Rome is one of the most expensive cities for a tourist to visit in Europe. Not only does it cost more money than many other cities in Europe, but finding an open hotel room can be especially difficult not matter what the time of year is. Despite all of these problems, there are still plenty of great Rome hotels that are diamonds in the rough. You just need to do a bit of exploring in order to find them.
The first hotel is one of the American mainstays. For people catching an early morning flight or arriving into Rome on a late flight, the Courtyard by Marriott Rome Airport can be an essential hotel. Not only does this hotel offer a great room for the night, but their amenities include staff who speak English as well as several other languages, and a continental breakfast to help you get started in the morning. The Courtyard by Marriott Rome Airport is only a three star hotel but is convenient for travelers.

The second hotel in Rome that is a great place to stay is the Hotel Madison. The Hotel Madison is located further inside Rome, and does charge quite a bit more than some of the other hotels in the area. However, sometimes what you pay for with location can really pay off in the long run. The Hotel Madison has smaller rooms, but they still should be able to provide plenty of room for a couple. If you are a family, you might want to consider upgrading to a suite or two connecting rooms. Also, make sure that you get down to the complimentary breakfast early, as oftentimes the hotel does not have enough staff on hand to manage the crowds.
The third hotel in Rome that provides some great accommodations is the Turner Hotel. The Turner Hotel is one of the most beautifully decorated hotels in all of Rome. Many tourists choose to stay at this hotel due to its close proximity to other transit options, including the popular European rail network. While it may take ten to fifteen minutes to get to the train station, it is a good deal closer than many other hotels. Another great part of the Turner Hotel is that it provides a great place for you to walk inside. Sure, the weather in Rome may be hot, but you can enjoy the cool shaded walk inside the Turner to see all the beauty that it holds.
Whichever hotel you decide to stay at in Rome, you should be extremely pleased. While problems may come up from time to time, most of the hotels provide excellent service and rarely have problems at all. You might notice that you will pay more during certain times of year for certain rooms, try to travel during the lower demand late summer and late winter season in order to reduce the costs of your hotels by as much as possible. Staying in an American hotel, a traditional Italian hotel or a mix of the two can provide you the ultimate Rome experience!

1. Be flexible. Alternate either the airport/city or the time/date you plan to travel. A rigid travel schedule is going to make it hard to save money on travel.

2. Ask for discounts or upgrades. Don’t accept the hotel rate as written in stone. Often all that is required is simply to ask for a discount or ask to be upgraded to a better room. Same goes for the airplane, ask for an upgrade. If you don’t ask you’ll never know what you might have been able to get.

3. Remember your AAA card and always ask if there is a discount.

4. Plan your vacation in the off season. For example, if you want to go on a ski trip, plan one for the summer. You will find the resorts charging quite a bit less, and it will be less crowded.

5. When purchasing your airline tickets, don’t only look for round-trip tickets but also check the one-way fares. Even if you have to travel on different airlines, use whatever means possible to get the best deal.

6. If you are going to a theme park and planning to be there for more than a few days, opt for an annual pass as it usually only costs about the equivalent of two days’ worth of tickets. This will allow you to not only save cash but also to relax and not feel that you need to spend all day at the park to get your money’s worth.

7. Take a shuttle from the airport to your hotel if possible. It may take a bit longer to get to your hotel and you’ll be sharing with other travelers, but it’s kind of fun and you may make a friend of two. It’s also much cheaper than a taxi.

8. When traveling on the interstate and looking for a place to stay overnight, steer clear of the new franchise hotels if you want to save. Instead, try the mom-and-pop hotels on the old highways near the interstate that the interstate replaced years ago, or even a bed and breakfast.

9. If visiting a water park, check on their “twilight” pricing. Usually if you go later in the day you save a substantial amount off the entrance fee.

10. Consider vacation packages. All-inclusive deals that bundle air, hotel, and entertainment are often cheaper than buying everything separately. These are sometimes outstanding values for the money.

11. Sign up for email alerts from the online travel agencies. These will let you know when airfare falls below a certain point so you can quickly jump on the deal and secure your tickets.

12. Book early or book late. If you aren’t able to book your airfare tickets well in advance, you might score a great deal by waiting till the very last minute. Since airlines want to fill all their seats, they will oftentimes discount heavily at the last minute just to get those seats filled.

13. Have a “staycation.” Stay home and save money on hotel, airfare, and car rental, and enjoy the touristy places in your area that you never have time to explore normally. You’ll be surprised what’s in your own backyard.