3 Ways That a Mystery Can Save You a Fortune - Part 2

Mystery, Unpublished, or Secret Saver hotels can save you hundreds of dollars, as we discussed in an earlier post.  I wish I could say that every Mystery hotel we've gotten was great!  A couple were...not that great at all.  However they were cheaper by far than anything we would have paid for actual advertised prices, particularly in small towns.  So in that case we felt we got a bargain, since we saved at least $20 or $30/night by booking a Mystery hotel for the 1 night we were passing through a town.

Our Dallas, Texas, $45/Night Mystery Hotel - A Fair Deal

But if you have just 5 or 10 minutes extra there is a way to come very close, or even exactly know, which hotel you're going to get. 
And that might just enough information to make trying a Mystery hotel worthwhile, especially if you've never done it!

HOW TO FIND OUT YOUR MYSTERY HOTEL

Go to Expedia.com.au, and start your search for hotels.

In the search list, you'll see Secret Saver Hotels.  While Expedia USA calls them Unpublished hotels, Expedia Australia calls them "Secret Saver" instead.  

2 Secret Saver Hotels in Brisbane This Sunday

There are 2 for Brisbane this Sunday.  (You could just as easily do this as late as a Thursday or Friday, since lots of hotels want to get rid of unused rooms over the weekends).  

Australia doesn't offer as many, as say the US, but maybe if we all start using this feature more they will start!

You can see the Secret Saver 5* hotel $137/night (that includes taxes) has these amenities: pool, restaurant, business center, accessible path of travel, in-room accessibility, accessible bathroom, handicapped parking, and roll-in shower.   

Now, keep this screen open.  

With another screen or tab, we are now going to narrow down what hotel this is before committing ourselves.  At Expedia.com.au search "Brisbane hotels".  When the 100+ hotels for Brisbane show, go to the lower left part of the screen to, amenities.  

Now tick AS MANY OF the same amenities as you see offered in the Secret Saver rate hotel.  Not all amenities will match or be offered; Expedia is smart enough to know you could locate the hotel by doing what I'm describing!
But we can still get very close to knowing our Secret Saver hotel.

Tick as Many Amenities as You Can See in Secret Saver Hotel You Want!

I've ticked as many same amenities as I can match from the 5* Secret Saver hotel where I'd like to stay.

My results are just 4 hotels!

Sometimes you can narrow it down to 1 hotel, and you'll know where you're staying!  Here you can see the 4 hotels which match the amenities as the 5* Secret Saver hotel in downtown Brisbane.  They all look like nice hotels!

1 of These 4 Hotels will be the Secret Saver Hotel

So, at the very least if I get the Stamford I'll save $22.  However, the Secret Saver could be 1 of the other 3, in which case I'd save ~$100! 

Since the Sofitel and Marriott are chain hotels, you'll lose any points you might have earned by paying the extra $100.  But you're saving $100!  Multiply this over 2 nights or more and you're saving quite a bit.  

But, if I currently have status with a hotel chain you when I check in I always show them my status, and lo and behold, they generally honour it!  So, I still get free breakfast, or upgrades, depending on my status level, even though I paid much less to stay there with the Secret Saver rate!

Status is awesome since it gets you upgrades, breakfast, free wifi, and other perks.  I'll post sometime about how I've gotten FREE status with most chains, which I used to upgrade our stays whenever we stay at chain hotels. 

Don't forget to start all searches through TopCashBack to get 2% or more cash back on your entire stay.

CONCLUSION

In this 2 part series we learned ways to shave costs by using Expedia.com.au's Secret Saver Hotels.  If you have the extra few minutes you can even narrow down which hotel you might get.  Hopefully these tips will help you Travel Better..and Travel for Less!

Would you like future posts to learn more about hotel savings?