Fun Stuff, Life, Technology

HotelTonight Review | Redneck Travel Tips

HotelTonight Screen Shot
HotelTonight Screen Shot

Do you ever take a last minute trip and want a good deal on a hotel room?  If so, then you want to download the Android or iOS app HotelTonight.  HotelTonight has created a marketplace for hotels to sell any rooms that haven’t sold for that night.

The hotels that participate in HotelTonight are vetted by the service to make sure that you get a good room for your money.  They focus on 3 star and above rooms, so don’t go looking for Motel 6 type of rates, but occasionally you will find that type of deal, especially in Las Vegas!  Hotel rooms become available at 12 noon, local time, which if you’re flying to NYC for the night, you can book your room before you leave on your flight.

Most hotels only allow you to book at the rate for 1 night, but you can sometimes find them that will allow you to book for up to 4 nights in a row.  If they don’t let you book multiple nights in the app and you need a room for more than one night, try to negotiate with the hotel manager when you arrive.  I say manager because the front desk person doesn’t always have the power to make it happen.  If you’re still unable to get them to negotiate for a second night, another trick is to ask for a late checkout, preferably 1pm, and then see if the hotel is available on HotelTonight before you check out.  If it is, book it, and then go downstairs and ask for your same room.  A good negotiation point on that is that you can let them know that housekeeping can skip your room as you already have enough fresh towels.

One great use for HotelTonight is when you decide to go out to the bars and end up drinking too much.

Another cool thing about HotelTonight is that they give you a $15% credit of any purchase toward a future purpose, and you can stock up your credits for free rooms.  This is awesome if your booking rooms for business and then save your credits for your personal time.  For example, if you spend $200 on a room, you will get $30 in credit toward a future purchase.  Book just a few times and you’ll easily accumulate enough credits for a free room!

I have used the service in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas and I’ve had nothing but a great experience.

If you’re an avid traveler, don’t forget to check out my posts on the Anker Travel Charger and Waze GPS Navigation.

Have you used HotelTonight?  If so, share your experience below.