I am passionate about getting good deals while traveling. It’s like a game for me. When Amy and I decided that we wanted to get away for a weekend, my deal radar was turned on and I started my planning process.
The first thing that we did was to choose the type of vacation we wanted to take. Since we knew that we wanted to go in January, a domestic beach vacation was out of the question. What we did want was a trip that consisted of fun activities, but was virtually free (save food and lodging) once we got there. We whittled it down to two choices:
(a) Cruise vacation that left from the northern gulf coast.
(b) Washington, D.C.
After an extensive search, we decided that a cruise vacation would be much more expensive. In addition, the timing of embarkations we could afford just didn’t fit with our schedule.
D.C.’s rich history, numerous monuments, museums and public buildings make it a perfect place for a low-cost vacation. As Amy and I look at our desired stops, the only ones that even ask for a donation are the two churches: The National Cathedral and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. (To check out our desired stops, click HERE to see our personalized map.)
The way that I plan is pretty simple. I search for transportation and lodging simultaneously. Sometimes they are cheaper when purchased together, but I’ve also found that by finding a good deal for one and reserving it severely limits your choices on the other. Unless you find a time-sensitive or once-in-a-lifetime deal, plan out the whole thing first and THEN make the reservations.
I started searching those package deals on sites like Expedia, Travelocity, and CheapTickets. I don’t buy these packages, but it gives me a good idea of who’s giving out the good prices. Originally, I was looking at some different hotels and a roundtrip flight from Dayton to Baltimore-Washington International. Then, I had a couple of ideas pop up in one day.
The first thing that we did was to choose the type of vacation we wanted to take. Since we knew that we wanted to go in January, a domestic beach vacation was out of the question. What we did want was a trip that consisted of fun activities, but was virtually free (save food and lodging) once we got there. We whittled it down to two choices:
(a) Cruise vacation that left from the northern gulf coast.
(b) Washington, D.C.
After an extensive search, we decided that a cruise vacation would be much more expensive. In addition, the timing of embarkations we could afford just didn’t fit with our schedule.
D.C.’s rich history, numerous monuments, museums and public buildings make it a perfect place for a low-cost vacation. As Amy and I look at our desired stops, the only ones that even ask for a donation are the two churches: The National Cathedral and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. (To check out our desired stops, click HERE to see our personalized map.)
The way that I plan is pretty simple. I search for transportation and lodging simultaneously. Sometimes they are cheaper when purchased together, but I’ve also found that by finding a good deal for one and reserving it severely limits your choices on the other. Unless you find a time-sensitive or once-in-a-lifetime deal, plan out the whole thing first and THEN make the reservations.
First, I remembered that a friend of mine had gotten a 4-Star hotel in downtown Cincinnati a couple of years ago for $50 by using the Name-Your-Own-Price service on Priceline. So, I decided to try that for D.C. You have to put in the following information:
(1) Destination City
(2) Check-in/out dates
(3) Star Level (i.e. 4-Star, 5-Star)
(4) Area of City (i.e. Chinatown, Capitol Hill)
(5) Payor Information (Name, Address, Credit Card)
(6) Your Bid per night
The kicker is you can’t just keep changing the price until you hit a good price. If your first offer isn’t accepted, you have to change something other than the price.
My first offer was $60/night at a 5-Star hotel in “White House – Downtown”. That was not accepted. I might have pooped in my pants if it had been. So, I changed my per-night offer to $70 and added “Convention Center – Capitol Hill area”. BINGO.
As soon as it was accepted, my credit card was charged and the reservation was made. It wasn’t really a big risk because I could still control the area and the star rating. I checked out the hotels that they listed as “4-Star” in the regular part of the website and I definitely would have stayed at any of them in a heartbeat.
We were given a 4-night reservation at the Renaissance Washington, D.C. It is a beautiful hotel. We were so psyched. (More on the hotel in a future post).
