Want cheap hotels on your next holiday without compromising on quality? Explore secret hotel deals as a way of snagging 4- and 5-star hotels at bargain prices.
The catch is that the mystery hotel you choose remains unnamed until you book it, after which you can’t cancel. This comprehensive guide will let you in on the sites to use, the best ways to get luxury hotels, and the tricks for uncovering hidden hotels before you book.
What are secret hotels?
Hotels would rather give away their rooms for a discounted rate than have them go empty. So they’ll often team up with third-party booking sites to advertise their rooms at a massively reduced price. This results in a win-win situation for both you and the hotel.
But when they appear on these sites, you won’t get the name of the hotel, hence the ‘secret’ element. The reason they remain a secret is to avoid advertising a room cheaper than the price other guests have paid for the same stay.
Also known as hidden hotels or mystery hotels, this little trick is a great way to save money on your holiday. It’s particularly effective for last-minute bookings where you can save as much as 60% on a luxury hotel for short breaks. Depending on your destination and how long you’re staying, you can save £100s on your hotel bookings.
Look out for our TopCashback hummingbird which we've added next to brands eligible for cashback. This means you can earn a percentage of your purchase through a referral link. It's completely free to join and earn.
Get £15 cashback for joining TopCashback
We secured this exclusive offer, but our content stays unbiased.
Spend £15+ at Priceline, Agoda, lastminute.com, or any of 5,000+ brands to get £15 back
It's really simple: our site takes just 30 seconds when you buy online.
You do the shopping, we'll track your purchase, and then you'll get cashback in your account to withdraw to your bank or as a gift card.
Here's how to get your £15 offer;
- Click: Click the green button
- Join: Create an account
- Shop: Browse brands on our site
- Buy: Click Get Cashback then make a purchase
- Enjoy: We'll add £15 to your account once we track your purchase
How does TopCashback benefit? We make money when you buy from supported brands, which allows us to offer cashback with no hidden fees.
How do secret hotels work?
It’s pretty easy to find secret hotel deals when you use the right sites (outlined below). Simply put in your location, dates and star rating then click search to reveal the secret hotels that fit your criteria.
If you’re searching in popular cities like London, there’ll be a wider variety to choose from, so you can filter a bit more specifically to get what you’re looking for.
While these secret deals are available throughout the year, prices are likely to drop the closer you get to the date of your stay. So if you’re flexible on your accommodation and are searching last minute, hidden hotels can mean big savings.
How to find secret hotel deals
Not all third-party booking sites feature hidden hotel rates, so we’ve listed below the top UK sites for finding secret hotels.
lastminute.com
One of the biggest sites for finding top secret hotels within the UK and worldwide. It has a particularly good selection of hidden hotels in London.
lastminute.com is one of the biggest names in secret hotel deals. Their website is easy to use: simply search for your location and dates as you would on any other booking site.
Add in any filters you like (but bear in mind they can be either useful for minimising a huge selection or detrimental if it’s too specific or there aren’t enough results). Scroll through the results until you find a listing that’s marked as a Top Secret hotel.
The results will show you a brief overview of how much of a discount the hidden hotel gives you, along with the total cost. If you’re looking to score a top hotel for a discount, you can bag a 5-star stay for a 3-star price.
In line with the lastminute.com terms and conditions, you’re guaranteed savings of at least 10% compared to the named rate of the same hotel on any other online travel agent. They state that you can save as much as 40% on your secret hotel and that 95% of all of their Top Secret hotels are 4 and 5 stars.
If you’ve booked your secret hotel and then discovered a cheaper price for the same room elsewhere, you’re covered by their Price Match Guarantee. You’ll need to do your research quite quickly and submit a claim within 24 hours to qualify, but if you do, they’ll give you back the difference.
TopCashback staff member Lewis used lastminute.com and said:
“It was a good experience. I knew I wanted to stay in a certain area (Windsor) and wanted a certain star rating. It meant I got a cheaper deal because of it being in their Top Secret range and it was a pleasant stay.
After I’d booked and found what hotel it was, I did look at the hotel during the dates I was staying and found it was much more expensive. Once I’d used it I was open to using it again and did…even better as I got cashback too.”
Hotwire
US travel site with great rates on secret hotels globally, although prices appear in USD.
Hotwire is a popular site for secret hotel deals, but always check reviews online when booking as these can be variable. It's easy enough to use: simply search as normal with your location, dates and filters, then click on the Hot Rate tab to show the best deals.
The secret Hot Rate from Hotwire means you can get 4-star hotels at 2-star rates. A major benefit of booking through Hotwire is you’re given three hotels, one of which the hidden hotel is guaranteed to be. So if you’re new to secret hotels and a little unsure, this can give you a bit more confidence in what you’re going to get.
