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There are at least two strategies for shopping trips to smaller cities. One is to shop the hotel special promotions. First, establish baseline prices using a standard search engine. Then, look for promotions, which are becoming more plentiful as business travel decreases. Many business-class hotel chains are offering attractive deals aimed at holiday shoppers.

The other plan of attack is to bid for a room in the area of interest without knowing the precise property.


It can be risky, but the savings totals are greater with this opaque pricing approach.

Hotel Chain Offers

This is not an exhaustive list of every chain that offers holiday rates. It is a cross-section of what is available. Consult your favorite hotel's Web site, and shop around extensively. The offers will appear, because this is a lucrative segment of the overall holiday travel market.

Marriott Hotel Deals during the holidays include meals and special rates organized by destination.

Check for hotels near your intended destination. Chances are you'll find someone catering to the shopping crowds from out-of-town.

Bid for a Bargain

Priceline carves up most cities of any size into zones. You bid on a zone and a level of quality (one to five stars), with free rebids if you'll change either variable.

Don't shy away from the downtown zones in your strategy. Again, they will be trying to fill rooms business travelers once frequented. Consult BidForTravel.com to see what other bidders have landed in each city.

Hotwire.com gives you city-by-city choices for low-cost car rental, hotel and airfare. Many of the choices are for cities like Atlanta, where four-star downtown rooms are $73 USD, other locations as low as $49. Remember that Hotwire shows you the price, but not the details of your purchase until after the transaction is completed.