Boston Discount Hotels and Deals

How to find the cheapest Boston hotels

Want to find the best Boston discount hotels, specials, and deals?  Here are 2 excellent on-line tools for finding the best hotel rates with a minimum of effort.  

Like most big cities, Boston has more than its share of expensive hotels.  But even the best hotels in Boston offer discounts at certain times of the week or year. 

At other top Boston hotels, you'll find great values on special hotel packages such as complementary meals, tickets, and services.

Here are the 2 tools that I recommend (based on my own experiences in using them when traveling to other places) when people ask about how to find the best Boston discount hotels, special packages, and last minute deals:

1.  Compare Boston hotel rates from different booking services to find out what hotel specials and hotel packages they offer

An excellent on-line tool for finding the cheapest hotel rates is HotelsCombined.  It searches 30+ of the biggest booking sites on the Internet such as Travelocity, Priceline, Expedia, and Hotels.com plus hotel groups.  HotelsCombined shows you all the prices that they find. 

Try it out . . .

• Enter your dates
• Click Go 
• A new window opens with all the cheapest rates for each Boston hotel

I used to just click through to the cheapest 2 or 3 rates - but then I discovered that if you also look at more expensive rates, this is where you can find some of the best Boston hotel specials. 

Sometimes, a slightly higher rates are for discount Boston hotel packages such as a "Spa Weekend rate" or special deals such as a free bottle of wine and movie tickets.  My best find ever was for a $50 American Express voucher (which we applied to the hotel bill) plus free breakfast for 4.  Some of the best Boston hotel packages include things like tickets for Fenway Park tours, museums, or the aquarium. 

Once you find a deal you like, you can lock in the rate while it is still available.  (I've learned the hard way not to wait - some of these deals seem not to last long!)

A special deal can always be uncovered somewhere!  And this tool finds it for you.

2.  For last minute reservations, try Hotwire

You've probably heard of Hotwire - the booking service that offers "4 star hotels for 2-star prices."   The way it works is that when hotels have rooms still available near the booking date, they let Hotwire book them.  

What this means for you is that you can typically get Boston discount hotel deals of up to 55% off.  Now that's a great deal! 

The catch?  Hotwire doesn't tell you the name of the hotel until after you've booked the reservation.  But for Boston hotels, that's not usually a problem because they tell you everything else - exact location, amenities, how many stars.  They even show you a map so that you know where you'll be. 

All you do is enter "Boston" and your dates.  Then you choose which hotel deal you want to book. 

Compare what you find at Hotwire with deals and specials through HotelsCombined, and go with the best! 

You'll normally find the best Hotwire deals on Boston discount hotels close to the last minute - but don't wait too late, or they'll be gone. 

Hotwire is also not the best option when every room in town is booked due to events such as the Boston Marathon or college graduations from mid-May to early June.

If you need plane reservations or a rental car, Hotwire has great deals on those, too.

One last tip for finding cheap hotels, discounts, deals

Check rates for an inexpensive hotel.

Boston has a few true "discount" hotels in even the best neighborhoods - inexpensive hotels with rates lower than nearby competitors. 

Why?  Reasons vary . . . maybe part of the hotel is being renovated, or some rooms are small, or the hotel doesn't have an on-site restaurant (not a problem with so many Boston restaurants to choose from).  Other hotels opt for simple decor so that they can offer an attractive rate.  To find them, check out my tips for where to find inexpensive Boston hotels.