They’re always worth checking, but sometimes neither online travel sites nor bricks’n’mortar travel agencies always get the best hotel prices. Most effective for finding a lower quote can often be to call the hotel phone directly during business hours.

But be sure to call the hotel’s local phone number, never the 800 info line. Then you could get an operator in Timbuktu you can’t understand. Further, that person may have no authority to book you for anything but the highest advertised retail price.

Of course, the season has much to do with day-by-day rates. For lowest prices, book Miami in July, Aspen in August, Las Vegas in October and New York in February.