Travel Deal: Pay-Ahead Hotel Discounts

It's been a long time since travel sites offered rates that could beat a hotel's own site. The budget/discount sites often actually cost a bit more. But a new trend makes it extra smart to consult an individual hotel site's reservation engine before booking.

More and more hotels are offering serious discounts for those willing to pay up, non-refundably, upon booking. In many cases, paying in advance at a luxury hotel will snag you a rate that's competitive with local budget hotels. The discounts are especially deep on fancy hotels in Mexico, where the tourism economy was ravaged by the flu scare last year.

These deals are never trumpeted; you have to actually get into the nitty gritty of the reservations process to see them. And these rates are often Internet-only.