One of the greater expenses of any vacation is booking your hotel room. Depending on the type of hotel you want to stay in — luxurious and full of amenities, or a no-frills hotel — your price can vary greatly. You still can get great hotel deals by booking online either directly from the hotel, or through a hotel comparison site.

How can you get the best deals online for your next hotel stay? There are a few ways to make it happen.

Research the Hotel

Your first step in finding the best price for a hotel stay is to do research on several hotels. You most likely have an idea of the type of hotel you want to stay in, so do a search on several hotels under that type. This can be done at a hotel comparison search site, or on the hotels' websites. This is to get an idea of what the hotel offers and what prices they charge directly off their website.

Once you have a list of several hotels you are interested in, take the main price from the hotel's own website and then check out hotel comparison sites to see what discounted prices you might find. You should check to see how much the difference is from the hotel's main site. You will find that some might have better prices than others.

Look For Discount Codes and Coupons

When you are researching your hotels, check comparison sites or booking sites for discount codes or coupons. There are sites in which members can find extra discounts for the hotel's spas or activities, free stays, and member's only pricing or special discounts.

You can check the hotel's own website as well to see if they are offering any special offers or discounts for special occasions, or for holidays such as Christmas or New Year's Eve.

Call the Hotel Directly

In some cases, you are able to get good prices and discounts from contacting the hotel directly. This will work better if you have done your research from comparison sites and can tell the hotel what prices you have found elsewhere. There are times, especially in the slower season for that hotel, they might match the lower price or even beat it.

Bidding Sites and Last-Minute Sites

You could also attempt to get a good deal at a bidding or auction-style site, or even a last-minute vacation site. These sites will not tell you what hotel you are bidding on or where the last-minute deal is located. But if you are not worried about what hotel you stay at and enjoy surprises, this could give you a good deal.

There may be ways you can research what potential hotel you are bidding on if you prefer to have a good idea before you bid.