Meta-searches among ways to find cheaper hotel rates

Many consumers use websites such as Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity to find the lowest hotel rates, but there are new ways to snag a deal just in time for summer.

But customers will need to put a little sweat equity into their rest and relaxation.

Hotel industry consultant Greg Dunn says new meta-search engines such as Kayak.com and Dealbase.com are putting everything at consumers' fingertips. A meta-search looks through several engines at once and lists the results in a single place.

By supplying a destination city and dates of travel, the sites pull up all available hotels and rates.

"It puts all the power in consumers' hands," says Dunn, a professor of hospitality and hotel management at the University of South Florida in Sarasota. "You can do one click, one switch, and it gives you all the outline of your parameters for your stay and those types of things."

Of course there are other ways to find a bargain that doesn't include technology. Dunn suggests these options:

Book with the hotel directly. Hotels can offer lower rates by cutting out the middleman.

Sign up for hotel loyalty programs. When hotels have excess inventory, they will offer rooms at "fire sale" prices via e-mail.

Be willing to show up without a reservation. If a room is available, some hotels would rather rent it at a lower price than let it sit empty.

Dunn says industry data show hotel occupancy rates are slowly recovering from the deep dive they took the past two years. Anecdotal evidence indicates people are traveling again, but on a budget, he says. Travelers are also shortening trips and cutting back on fine dining and other activities.

"We're doing it differently, but we're still traveling, which is the good news," Dunn says.

With hotels offering rock-bottom rates to get consumers in the door, they need to make up lost revenue. Consumer groups say to watch out for a la carte fees before booking. According to New York University, revenue from those fees will jump 12 percent to $1.7 billion this year for such things as baggage holds, minibar stocking, housekeeping surcharges and in-room Internet access.

"Hotels are getting into the game" of charging extra fees, says Jim Sweat of AAA Auto Club South's Tampa office.

Sweat suggests asking about the fee structure upfront.

"Always do as much shopping as you wish to do," he says.

On St. Pete Beach, the TradeWinds Island Resorts charge one flat resort fee of $25 per day per room to cover costs and avoid customer confusion. Chief Operating Officer Keith Overton admits smarter consumers are cutting into profit margins.

"It's made us more competitive," Overton says.