Cheap Tickets, Cheap Hotels

Here's breaking news about cheap hotels. More tips here.

From the Associated Press:

Looking for a hotel bargain? Then check out CheapTickets.com�s ��Cheapometer,�� which offers month-by-month projections for when hotel rates will be cheapest in 2008 in popular destinations around the world. For example, hotels in Athens will be 68 percent cheaper in January than at its peak tourism period, the Web site said.

Other January bargains include Jackson Hole, Wyo., 64 percent cheaper than peak, and Paris, 48 percent cheaper. Hotels in California�s wine country in Napa and Sonoma are 47 percent cheaper in February than peak, CheapTickets said, and London is 35 percent cheaper in February.

Venice hotels are 55 percent cheaper in March than what you might pay other times of year, and Montreal is 40 percent cheaper that month. Hotels in Hawaii are 22 percent less expensive in May than in peak season, according to CheapTickets.

For Las Vegas, the best time of year for snagging a cheap hotel room is June, when prices are 26 percent lower than peak. And if you�re looking for cheap in Miami, Jamaica or Cancun, try September, when prices are around 50 percent what you might pay otherwise. The tradeoff: hot weather and the height of hurricane season.

CheapTickets calculated the differential by taking the average price of three-star hotels by month in each destination, and comparing the lowest monthly rate with the highest monthly rate over 12 months.

Sid Stetson writes:

Follow these tips to find cheap hotels:

1. Look online.

Travel sites compete for your business just like brick and mortar. See what cheap hotel deals they offer for the dates you are interested in traveling. These Web sites do a lot of the legwork for you. Also, take a gander at your favorite hotel chain Web sites. You may be able to discover promotional deals others don't have access to.

2. Go in the off-season.

The supply and demand for cheap hotels could be used to your benefit. Hotels set the higher room rates (and get it) when demand is high. But, when occupancy rates are low, prices drop to attract off-season business.

3. Book on weeknights.

Everyone wants cheap hotels on the weekends, so that's a much more difficult prospect. Hotels take advantage of high demand for rooms on the weekends in order to stay in business the rest of the week. The same room that costs $39 on weeknights will likely fetch $54 on the weekends.

4. Look for independently owned hotels.

Supporting a locally-owned hotel provides several travel advantages. The Shady Pine Hotel might not have a concierge or minibar, but the owner can tell you where to get the best steak in town, how to avoid traffic and where you can find cold medication at three in the morning.