UK hotels

Do your homework first to pick the right hotel

Whether you're visiting the Big Smoke or staycationing in the countryside, the first thing to do is decide where you want to stay. You might already have a particular hotel in mind, but if not, it's important to do your homework.

When doing your research, it's worth bearing the following in mind:

• Don't trust the star system. Star ratings are determined by amenities, not quality – a 5* rating is often based on a pool, swanky reception and conference facilities, not how nice the place is.
  

  Stars may be given by reviewers, independent bodies or even the hotel itself, so treat them with a pinch of salt. If you really want to check the number of stars, look across a few sites, including the AA's Rated Trips and Visit Britain.

• Check TripAdvisor for what others have said. A worldwide institution, TripAdvisor lists detailed reviews and customer ratings for hotels (as well as other types of accommodation) across the UK.

  Generally, the reviews are from past guests and as well as giving objective feedback, they can be a useful source of insider info, eg, telling you the best room to stay in. However, always remember anyone can pen a review. Some hoteliers sign up and post glowing reports of their own hotels.

See MSE Jenny's blog Free tool to help detect 'fake' Amazon and TripAdvisor reviews for one way to spot them.

Once you've settled on a hotel, check the price if you were to book it directly – this is a good starting point if you want to haggle later on too. It also means you'll spot if there are any special deals on currently for direct bookings. And then...

Always check a comparison site to see if you can find the same room for less

Hotel prices vary massively, but thanks to comparison sites, you can easily find the best price for your chosen hotel.

It's not an exact science, and the price you're offered can vary depending on the comparison site you're checking on, so ideally search all three big ones.

Below is our suggested order, though as prices are much of a muchness and change day-to-day, we've based it on the features each offer, as well as which found the cheapest price in our quick tests.

• Skyscanner* - Best known for flight comparisons, Skyscanner is also a strong hotel comparisons tool. In our quick tests it found the cheapest price 3/5 times. It has all the standard filters, such as price, star rating etc. Plus you can filter by meal plan and cancellation policy.
  

• Kayak* - As well as the standard filters (price, amenities etc), it lets you filter by ambience (eg, 'trendy', 'family', 'eco-friendly') and freebies provided (eg, breakfast, parking, airport shuttle).

• TripAdvisor - Popular review site, which provides hotel price comparisons as well as detailed customer reviews. You can filter and rank hotels by traveller rating.

It's also worth checking HotelsCombined*, TravelSupermarket* and Trivago* for full breadth. And while they're not comparison sites, Booking.com and Hotels.com* can give extra discounts, free stays and member-only prices.

Ex-MSE Jordon saved £24 on his booking by going via comparison sites:

Found a hotel on a comparison site? Call 'em up to see if you can bag a better price booking directly

Hotels listed on comparison sites have to give the comparison site some of their profit when you book, so they get a smaller share. So, if you find a hotel you like, try giving it a call directly. It may offer you a better deal because it can take the full profit it makes from your booking, then pass some of it back to you as a discount.

You may need to haggle a little – see our haggling tips to help – but you've nothing to lose. The worst they can say is no, leaving you to book via the comparison site which gave you your original price.

This works better with smaller chains or independent hotels or B&Bs, but also look out for 'booking direct price guarantees' with bigger chains, eg, Hilton.

Use cashback sites to earn up to 11% back on hotels

Cashback websites pay you when you click through them to go to retailers or product providers and spend. In essence, you can get paid for nothing more than an extra click before you get to where you want.

You can use these sites to shave £100s off the cost of a hotel, if you're away for a while. While rates vary, Topcashback* and Quidco* – the two biggest cashback sites in the UK – pay up to 11% when you book hotels through some sites. When we checked on Friday 16 May, the following cashback on hotels was available:

• Hotels.com: up to 11% (Topcashback), up to 10% (Quidco)

• Expedia: up to 10% (Topcashback), up to 10% (Quidco)

• Lastminute.com: up to 9% (Topcashback), up to 8% (Quidco)

Of course, we're not saying book via a certain site because the cashback is high – always do a comparison and ensure you can't get a cheaper price overall elsewhere. And remember, too, cashback's not guaranteed, so think of it as a bonus – see our Top cashback sites guide for more info.

