If there’s one thing that gives you a greater thrill than travel itself, it’s knowing that you got a great discount.

There’s nothing worse than getting to an exotic rainforest lodge and feeling gypped because someone else got it for hundreds of dollars cheaper.

That is of course the way business goes; there will always be someone who paid more for the same travel experience, and there will always be someone who got it cheaper.

But what if you could always be the one who got it cheaper? What if you could guarantee that you’re the one who paid less?

In my obsession to stay on top of cheap travel trends, the most recent website to catch my eye has been Club 1 Hotels. They guarantee massive discounts on over a million hotels, and accessing their deals is both free and ridiculously easy.

Here’s how you can find cheap hotels. I’ve vetted this quite thoroughly and can without a doubt say that their promise of massive discounts is true!

How to Book the Cheapest Hotels (Access Massive Discounts for Free!)

What is Club 1 Hotels?

Club 1 Hotels is able to secure these amazing rates because their partners pre-purchase over $1 billion in room nights a year up to 70% off and pass the saving on to their members.

You as the traveler can access wholesale rates that you wouldn’t normally have access to.

This concept isn’t new, but what sets Club 1 Hotels apart from similar websites is their range of inventory (1 million hotels), and the fact that they offer the first year for free.

And when I say free, I mean actually free; there is no credit card required, no strings attached, and the membership does not auto-bill or auto-renew. Access to their discounts is easy, and it’s 100% free.

Guaranteed Discounts on 1 Million Hotels

Whether you’re looking for a designer hotel in the middle of the city, an exotic rainforest lodge, or a tropical beachside hideaway, there are more than 1 million hotels on the Club 1 Hotels website.

Club 1 Hotels has hotels in over 203 countries, 40,000 destinations, and they offer some really fabulous discounts.

Here are some searches I ran for a three night stay; every single random search came in as cheaper than booking.com.

Canberra Hyatt – $79 cheaper

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St Regis Rome – $199 cheaper

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Sheraton New York Times Square

$407 cheaper!!!!!

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Tip: Use the Special Deals Filter

I get it – a lot of blog posts for clubs like this probably selectively pick the discounts they show you, or they’ve searched for hours trying to find an example of an awesome discount they can highlight. But that’s not the case!

The very first search I ran came in cheaper (Canberra Hyatt). The second search I ran came in cheaper (St Regis Rome … a girl can dream!). So did the third (Sheraton NY Times Square).

The fourth random search I ran was actually on par with booking.com rates, but I discovered that this was because I hadn’t noticed the special deals filter.

After you’ve run your search, scroll down the page and click on the “special deals” filter. This is the difference between finding a discount, like $79 off the Hyatt Canberra, and finding a massive discount, like $407 off the Sheraton NY Times Square.

It’s worth noting too that you won’t find discounts for super last minute travel; the deals they have can only be booked if you’re outside of 7 days of arrival.

Best Rates Guaranteed

With such a huge inventory, Club 1 Hotels don’t always have the best initial price. Sometimes the prices you find are similar to what you would find on other public booking sites. However, they do offer a best price guarantee.

This means that if you do find a better rate for the same hotel, room type and rate type (refundable or non-refundable), shoot them an email and they’ll beat the price; up to $20 for 3-star hotels, $40 for 4-star hotels, and $50 for 5-star hotels.

They’re actually very honest about the fact that there will be some cases where the rates will be similar to other websites, and some cases where there might be a better rate offered elsewhere. And in a world where so many companies make misleading claims, I love that they say this up front on their website.

They’re very quick to respond to emails requesting a lower price and will confirm your booking the same day (customer service is outstanding).

Image credit: Adam Gibson via MACq 01

Sign Up is Free

Typically, the business model for travel clubs like this is to charge you a monthly or yearly membership fee to access their discounts. And while that’s usually the case with Club 1 Hotels, they’re giving readers of Mapping Megan a full one-year membership for free!

There are no catches; you don’t have to enter a credit card, you can literally sign up in under a minute and start checking their inventory.

The idea is that you’ll become well and truly addicted after the first year, at which point you’ll choose to continue on a paid membership, but being that they don’t take your credit card, they’re not using the free trial period to trick you into an auto renew.

They genuinely believe that you won’t be able to live without a membership, so once the free year is up you’ll actively make the choice to continue. There’s literally nothing to lose!

Sign up now for free

More Than Just Hotels

In addition to offering hotels and resorts Club 1 Hotels also offers exclusive, member’s only rates at 14 cruise lines with itineraries around the world, flights, car rentals, tours, activities, and attractions.

While hotels are in the name, you can actually book your entire trip on one site! And, when you sign up for free, they’ll give you booking credits up to $500 USD to use at checkout!

Seriously, what are you waiting for?! Click here to join and start checking their discounted rates!

What we love most about Club 1 Hotels is their transparency and honesty; that they don’t make misleading claims about always having the lowest rates, and that they don’t take credit card details with their free trial to trick you into auto renewals.

Club 1 Hotels has sponsored this post. I’m excited about using them to book the cheapest hotels! Seriously – do yourself a massive favor and sign up for free!

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If you’re wondering how to get hotel discounts this is our best travel tip: click through to read our hacks for getting cheap hotels every single time.

If you’re wondering how to get hotel discounts this is our best travel tip: click through to read our hacks for getting cheap hotels every single time.

Megan is an Australian Journalist and award-winning travel writer who has been blogging since 2007. Her husband Mike is the American naturalist and wildlife photographer behind Waking Up Wild; an online magazine dedicated to opening your eyes to the wonders of the wild & natural world.

Having visited 50+ countries across all seven continents, Megan’s travels focus on cultural immersion, authentic discovery and incredible journeys. She has a strong passion for ecotourism, and aims to promote responsible travel experiences.