Where to find cheap accommodation in Melbourne?

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  cacbm on 28/10/2008 - 00:55

  I suggest you find the hotelclub.com.au offer on OzBargain, and make a booking with the $50 voucher. Or multiple $50 vouchers if you have more than one email. Otherwise check Wotif.com.au and Lastminute.com.au closer to the date.

  Tripadvisor is a great website which features real photos and real reviews. Must read before you book.

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  Aneurism on 31/10/2008 - 23:01

  If you plan on using wotif, its best to shortlist the list of places well in advance. Because the better places go very fast around festive seasons and holidays.

  Also, www.tripadvisor.com is handy for getting user opinions on hotels and places. (Although bear with a grain of salt as everyone has different tastes and expectations)

  Its hard to make direct recommendations to you as only you know your budget and taste.

  Steps are as follows

  a) Use a general site such as www.wotif.com.au , www.hotelclub.net.au , www.lastminuterates.com.au or any other you find to build a short list of places you think you might like.

  b) Once you have shortlisted, visit www.tripadvisor.com and search for each hotel and have a look at the reviews. (newest reviews tend to be more relevant as some places do regular maintenance and rennovations).

  Be aware that it can be hard to differentiate which reviews refer to which accomodation type. Also be aware that the rooms they are reviewing could be different than the one you are booking. Eg. they might have booked the most expensive room in the hotel, and might have been totally satisfied, but the least expensive room might be complete crud.

  c) Once you've made your choice, its also handy to find out if the hotel has a direct web site as sometimes they offer good value deals or priority discounts or offerings directly.

  d) You can either call them and try to negotatiate a deal, book online in advance, or try a 'last minute' type booking site, to try to score a cheap last minute deal (although you could risk not getting a place at all).

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  POWERevolution on 09/11/2008 - 00:23

  Thanks cacbm & Aneurism for all the advices. Time to do more search…