Uncover huge savings on secret rooms if you're willing to play detective

With a bit of detective work, mega hotel bargains are available from secret hotel sites. Here, you're only told a star level and rough location – only once you've paid do you find out the hotel's name. This means rock-bottom prices, as hotels needn't worry about losing trade from those who go to them directly.

You can never be 100% sure which hotel it is before booking, so these sites are not for those desperate to stay at a particular place. But there are usually sneaky ways to discover the hotels' identities to see if it's worth it.

One of the biggest sites for this in the UK is Lastminute.com* – it also offers similar deals on hotels overseas. For a full how-to and more details, see the Secret hotels guide.

Sunday's the best day to snap up a bargain

The traditional day of rest is hotels' quietest booking day, so you're more likely to pay less to stay on a Sunday. Also look out for Sunday special offers such as three-for-two nights or free bottles of champers.

Forumites such as Eileen have saved by booking a Sunday night stay:

No-frills UK hotels from just £30 a night

As long as you've not got an aversion to orange, Easyhotels is another option. It has pads in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and elsewhere.

Normally simple rooms start at £30ish a night, if you sign up to its free membership scheme. But we've occasionally seen it offer cheaper deals in the past. And the earlier you book, the better the chance of a lower price.

Got free cancellation? Cancel and re-book if you see it cheaper

Some hotel sites allow you free cancellation up to a certain date – usually no less than 24 hours before you're due to stay. So if you see the price fall, take advantage – cancel your original booking and re-book at the cheaper price. Sometimes you can even do this with the same site you originally booked with.

For some, you do have to pay in full at the time of booking, even if you're able to cancel penalty-free. In that case you'll need to factor in whether you have the funds available to cancel and re-book, bearing in mind that the refund from the original more expensive booking may take a couple of days to come through.

Hotels.com*, Booking.com and a host of others have free cancellation options, as do some hotels if you book directly with them – just be sure to check the terms and conditions of your booking. See our Cheap hotels guide for more. 

Bag luxurious UK bargains by signing up to short-term sales sites

Sites such as Secret Escapes offer big discounts on luxury hotels worldwide, plus often throw in other treats like afternoon tea, dinner and bottles of prosecco on arrival. It's free to sign up – you just need to log in to see what's available.

There's also Travelzoo*, but it's no longer free – membership's now £30/year. Browse its deals to work out if there's one worth shelling out membership for.

Hotel companies and travel brokers also often offer short-term sales for 24 or 48 hours and are worth looking at. However, as always, do your own research to see whether you're really getting a great deal, or if you can beat it elsewhere.

Monitor the latest hotel deals

This guide helps you cut the cost of UK hotels (see our Cheap hotels guide for worldwide tips), but it's always worth looking out for sales and special one-off promotions which can save you a packet. Offers can include free night stays, or a limited number of rooms available at a heavily reduced rate.

Keep your eyes peeled for discounts and deals on our Hotel deals page.

Slash the cost of city-centre stays by finding university digs outside term time

Always thought you could've got into Oxford or Cambridge University? Well, now you can. The fab site University Rooms rents halls-of-residence rooms left empty during the holidays in a host of UK cities, including London, Oxford and Cambridge, plus a few worldwide. It's possible to find rooms for as much as 50% less than hotel rooms in the same area.

While it's not the Ritz, many MoneySavers have been pleasantly surprised. It can be a surprisingly cost-effective way of staying very centrally, and the surroundings at Oxford and Cambridge colleges in particular can be stunning. The website Travelstay also lists cheap university rooms across the UK.

Examples of places you could stay include UCL halls in Camden, London, Edinburgh University halls and Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge.

