Almost as enjoyable as the trip itself is the planning. It lets you daydream about the great time you are going to have and will help you avoid a vacation disaster.
Tip #1 - Sign up for every hotel chains rewards program and sign up for their e-mail newsletters. Many of these will offer you special discounts, lower internet user rates, and my favourite, late check outs. You also rack up points for your stays, and I have received many free night stays.
Tip #2 - When you find a good rate online, don't be afraid to phone them to compare rates. Many times when I am quoted a rate on the phone, I ask them, is that the best they can do, and sometimes I get offered a better rate, but 9 times out of 10 the internet users rate is the best. This might not be the case in the future, as I recently saw a hotel chain stating that there was a $5 charge for reservations made through their telephone reservations system.
Tip #3 - Try to make a reservation that has a no fee cancellation policy. Many hotels offer the same day cancellation and some offer 24 - 72 hours in advance cancellation notice to avoid any charges or penalties. This way you can shop around and cancel if you find a better rate. Some offer really great advance booking rates, but be warned with these as you can not cancel or change your reservation.
Tip #4 - Book as far in advance as possible, as the closer you get to your vacation date, the higher the rates go up in price. Be careful when you click on book now. Make sure you have the correct dates, as sometimes when using the back button on your PC, it could reset the dates. I made this mistake a month ago and ended up booking for the current day. When I tried to cancel they said you can not cancel because you are over your 24 hour advance cancellation. They did let me change the date, but I was locked in at a higher price and could not shop around.
Tip #5 - Read the reviews! Google your hotels name and location to find out what other tourists have to say about their stays. TripAdvisor is one I recommend, but just because you might read one or two bad reviews, don't let them overpower all the good reviews. Sometimes you just can't please everyone.