The drawback to Hotwire is that their prices aren’t shown in GBP, so there’ll be a conversion involved when you get to checkout.
Their website states that you can save more money by booking through the app, with exclusive rates and 10% off your first booking. At the time we checked, the app wasn't available for download in the UK, but you can find exclusive offers when you create an account and sign in.
Hotwire also offer a Low Price Guarantee, so once your hotel has been revealed, do some searching around to check it’s the best price. If you find the same booking elsewhere for less within 24 hours, they’ll match the difference.
Priceline
Lots of listings for the US and two different ways to bag secret hotel deals using their Pricebreaker and Express Deals features.
Priceline is a site that’s particularly popular for hotel bookings in the US. So if you’re looking to save big on short breaks in New York or San Francisco, this could be the way to go. As of 2020, Priceline now features two ways to get secret hotel deals to give you flexibility on both price and transparency.
For the biggest discounts, use their Express Deals feature to uncover hotels in your chosen area discounted by as much as 60% off their usual price. Simply search as normal with your location, dates and amenities, then filter the results by Express Deals.
Priceline picks your hotel for you and you choose the room. You’ll get a fairly good idea of the general location, the rating and amenities, and will be provided with a guarantee your hotel is from one of five hotel brands with higher star-rated hotels.
If you want a bit more security in knowing what hotel you’re going to get, opt for their Pricebreaker feature. You’ll still get hotel discounts of up to 50% off their normal price, but with a guaranteed booking of one of three hotels. Don’t like one of the three hotels you see? Select Edit Hotel Options to replace any of the options you don’t want.
Agoda
Agoda Secret Deals are ideal for luxury accommodation in Asia. They tend to have quality over quantity, with fewer secret hotels in each location.
Save between 20% and 70% on quality hotels worldwide, with a specific focus in Asia. Popular destinations on Agoda include Thailand, Japan, Singapore, and Indonesia, although there are still plenty of hotels in London and Europe.
Finding secret hotels on Agoda is as simple as ticking the 'secret deals' filter box to see the top deals in your destination. We found there are generally fewer on this site than others, but the quality is still high and there is a wide range of worldwide destinations.
Agoda secret hotel listings give you a huge amount of detail about the hotel's amenities, so you won't even need to wonder if there's a socket by the bedside or where the nearest ATM is.
How to uncover your hidden hotel
The catch with secret hotels is that you don’t know what you’re getting until you’ve already booked it. However, there are ways and means of uncovering the name of your mystery hotel before you book. It’s important to note that these tricks aren’t failsafe, so don’t bank on finding out the name of your hidden hotel.
Google the hotel description
Works for: lastminute.com, Priceline, Agoda
Once you click through to your chosen hotel, there’s often a short description listed just below the title. This is sometimes taken directly from the hotel’s website or may be a closely-worded description with similar key phrases. Simply copy and paste this description into Google and with any luck, the first few results will be your mystery hotel.
This works best for lastminute.com, which we’ve found to most consistently provide a hotel description. This trick has always been a reliable go-to for uncovering secret hotels, however, it’s becoming more difficult as the sites are trying to prevent people from doing this.
Use What The Hotel
Works for: lastminute.com
This trick works specifically for booking with lastminute.com, and from what we’ve tried, it’s pretty useful. What The Hotel was built around an algorithm that means all you have to do is copy and paste the headline or title of the hotel from lastminute.com.
This could be something like 'A Modern Hotel in the Heart of Edinburgh'. Occasionally, the tool won’t be able to figure it out, but on the whole, it seems to be pretty reliable and quick at finding the hotel name.
Open in multiple tabs
Works for: Hotwire
Instead of clicking straight through to your chosen hotel, right click and select open link in new tab. Do this three times to open the listing in three new tabs. If you’re searching through Hotwire, which narrows your selection down to three guaranteed hotels, each tab you open should generate a different selection of three hotels, with one that stays the same. This is your secret hotel.
Google image search
Works for: Hotwire, Priceline, Agoda
If your mystery hotel listing comes with an image, you can do this simple trick to reveal where it’s come from. Head to Google Images, select the search by image button and then copy and paste the image link from the listing. Google image search will come back with a list of other websites that also feature this image.
More than likely, the name of your secret hotel will be there. You can also right click on the image and select search images with Google Lens to open the function on the right-hand side and identify the hotel.
We’ve found this technique works best for Hotwire and Priceline, where listings usually come with a photo of the hotel. When you click through to the hotel you want, Hotwire and Priceline’s Pricebreakers will give you three hotels, one of which yours is guaranteed to be. So if your Google reverse image search comes back as one of these, it’s pretty likely you’ve uncovered it.