If you went to a UK university, it's also worth contacting it directly to see if there's an alumni discount for staying on campus (or in any other of its official uni lodgings).

MSE Laura F was able to spend four nights on the campus of her alma mater, Royal Holloway University (pictured below), using a 10% alumni discount.

Scout around for special opening rates

New hotels often offer special rates to drum up custom, sometimes giving you 50% off or even complimentary stays. New hotel openings are listed in industry publications such as Hotel News Resource and Hotel Designs.

You can also pick up this information by scanning social media sites and keeping an eye on local newspapers. It's also worth calling a hotel directly to ask about special rates (a bit of sweet talk goes a long way).

Use Tesco points to knock £100s off big chains' rack rates

Regular Tesco shoppers who have collected Tesco Clubcard points can trade them in for Rewards Vouchers*, which can be spent at Hotels.com and hotel chains such as Best Western, Butlins and Mercure.

The big advantage is that Clubcard points are worth 1p in store, but their value can be doubled when converted to 'Rewards'. (Previously you could triple their value, but this dropped to double in 2023.)

The snag is hotels usually only let you use vouchers against their rack rates (ie, normal prices), which can be much higher than the cheapest internet ones. Before exchanging Clubcard vouchers, check the price on comparison sites first to work out the real size of your saving. You may get better value for your vouchers elsewhere. 

For more on maxing Tesco vouchers' value, read our Boost Tesco points guide.

Sign up to loyalty schemes for mates' rates

Many hotel chains have free-to-join loyalty schemes, such as Best Western Rewards, Hilton Honors, Intercontinental Hotels Group Rewards Club*, World of Hyatt and Marriott Rewards. 

They're worth joining, not so much for the free stays, which can take ages to clock up, but for the special offers they send members. Extra benefits, such as free room upgrades, early check-in, a free newspaper and a discount on hotel restaurants, are often included.

Plus if you call the hotel and ask for a discount or an upgrade when you check in, you're more likely to get one as a 'preferred guest'.

Then there are free loyalty programmes that span multiple hotels. Accor Live Limitless gets you discounts and earns you points when you stay at its partners, including Ibis, Mercure Hotels and Novotel.

Many hostels are just dirt-cheap, not dirty – stay in a castle from £15/night

Hostels can offer massive savings over hotel prices. While a few may be dodgy, many are clean with friendly staff, and have free internet access and breakfast.

You're also more likely to strike up a conversation in a hostel than a Hilton. And don't automatically think dorm bunk either – many offer singles, twins and doubles.

To check prices and availability, try the Youth Hostels Association* (YHA) and Hostelling Scotland. Both boast some pretty special properties including fabulous shooting lodges and Victorian mansions such as Ilam Hall in Derbyshire.

If you've never stayed in a hostel before, there's a handy list of Q&As on the YHA website which covers everything from whether you need to bring your own bedding to how you can keep your belongings safe.

Don't forget to check if you can go through a cashback site for any of the above.

MoneySavers' top UK hostels

Many MoneySavers in our forum rave about great hostels – you can read some of their feedback or add your own in the Great 'Hidden UK Hostel Gems' Hunt. Some MoneySavers' top picks include:

• In Gloucestershire, YHA St Briavels Castle is located in a moated Norman castle (see picture below). JellyS says: "I had an amazing time – they had a special 'castle night' on with authentic food and ghost stories. Was really good fun."

• Black Sail hostel in the Lake District with private rooms is picked out by Knitaholic2: "Not just a bargain but also unique and beautiful buildings, often lovely grounds and space to relax – so much better than B&Bs and boring chain hotels".

• Littlewolfmonkey stayed in the Safestay Edinburgh hostel (previously called Smart City Hostel). "We had our own six-person dorm with a lockable door – clean and right in the centre of town and not far from transport links. There was also a cheap bar, with breakfast served first thing and food throughout the day. I'd definitely use it again."