My next pop-up idea was to travel by train. Amy and I had always talked about taking a rail trip. I had been researching a possible Amtrak journey to visit my brother’s family in Colorado, so I remembered that the only train going through Cincinnati is the Cardinal Line. The Cardinal runs from Chicago to New York City via Indianapolis-Cincinnati-Charleston-Washington, D.C.-Baltimore. I did a search on Amtrak’s excellent website and I found out that it was going eastbound on the right day: Wednesday. The price was awesome. $120 for both of us. Before I purchased it I did what I do before I purchase ANYTHING on the internet: I do a Google search for possible discount codes. I found one that was “Buy One, Get One Half Off.” So, we got two tickets from Union Terminal – Cincinnati to Union Station – D.C. for $93.
The outbound train left at 3:45am, but got into Washington before dinner time. However, the return train didn’t get into Cincinnati until 1:00am. So, I started searching for a couple of plane tickets on Sunday afternoon.
All of the flights out of Reagan and Dulles were at least $100. However, from my business dealings in the Baltimore/D.C., I knew that Baltimore-Washington International Airport had incredibly affordable prices to Dayton International Airport. A quick search revealed that we could reserve tickets on Sunday afternoon for $59 each. Sold.
So, as a quick recap, here is what we had planned for the skeleton of our trip:
- 4 nights at a 4-Star Hotel in downtown D.C.: $329
- 2 tickets from Cincinnati to D.C. on Amtrak: $93
- 2 tickets from B.W.I. to Dayton: $139
A grand total of $561 for our basic trip necessities. That is a bargain and a half for a 4-night trip.
Making the reservations does not stop my quest for an awesome deal. Most of these websites listed above, and more like them, have guarantees on their prices. Amtrak, for instance, will give you a full refund on a fair. All you have to do is book the new fair and call Customer Service for a refund on the original. Priceline will beat any price…just call for a price adjustment. So, I continued to look for better prices.
I did not see any reduction in the hotel price, obviously. Actually, the lowest price that I could find was $349/night. However, I did see an unbelievable deal on Amtrak.com. As you read in the last post, we upgraded to a bedroom for an unbelievable price of $160. That brought our total up to $721. Still…awesome deal.
It only gets better.
I had planned all along for an upgrade at the hotel. I called two weeks ago and talked to a nice associate at the Renaissance named Charmain (pronounced “Shar-mane”). I asked her if we were able to upgrade to a “Concierge” room when we got to D.C. I told her that the trip was for our 10th wedding anniversary and that it would mean a lot to my wife. She said that it was possible. I then proceeded to do what I do best: sweet talk. I asked her how to spell her name and we talked about what her favorite things in D.C. were. At the end of our conversation she said “Let me make a note on your reservation and I’ll make sure that we can do a couple of nice things for you, if possible.”
When we checked in, I asked the Front Desk Manager if there were any upgrades available. I again told of our 10th anniversary and said that it would mean a lot to my wife. I noticed an African accent and decided to try some innocent small talk. His name tag said “David” so I asked if he pronounced his name “Day-vid” or “Dah-veed.” He said that he was from Zimbabwe and that he appreciated the question. He looked for a couple of minutes on his computer and said “We can put you in this room. It is a Junior Suite.”
I asked, “How much will that cost per night?”
He answered, “Courtesy of the Renaissance for your anniversary.”
We check our key at the elevator and it said “1697.” There were 16 floors. Top floor, baby…top floor. When we exited the elevator, we noticed that the sign listed 1697 as the highest number. Another good sign…corner room.
We got to the room and found that our door was the only one in the hall that was stained instead of painted. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a good sign.
I searched the price for this room online: $459/night. The Rack Room Rate on the door: $1,500/night. The best bonus was that it included a free breakfast.
The final (two) bonuses came in the form of two consecutive nights of a complimentary bottle of champagne accompanied by six white and dark chocolate-dipped strawberries. Two nights in a row. The first night was from David (the Zimbabwean that I chatted with at check-in) and the second night came from Charmain (the nice lady that I sweet talked over the phone).
Two biggest lessons:
(1) Never underestimate the value of being polite and interested in people.
(2) Always ask for an upgrade. People love to make other people’s day.
Next post: Our awesome day of tours and Amy’s amazing metal detector setting-offing.
