How to Save on Hotels in Europe
Whether you’re planning to travel for two days or 20 days, where you stay can have a big impact on both your budget and your trip experience. We’ve spent the past 14 years hunting down the best hotel values in Europe’s priciest cities. While we’ve seen some big changes, good and bad, over the years (hello, free Wi-Fi!), there are certain bits of “Cheapo advice” that remain the same today as in 2001.
Here are some tips for booking the right hotels for your trip.
Don’t panic–you can afford to stay anywhere.
High-season rates in particularly expensive destinations (London, Venice, Switzerland) can cause great anxiety and all-out panic. Remain calm and remember that when doing hotel searches on most websites (although not on EuroCheapo, naturally!), they usually rank the hotel results to show you what they want you to book first. (These are often the hotels that are paying them the highest commission.)
So don’t just stare at those first results and quickly assume that the city’s going to be too expensive for you to visit. It might take a little digging and further research (using tips on this page and throughout EuroCheapo), but chances are you’ll be able to find a great little hotel, B&B, or hostel in town for your budget.
Think about location before price.
On the other extreme, we often hear from travelers who do a hotel search, and then book the cheapest hotel they can find, only to realize it’s located far outside the center (or in a neighboring town!), and isn’t easily accessible to areas they want to visit. This can cause an undue expenditure of both time and money, not to mention often a crummy hotel experience. Fortunately, this can be avoided with advance planning. Consider paying just a bit more for something more central or closer to public transportation.
Be flexible with your travel schedule.
If you plan to visit nearby destinations during your trip, flexibility with your itinerary can help save money. For example, if you’re visiting neighboring Brussels and Bruges, you’ll quickly find that hotel rates in Brussels are lower on the weekends (because there are fewer business travelers). Thus, why not visit Bruges from Wednesday to Friday and Brussels on Saturday and Sunday?
Check out hotel rates when building your trip itinerary, and you’ll be able to see some of these
Try to avoid school holidays when choosing travel dates.
Having a sense of local travel patterns is a smart way of seeing Europe at its best while trimming costs. For example, beware of the last week of October and first week in November, when two-thirds of schoolchildren in the European Union have a fall break, and many of them hit the road.
Shop around for your hotel rates.
Once you’ve narrowed your list down to a handful of hotels that look good, always compare rates across several reservation websites. Hotel owners frequently use more than one reservation agency to manage their bookings, but can charge different room rates depending on the commercial terms of their contracts. So shop around, Cheapos, and compare prices to make sure you’re getting the best deal. (Luckily, when you search on EuroCheapo, we compare rates from around the web for you. Done!)
Consider which amenities you really need, and skip the ones that are just nice to have.
When is the last time you had a truly delicious breakfast at a hotel? While they do exist, if it isn’t included in your room rate, we’d recommend skipping it altogether and starting your day at the cute café down the street. It’ll be cheaper. Also, think about the room amenities that you really need to enjoy your visit. Is a satellite TV a necessity? Do you need air conditioning in Vienna in early June? The difference between a one-star and a three-star hotel might be more noticeable in your wallet than in your room.
Don’t forget about hostels.
Consider booking a private room in a youth hostel to save money. Most hostels offer both private and dorm-style rooms, and many have gone to great lengths to shed their image as a lair exclusively for round-the-world backpackers (not that there’s anything at all wrong with RTW backpacking, of course).
Think about apartments
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More stars do not always make a better hotel.
You can be certain that a four-star hotel offers elevators, room service, private baths, cable TV, Internet, air conditioning and so forth. But it doesn’t say anything about the room décor, the hotel’s location or the helpfulness of the staff. A four-star hotel may actually be far less charming than a two-star hotel.
We’ve visited many hotels that are stuck, for reasons outside their control, with a low star rating. A two-star hotel located in a historic neighborhood in Paris, for example, will probably have restrictions placed upon its ability to do renovations. This might make adding an elevator impossible, which would prevent the hotel from achieving three-star status, no matter how lovely the rooms or how cordial the management.
Also, note that one-star hotels will often offer things for free (like Internet access) that four-star hotels tend to charge for.
Be clear when making your hotel reservation.
What exactly are you looking for in a room? Do you prefer one on a high floor overlooking the street? Do you like lower floors with windows opening to the courtyard? Do you want a room with a balcony? Do you need a bathtub instead of a shower?
Mention these preferences in your correspondence with the hotel when reserving (but keep in mind that you’re requesting them, not demanding them). Your requests will almost always be considered.
Show up to your hotel early.
Although rooms are usually assigned in advance, there’s often a bit of juggling that goes on during the check-in process. Maybe another guest checked in and had an issue with the room. (For example, perhaps two friends had been given a double instead of a twin room. It happens all the time.) Check-in is never flawless, and problems surface. People switch rooms. Get to the hotel as early as possible to minimize your chances of falling into the last place of a chain reaction.
Arriving early? Don’t necessarily take the only room available.
Your flight arrives early in the morning and you get to the hotel before check in begins. You’re tired and want to rest up. The room you were originally assigned hasn’t yet been cleaned, but there is one room available that you could move into now. Beware of that free room! Ask if it’s the same size and about any other preferences you may have. It could very well be the dreaded “worst room in the hotel” (or it could be perfectly fine). You might be better off leaving your luggage and coming back later to a better room, even if you are a bit tired.
Come back early enough to inspect your hotel room.
Say you’ve arrived early, checked in, left your luggage in a luggage room, and hit the town. Now what? We’d recommend, if possible, returning to the hotel early in the afternoon to move into your room. (This isn’t just about making sure your room is adequate. It’s also about leaving your possessions in a luggage room that’s shared by countless others.)
If the room isn’t satisfactory—act quickly.
Upon entering the room, look around. Does it work? Be fair. Remember that most European hotel rooms (and especially bathrooms) are small. However, if the room doesn’t work for you and you get the impression that a better room may be available, act quickly.
Very important: Do not open your luggage, flop onto the bed, or (especially) use the bathroom. If, for some reason, you want to change rooms, you’ll need to act quickly, without disrupting anything. In many small hotels, after all, the cleaning staff leaves during the afternoon. In the case of a “sold out” hotel, you will only be able to swap rooms if you haven’t touched anything.
If asking for another room, be nice and offer a good explanation.
This is rather obvious, but if you return right away to the reception and ask to switch rooms, be as courteous as possible. The receptionist, after all, has all the power in this situation.
Explain why you’d like to switch rooms. Had you requested something else when reserving? Are you afraid of bathtubs and need a shower? Do you prefer a quieter room on the courtyard? Offer some sort of explanation—and smile.
Regardless of the outcome, thank the receptionist.
Perhaps the receptionist will bump some things around and offer you another room in the house. Or, perhaps he’ll sigh and apologize, and you’ll be stuck with your room. Either way, you’ll be seeing that person for the rest of your stay, so be nice and thank him for his effort.
Stuck? Offer to switch the next day.
If you’re stuck in your room and staying for multiple nights, ask if it might be possible to switch rooms the next day. This often works, although it requires that you re-pack your bags after your first night. (Often the cleaning staff will move your luggage to the new room for you. Thank them with a tip upon departure.)
Next: How to find cheap airfare to Europe
About the author
About the author: Tom Meyers created and launched EuroCheapo from his Berlin apartment in 2001. He returned to New York in 2002, set up office, and has led the EuroCheapo team from the Big Apple ever since. He travels to Europe several times a year to update EuroCheapo's hotel reviews. Tom is also a co-host of the New York City history podcast, The Bowery Boys. Email Tom. [Find Tom on Google Plus]