Get £15 cashback
Join 20+ million members saving money
Check by rating & reviews
Works for: lastminute.com, Hotwire
After you’ve plugged in your search parameters, you’ll have a list of results. Each result will display a short summary of the hotel’s key points like area, price, top amenities and rating. The rating can come from either customer reviews, Expedia or TripAdvisor. Use these ratings to compare against regular hotel listings and narrow down the options.
For example, if you’ve found a secret hotel on Hotwire that is rated 4.4/5 and has 114 reviews, you need to find the non-secret hotel with the same. Search for Standard Rate Hotels, pop in a filter to show only ratings of 4.0+ and scroll through until you find one that also has 114 reviews and a rating of 4.4.
It may take a few pages depending on the location and how populated it is, but you can also add in other filters like area and star rating that match the secret listing until you’ve narrowed it down.
Pros & cons of secret hotels
PRO: You can find incredible travel deals
Obviously, the biggest draw of using secret hotels is the massive savings you can make. If you’re already looking to pay for a hotel that’s within a 3-star price, why not upgrade to 5-star quality for no difference in cost? It’s particularly useful for finding deals on hotels in London, as well as other popular destinations, making it ideal for cheap, last-minute city breaks.
CON: No refunds
The major catch with secret hotels is that once you’ve booked, that’s it. You’re agreeing to book and pay before you know the name of it. Many of the negative reviews we’ve discovered for the above sites revolve around the cancellation policy and the inability to get a refund. Make sure you’re 100% okay with this before you book; it’s part and parcel of your good deal.
PRO: It’s pretty straightforward
Booking a secret hotel isn’t as complicated as you may think at first. Once you’ve chosen your booking site, you’ll get the hang of their platform within a few searches. It becomes more difficult once you try to uncover the hotel’s name.
CON: There’s no guarantee of what you’ll get
Beyond the filters you put in your search, you’re not guaranteed to get any particular hotel or amenities. So if you’re travelling with children, require separate beds or want a specific distance from the city centre, you may not be able to secure all the amenities you need.
PRO: Price match guarantees
The sites listed above come with a price match guarantee so you know you’re getting the best price for your chosen booking, or the difference refunded.
CON: Hotels don’t provide their best rooms
Even if you’re booking 4- or 5-star hotels, it’s unlikely you’ll be getting their best available room. The benefit of the exchange for the hotel is to fill an otherwise empty room at a discounted rate, which they’re more likely to do on their less impressive rooms.
Tips & things to remember
Be flexible
If you’re looking for a very specific hotel deal, this isn’t the option for you. You’ll need to be flexible on your booking in order to get the best out of this money-saving experience.
Know what you won’t compromise on
Sometimes, secret hotel listings can be fuzzy on the details. If you have non-negotiable features, then make sure you add them to your filters when you search. Browsing through forum discussions, we found examples of hotel descriptions that were less than accurate when it came to things like describing a hotel as ‘downtown’.
The tricks don’t always work
Uncovering your hidden hotel isn’t foolproof, so don’t rely on your research to be 100% accurate. There’s always a bit of a gamble when it comes to booking a mystery hotel.
Secret hotels aren’t always cheaper
If you’ve used some of the above tricks to identify your hotel, check against their official website to make sure it’s enough of a discount to be worth it. Even if you haven’t uncovered the hotel’s name, you can still browse other hotels of a similar rating and area to see how they compare in price.
Go 4-star or above
Secret hotel deals work best when they’re used on higher-rated ones. For the best outcome on your discount, filter by 4-star and 5-star stays so you’re getting a better deal and nicer accommodation to make your gamble worth it.
Factor in tax
For some overseas accommodation, you may have to pay city tax on arrival that’s not included when you book. This usually occurs on Priceline, but do your research around which cities in Europe may require it and read the small print when you book.
Haggle with the hotel
This is a more advanced trick for those really looking to save money on accommodation. Once you’re sure you’ve figured out which hotel you’ve found, get in touch with them directly for some negotiation on price. Despite a huge discount offered from the secrecy of the booking, secret hotels pay a commission to the third-party site. So if you’re a money-savvy hustler, you can contact the hotel and negotiate an even better deal for you and for them without the middleman.
Get cashback
We feature Priceline, Agoda, and lastminute.com as brands on our site, meaning you can make a double saving: secret hotel deals and cashback.
All you need to do is visit the brand on our site, click the 'get cashback' button and make your booking as normal. The brand will pay us a commission for sending you to their site, which we give to you as cashback in your account.
So even if you’re not confident enough to try haggling with your accommodation, you can easily make a percentage of your booking back.
Have you tried any secret hotels for getting cheap holiday accommodation? Let us know how you found the experience and if you have any tips for getting the best travel deal using these or any other booking site.