Use the tips and links below to find cheapest hotel rates.

• Shop budget chains. You can usually count on certain hotel chains to offer you a value-priced room. Some properties to consider are Motel 6, Days Inn, and Quality Inn. Best Westerns can be cheap too. Note that Best Western hotels are independently owned and operated, so the quality of the properties across the chain vary widely.

• Use a travel booking engine that consolidates rates from various sources. Many booking engines don't show you the cheapest hotel rates because they limit the rates you see. Not all booking engines, for example, will show you AAA rates. One way to test this is to look at the rates for a Hilton hotel and Marriott hotel. These hotels chains typically offer AAA discounts; if you don't see any mention of AAA rates for these brand names, your chosen booking engine may not have them.

• Check the brand name website. Before you go assuming that you've found the cheapest hotel rates, do one more search on the hotel's website. You might find out that the cheapo booking engine isn't offering you a great deal after all.

• Find independents. Small, independent hotels can sometimes be the cheapest hotels. Keep in mind that these properties may have a cheap feel to them as well. Often, they won't have the usual services, the properties may be in need of updating, but the rates will be low. The hardest part of this strategy will be finding these properties. Ideally, you want the properties that don't even show up in the search results of booking engines. Try looking deep in the search results for the hotel's website. You might also look in the phone book.

• Widen the circle. You won't find the cheapest hotel rates on the properties with the best locations. If you're looking at a hotel booking engine that has a map, scroll out and check out your options a few miles out from where every else wants to stay. You might even try a neighboring city. Say you're headed to Anaheim; look for low hotel rates in Fullerton and Long Beach, for example.

• Check hostels. If all you need is a bed to sleep in, a hostel is the way to go. Hostels are more common in Europe, but you can find them in the states too.