MSN Money often recycles older personal finance articles for its front page. I don't really mind since I might have missed one in the past. They don't date their articles so you never know when something was originally posted.

They are featuring an article on finding deals on hotel rooms. They give some examples, but here's the bottom line procedure:

• Start your search on Expedia, Orbitz or Travelocity. Each site will give you a different mix of results.
• Pick one hotel you like and visit that hotel's website (or the hotel chain's website) to find a lower rate.
• Call the hotel, ask for the lowest rate, and then negotiate using the familiar line, "Is that the best you can do?" Calling the hotel on Sunday gives you a better chance to get someone who's free to negotiate on price. Call again at the last minute. Some rooms may have opened up or prices may have changed.
• If your web search returns "no availability" for a particular hotel, check the hotel's website anyway.

The article has further suggestions for upgrading hotel rooms or aiming for super non-refundable rates through sites like Hotwire and Priceline but that can be risky.

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