Holidays & Travel

With the British summer as unpredictable as ever, here’s how you can bag a bargain holiday

HotelPlanner.com co-founder Tim Hentschel spills the secrets to grab yourself a value-for-money break.

Summer holiday concept
Hotel loyalty schemes are one way of saving money (Alamy/PA) Summer holiday concept (Alamy Stock Photo)
By Sarah Marshall, PA

With the British summer showing no signs of improvement, the race is on to find sunshine elsewhere. But don’t worry if you’ve still not booked anything – there’s still a chance to pick up a good deal with a bit of savvy planning. HotelPlanner.com CEO and co-founder Tim Hentschel shares his tips.

Pick your day to book

Tuesdays are usually a good day to pick up a good holiday deal – particularly if you can travel at the last minute. Most often, the pricing teams for hotels and tour operators meet on a Monday to review what’s sold well over the weekend. Then on Tuesday morning they’ll update their systems and websites with deals and offers to increase bookings to hotels and destinations where they have more availability. Booking on a Tuesday can drive savings of around 5-8% for international travel when compared to the higher price points later in the week.

Don’t fall into internet traps

One of the biggest mistakes consumers make is revisiting the website and searching for the same holiday and dates to check out the price. Each website has algorithms, so the more searches for specific dates or visits to a particular page, means the price may increase. Add the holiday you like to the favourites tab, which many booking platforms have to view later.

There’s still time to grab a bargain
There’s still time to grab a bargain (Alamy Stock Photo)

Be flexible

Travelling on a Tuesday through to Thursday is typically much cheaper than traveling over the weekend. Sign up for airline discount alerts for cities you want to visit on sites like SkyScanner or CheapFlights.com. If there is a discount rate that pops up within your budget, be prepared to book immediately.

Pick up the phone

All hotels are subject to the industry’s ‘rate parity’ protocol for published rates, but some Online Travel Agencies such as HotelPlanner can sometimes offer an unpublished discount rate, but only if you speak to a reservation agent by phone, where it’s considered a private, closed-sales environment. When you have more time to plan your trip, this can be considered the best option.

Sign up to loyalty schemes

If there is a particular hotel chain you enjoy staying in – sign up to their loyalty scheme as they upgrade repeat customers. Many credit card companies and supermarkets are also offering reward points for every pound you spend that can be put towards hotel stays.