Finding a nice hotel room at a rate rate can take some work. Visiting websites, name-your-own-price programs and apps can help.
Hotel rates are creeping up with the average rate for a room expected to hit $100 this year, according to Consumer Reports.
A good place to start looking for a deal is hotels' own websites, according to Consumer Reports' Tod Marks.
"Hotels have taken back the night by imposing beset-rate guarantees," he said. "That is, find an advertised price lower anywhere else and we'll match it plus give you a bonus."
Marks' advice is to go ahead and book at the hotel site, but keep looking online for a cheaper rate. If you find it, contact the hotel.
Rock-bottom prices can be found at Hotwire, Priceline's Name Your Own Price program or Travelocity's Top Secret Hotels. The catch is they don't reveal the name of the hotel until after you've committed.
However, it can lead to big bargains. Marks said he booked a room that turned out to be a high-end luxury hotel in Chicago. He paid $133 per night, compared to the adverrtised $234.
If you can't plan ahead and need to book a room for that night, a free app called Hotel Tonight can help. It shows last-minute deals on hotels in some 30 cities.
As for budget hotels, not all are bargains. A Consumer Reports' survey of almost 23-thousand subscribers found Americas Best Value Inn among the worst.
Top ratings in the survey went to Microtel Inn and Suites, where rooms can go for a low as $59.