Changing Hotel Locations Can Help You Save

Don Nadeau, the president of BidonTravel.com, oftenbefore heading over the Golden Gate Bridge.
discusses how to bid on Priceline hotels, but here heThat night, you could even end up dining at one of the
talks about location as another powerful way to savemany fabulous San Francisco restaurants using money
on hotel rooms.you'd saved on hotels! You'd be staying in San
When you're planning to spend some time in or near aFrancisco two nights.
place like Boston, Zurich, London, or San Francisco, youAfter your last night in San Francisco, you wouldn't
can save by not staying in the same hotel every night.need to head out right away. You could still spend
And, even if you're just spending a couple of nights,most of the day exploring the city.
you can sometimes save as much as 50 - 70% byThen, timing your drive before or after any rush hour
choosing the right hotel location, as explained below.traffic, you could take scenic southbound Interstate
Let's say you're a couple planning a trip to the San280, which runs in a greenbelt along a ridge, giving you
Francisco Bay Area for a special occasion.views of San Francisco Bay. Near San Jose, you'd
You would like to spend the week:switch to State Highway 85 and then U.S. 101, and
- visiting wineries,continue toward Carmel and Monterey.
- hiking in Point Reyes National Seashore and MuirIn the Carmel and Monterey area, you would have a
Woods,choice:
- exploring Big Sur, Carmel and Monterey, andYou could either use some of your hotel savings to
- experiencing the highlights of San Francisco.stay in a fantastically romantic place, such as the
It would be simple for you to book seven nights in aTickle Pink Inn along the shore, or continue to save by
San Francisco hotel. After all, you would be within anbooking a quality place inland.
easy day's drive of everything you want to see.For the latter, the ultimate hotel money saver in the
However, seven nights in a San Francisco hotel wouldCarmel and Monterey area is the nearby town of
be expensive-and even more so as you probablySalinas.
want an especially nice place for this trip. And, on topThe Grapes of Wrath no longer haunt John
of that, you would have to pay about $30 - 45 a daySteinbeck's Salinas. It's become a pleasant
for parking in a safe area.working-class town with a center city that people
Instead, why not spend the first three nights closer toenjoy in the evening.
the Wine Country and the national seashore?Salinas puts you a mere 25 minutes from Carmel, but
You could book a very nice resort-style hotel in orin a different price range altogether.
near Santa Rosa for a fraction of the cost of a similarSo, what have you done here? You've had three
hotel in San Francisco.nights in Santa Rosa, two in San Francisco, and two in
You would end up really close to many of the finestthe Monterey area.
Napa Valley wineries, the Calistoga hot springs spas,Not only have you saved a lot on hotels-even if you
and even the exceptional restaurant of the Culinarysplurged in Carmel-you've also saved a lot of time
Institute of America. Moreover, you'd be just a fewcommuting from a San Francisco hotel. This is time
minutes from beautiful Point Reyes National Seashore.you've been able to use visiting fun and memorable
Then, after your last night in Santa Rosa, you couldplaces, rather than on the road.
enjoy a scenic drive along the Marin County coastlineWhen saving money helps you have a better vacation,
toward San Francisco, with stops in charming Sausalitoyou have travel savings at its finest.
and the redwoods of Muir Woods National Monument