Bear Bones

If you don't want to be bothered, please leave "do not disturb" sign on your door and bolt it from the inside so no one accidentally tries to enter your room.

Do not leave "maid okay to clean" sign on the door as that's another way of saving "I'm not in my room with my valuables!".

Those .com companies may advertise that they have rooms with savings up to 50%. But saving nothing is still saving up to 50%. So especially with boutique hotels, feel free to call them to make the reservation directly with figures you say on the internet. Calling direct also might give you some money saving packages like a parking package in a big city, breakfast package or upgraded rooms. Additionally, it's easier to change or cancel your reservations when you book directly and they don't charge your card until you leave.

If you can be flexible with your dates and want to save money, avoiding conventions with over 5000 room nights will greatly save you money. If you go to the city's Convention & Visitors Center website, you will likely find conventions coming to the cities you want to travel too.

To look at all of your hotel options, there is one site that seems to including more options than anyone, but hasn't caught on in the US really. It's called Kayak - check them out at kayak.com for comparisons of airlines and hotels.