August 21st, 2015

A lower Australian dollar means more international tourists, more demand and higher prices. Here are some tips to help you get affordable accommodation and still have a great holiday.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that, “The softening Australian dollar is proving a boon for the domestic hotel sector, with room rates tipped to rise in the coming year, according to experts.” and Tourism Australia says, “International visitors to Australia aged 15 years and over spent a record breaking $32.5 billion for the 12 months ending March 2015, up 10 per cent off the back of an 8 per cent increase in arrivals and 7 per cent growth in visitor nights.”

When checking which accommodation is the best deal for your particular circumstances, beware of just looking at the nightly rate. There are so many other factors to consider to help you save money, both before you book and during your stay.

Avoid Peak Dates
Summer
January in Tasmania is chaos ! Everything is booked months in advance. There are so many stories of people who risked last minute bookings, not being able to find anything and spending nights in their car.
As well as room shortages, January prices will be highest, sometimes double what you would pay in December or February.

Weekends
In rural areas, avoid the weekend. Locations 1 or 2 hours outside the city are popular with city workers, so properties raise their rates on Fridays and Saturdays. In some cases, Sunday through Thursday nights are half what you pay on a Friday or Saturday.

Weekdays
In Hobart city, business-minded hotels have high demand from conferences and business travellers. Hotels that get the majority of their business from professionals drop their prices when demand is low, on weekends and holidays. So you can get a standard room at a lower rate or a luxury room at a fraction of the normal cost.

Off Season
During winter, some properties offer the second night for as low as $10 per person.

Combine rural as well as city locations
Staying in city centre hotels will save you transport costs if you plan to use the city centre. A 10 minute walk to the docks or museum rather than a 10 minute drive will save fuel and parking costs.

Conversely, rural accommodation properties are usually often cheaper, cheap eateries are plentiful and parking is convenient.

Stay 2 nights or more
When you stay longer, the accommodation provider can spread the cost of cleaning between guests, over more nights. This means that multi night stays are usually cheaper, per night,  than single nights. This applies most to self contained cottages that are not serviced every day.

Choose the right style
If your group is larger, an apartment or holiday home can cost much less than adjoining or separate hotel rooms. They offer more space and have separate bedrooms, so the adults don’t have to go to bed early when the kids bedtime arrives. Stand alone holiday homes or self contained cottages are the obvious choice but many hotels also have apartments.

If you are traveling alone, a simple room in a city hotel or a classic country pub might be just perfect. Dump your stuff, a hot shower, then head out to the pub and meet the locals.

Look for free facilities and inclusions
The more essential services that the price includes, the better the bang for buck. But make sure they are features you will actually use. Common inclusions that can save you heaps are free parking, included breakfast, or free Wi-Fi. A room with a kitchenette or cabin with a full kitchen, will allow you to self cater and feed yourself for half the cost. If you look out for local specialty ingredients that you can cook yourself, you will also learn a little about the area and its fresh produce too.

Limit the fancy service.
Breakfast in bed or a midnight snack can be a romantic treat, the room service menu can more than you would pay for the same food at the restaurant downstairs.

But be sure to treat yourself sometimes and enjoy a full service meal of local specialties and local wine or cider.

Look for special offers
Look for extras like group discounts

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Is it worth gambling on last minute discounts?
Left over rooms can sometimes be found at bargain rates. If you really don’t care where you sleep and you just want the cheapest rate, maybe consider leaving your booking till just one or 2 days out. But if you are looking for a particular experience or particular location, use the tips above and book a month or more before you travel. A few extra dollars will seem well spent when you find yourself enjoying your perfect dream escape.

Stay longer to spread your flight costs
A short break can be just what you need and off peak flights can be quire cheap. But if you need to travel during peak season, try to stay a week or longer and spread the flight cost over more days.

Head South
The major icons on the East and West Coast can be crowded and expensive. Many people think that there is nothing south from Hobart, but there is a world of adventure. Waterways, wilderness, wildlife and wine are in abundance. This road less traveled through the Huon Valley leads to the southernmost place in Australia. Now that’s something to tell your friends !

Mix it up
Tasmania has long been known for its nature but Hobart is now becoming famous for events and art. Consider spending the weekend in the city, then come Monday, head to the countryside or wilderness. Some self catering, a few full service treats of local specialties. Free sightseeing, plus a few special activities. Mix it up and get the best of Southern Tasmania at bargain rates.

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References:

http://www.tourism.australia.com/news/news-stories-17415.aspx

http://www.smh.com.au/business/property/hotel-room-rates-on-the-rise-20150303-13u1ej.html