Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
your best contact is Farm & Country
Tourism Victoria (
&
1300/132 358
or
03/9614 0892; www.factv.com), which
dispenses free brochures, one each for
Victoria, New South Wales, Queens-
land, South Australia, and Western
Australia, which detail the accommo-
dations, activities, and rates at a range
of farm-stay properties. Rates vary, but
you will find many properties charging
between A$100 and A$140 (US$65-
US$91) for a double, which sometimes
includes breakfast. Meals are often
available as an optional extra.
SAVING ON YOUR
HOTEL ROOM
The
rack rate
is the maximum rate
that a hotel charges for a room.
Hardly anybody pays this price, how-
ever. To lower the cost of your room:
•
Ask about special rates or other
discounts.
Always ask whether a
room less expensive than the first
one quoted is available, or
whether any special rates apply to
you. You may qualify for corpo-
rate, student, military, senior, or
other discounts. Mention mem-
bership in AAA, AARP, frequent-
flier programs, or trade unions,
which may entitle you to special
deals as well. Find out the hotel
policy on children—do kids stay
free in the room or is there a spe-
cial rate?
•
Dial direct.
When booking a
room in a chain hotel, you'll often
get a better deal by calling the
individual hotel's reservation desk
than at the chain's main number.
•
Book online.
Many hotels offer
Internet-only discounts, or supply
rooms to Priceline, Hotwire, or
Expedia at rates much lower than
the ones you can get through the
hotel itself.
•
Remember the law of supply and
demand.
Resort hotels are most
crowded and therefore most expen-
sive on weekends, so discounts are
usually available for midweek stays.
Business hotels in downtown loca-
tions are busiest during the week,
so you can expect big discounts
over the weekend. Many hotels
have high-season and low-season
prices, and booking the day after
high season ends can mean big
discounts.
•
Look into group or long-stay
discounts.
If you come as part of
a large group, you should be able
to negotiate a bargain rate, since
the hotel can then guarantee occu-
pancy in a number of rooms.
Likewise, if you're planning a long
stay (at least 5 days), you might
qualify for a discount. As a general
rule, expect one night free after a
7-night stay.
•
Avoid excess charges and hidden
costs.
When you book a room,
ask whether the hotel charges for
parking. Use your own cellphone,
pay phones, or prepaid phone
cards instead of dialing direct
from hotel phones, which usually
have exorbitant rates. And don't
be tempted by the room's minibar
offerings: Most hotels charge
through the nose for water, soda,
and snacks. Finally, ask about
local taxes and service charges,
which can increase the cost of a
room by 15% or more. If a hotel
insists upon tacking on a surprise
“energy surcharge” that wasn't
mentioned at check-in or a “resort
fee” for amenities you didn't use,
you can often make a case for get-
ting it removed.
•
Consider the pros and cons of
all-inclusive resorts and hotels.
The term “all-inclusive” means dif-
ferent things at different hotels.
Many all-inclusive hotels will
include three meals daily, sports
equipment, spa entry, and other
amenities; others may include all or
most drinks. In general, you'll save
money going the “all-inclusive”
