Guess what happens? Hotels first inflate their normal rates, then turn around and ?œslash??those prices in order to offer a room at ??0% off!!!??But nobody would have ever paid that ?œnormal??price! It?™s a hoax, yet that hotel is placed at the top of the list.

When you see claims of deep discounts, shop around and see what the reasonable going rate is for the type of hotel you?™re looking for and compare.

Tip #3: Unchain yourself!

By search around for smaller, independent hotels, you?™ll often come across more interesting, better located, and cheaper hotels!

Big reservation websites often prefer to deal with huge chains, as they?™re easier to sign up and manage. If you only search on the big sites, you won?™t even know the smaller hotels exist!

In many old European cities, strict zoning laws forbid modern construction in their historical centers. Because of this, huge chain hotels (that aren?™t luxury) tend to be on the edges of town, while many cheaper small hotels are located in old buildings right in the middle of the action.

Spend time hunting around for the independent hotels out there! Smaller, European-focused websites like Venere.com, Booking.com, and EuroCheapo.com (which I edit), list smaller, non-chain, and family-run hotels.

Tip #4: Double check that hotel rate!

Call the hotel to verify prices before you book online, as you might find a cheaper rate.

Reservation websites charge the hotel a commission for bookings. To cover this, many hotels tack an extra charge onto their ?œonline??room rate, thus inflating the price.

Try to find the hotel?™s phone number and double check the prices! This can be quite difficult, as most websites won?™t provide you with the hotel?™s phone number. After all, they want you to book through them!