If you travel frequently you probably know all about hotel discount sites such as Hotels.com, Travelocity and Orbitz, but you can often get an even cheaper rate by calling the hotel directly. Now I'm not talking about calling their 800 number. Instead, go online and look up the local phone number for the specific hotel you plan to stay in and tell them that you're looking for the lowest rate in that city. If the hotel has lots of empty rooms, you just might be shocked at how low they'll go to gain your business.
It's also a good idea to call several hotels in your destination city and compare the quotes (make sure you call the local number for each one of them). And don't be averse to switching hotels in the middle of your stay because the best rates available at any hotel typically changes from day to day, especially if your stay will include both weekdays and weekends.