the only way to save money on your home loan. But there is a much easier way that does not require phone calls, computers connected to the internet, or trips to your bank or building society.

Did you know, for instance, that making overpayments on your mortgage can slash thousands of pounds off your interest bill? Additionally, it will cut the length of time taken to repay your home loan so you get to own your home sooner.

Imagine, say, that you have a 100,000 repayment mortgage, with a 25-year term and an interest rate of 6%. Your monthly payments will be 644, and after 25 years you will have paid back a total of 193,290. In other words you will have paid back 1.93 for every pound borrowed.

If, however, you were to overpay your mortgage by just 50 each month, your total payment would be reduced to 177,279 -- a saving of over sixteen grand in interest. Furthermore, this overpayment shortens the length of the mortgage by 45 months, which means almost four extra years of bliss.

Its is worth being prudent though and ensuring that your will not be penalised by your lender for changing your standing order or making overpayment. In the main, most flexible mortgage lenders will allow you to make overpayments of up to 10% each year. But if your lender doesn't allow this, you have another trick up your sleeve!

Lessening the term of your mortgage from 25 years to 21 years would increase your payments in exactly the same way as overpaying by 50 each month. Mind you, this is a much harsher way to do it because payments are fixed. However, it doesn't prevent you from increasing your term again, should you need to, by simply writing to your provider.

At the end of the day, paying off your mortgage early is simply the best and least risky ways of saving money. By making overpayments to your mortgage of around 6%, your money would be working harder than if you had invested it into a savings account with 7% earnings.5% for a basic-rate taxpayer. For a higher-rate taxpayer, this risk-free and tax-free rate is equivalent to 10%, which is practically unbeatable!

Many people forget that even though we sign up for a 25-year mortgage term there is no earthly reason why we have to stick to this. If you have any extra cash each month, using it against your mortgage can make a huge difference and it can save you thousands of pounds in interest each year.

Good luck on removing that mortgage millstone from around your neck!

Peter Spyr

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posted by hotel34343248565 @ 11:53 PM 0 comments