I've been thinking - always a dangerous thing! There 'Catters here occupy a broad spectrum of the working society and there are others who may not work outside of the home and still others who have done both. There simply must be a wealth of "insider" information to be shared. Why not tell us some of the bits of wisdom you have gleaned? I'll start. When you add to this thread, it may be helpful to clearly label the category like this:

HOTELS (USA)
My experience with hotels is limited to the United States for the most part and so others may want to comment on those elsewhere. The first and most important thing to know is that you should almost never pay what is known as the "rack rate". If you are standing at the desk of a hotel, feel free to bargain. Almost everyone has some sort of discount with which to negotiate, such as, AARP or AAA (Triple A). Most hotels will not require you to demonstrate your membership in either of these. You can usually get at least 10% off the rack rate by mentioning these. Some hotels will offer the 10% discount to anyone over the age of 50; for others it is 60 regardless of any sort of membership. Are you in the military? Especially right now, most hotels will give a healthy discount to anyone flashing a military ID even if you aren't traveling in conjunction with a military function. Some hotels have deals worked out with local hospitals. If you have come to town especially for the purpose of a hospital appointment, be sure to say something about it to the desk clerk.

Most of you know there are online services available such as Hotel.com by which excellent discounts can be found. At this writing it is still a very good idea, when using this or other similar services, to confirm your reservation directly with the hotel after waiting a day or so. Unfortunately, there are still glitches between the online services and the hotel chains' own reservations services. This problem will soon be rectified by a new agent that will emerge very soon called, Travelweb.com.

Some hotels and especially resorts have a bad weather discount. After all, you may be vacationing and your trip plans may be spoiled by foul weather. Sometimes there are concessions in price available.

If no other discount seems to be available to you, simply ask for the "best rate". That's right. Sometimes it is that simple. Just ask. If the hotel really wants to sell the room, they'll give it to you. The "best rate" is sometimes as much as a 40% discount!

One other thing to remember - if you are tired enough, a bed is just a bed. When you compare prices between hotels be sure you take into account what extras are offered - especially those that will save you money. Do they have a free "continental breakfast"? If so, is that a piece of dry toast and a glass of juice or does it include scrambled eggs, sausage and gravy? Do they offer free shuttle service to the airport? It all adds up, you know.