• MSE Jenny spotted a great price for YHA Wasdale Hall, a 19th century manor in Cumbria. It's a grand-looking building set near a lake with gorgeous views, and costs from £20 a night per person.

Look out for Travelodge's regular sales

Hotel chain Travelodge* said it had 'over one million rooms for £35 or less' for stays up until 26 Mar 2026, and also runs regular sales. The ultra-cheap rooms are released in batches – to bag serious bargains you need to know when a new lot has been released. If you can book your room at the start of a sale, there should be widespread availability.

Our regularly updated Travelodge sales deals page lets you know when the latest sale starts, and Travelodge sale updates are regularly included in our free weekly MoneySaving email.

Going with a group? Consider an apartment or cottage rental with Airbnb or others

If there are a few of you planning a UK getaway, consider getting a holiday rental instead of a hotel. There are plenty of country cottages or beachside hideaways on offer across the UK – and there are options if you're staying in cities too.

With so many to choose from, using a holiday rental site such as Airbnb, Clickstay*, TripAdvisor and Vrbo* will make the whole thing easier.

Our forumites are keen on holiday rentals:

Read the full lowdown on how to book self-catering accommodation in our Cheap holiday rentals guide.

Holiday in the UK from £9.50 per person (plus charges) with The Sun

You can bag four-day holiday park breaks for around £47 for four people by collecting tokens in The Sun newspaper, at various times in the year.

There are over 170 parks included across the UK and Europe, and prices start at £9.50 per person, but extra charges are usually added on top, eg, many of the parks charge for bed linen.

The way it works is you pick four dates and four parks you'd like, and hope for the best – you'll be allocated the exact date after booking. You can't cancel or amend your booking after making it though, so double-check you can make all your options beforehand.

Check out The Sun for full details.

Sleep under the stars with a camping holiday

Good ol' camping's a fun way to explore the great British outdoors and get away on the cheap. MoneySavers rate the website UKCampsite.co.uk, which lists sites by area and facilities. It also includes user reviews.

Read the Great Camping Hunt thread for a full list of MoneySavers' top tips on safe, hassle-free camping, plus if you've any of your own, please add them. It lists everything from where to find the cheapest tents to what to cook over the fire. Forumite Webspyder loves camping, whatever the weather:

Try a house-swap holiday

A number of home-swapping sites such as Home Base Holidays, HomeExchange.com and Homelink allow you to switch your home with one elsewhere in the world – and while overseas swaps are more common, that can include in the UK.

To join you'll usually have to pay an annual fee but in return you won't pay any accommodation costs during your stay.

Reports vary from a way to make lifelong friends to holidays from hell, so always check reviews first and ask lots of questions before you sign up. See the Great Travel Swapping Hunt for tons more tips, like this from forumite Jola 36:

Stay in a UK holiday camp

The UK's full of holiday camps which are always popular for family breaks – fresh air, wholesome fun and plenty of activities to tire out the kids.

One of the best known is Center Parcs, which has five locations across the UK, and one in Ireland. Prices aren't cheap, but there are some ways to save:

Book as early as possible to cut costs in peak times. And once you're there, costs can add up, so consider limiting meals out and eating in instead. Load up the car with the family's bikes and cycle the trails surrounding the parks and use the swimming pool – it's one of the few things already included. See our 16 Center Parcs Tricks for more ways to save.

There are cheaper options too, such as Butlins, Haven* and Pontins*. If you choose one of these, look out for discounts as you can often pick up offers online or in local newspapers.

Embrace your adventurous side – sleep in the trees, on a canal boat or someone's sofa

If you want to step off the beaten track and explore more adventurous accommodation, you don't have to go far – there's plenty to choose from in the UK. 

You can hire a yurt from around £56 a night, stay in a canal boat for around £1,000 for a 12-berth boat for a seven-day break, or hole up in a treehouse for around £150/night for two.

The internet's the best place to find and book an unusual place to stay – several websites such as Canopy and Stars, Waterways Holidays and Forest Holidays list non-traditional holiday rentals.