Most times, I've been amazed at the results I've had with the coupon books. I usually ask for the AAA or AARP rate (American Automobile Association or American Association of Retired People), and rarely get asked for a card. The coupons get you prices that are sometimes a third less than the AARP/AAA rate. Sometimes, the coupons have fine print that will throw you off. Last October, I tried using a coupon at Lancaster, Pennsylvania, that offered a terrific rate for a room with two king-size beds. Trouble is, that they only had rooms left with one king or two queens - and they were far more expensive.
I did NOT find a good lodging deal anywhere in Lancaster, and this was midweek on a rainy night, hardly primetime. There were Hasidic Jews everywhere, so maybe there was a convention and it drove the rates up.

-Joe-