Score cheap rooms by letting hotels fight over you

Hotels now want to treat you like a storage unit full of crappy furniture -- they bid on YOU! Thanks to Bidroom -- a new online booking site that lets hotels compete against one another for your affections/business -- you'll save tons of cash on hotel rooms. Yuuuup!

Here's how it works:

1. After selecting your city (from 50+ around the globe), travel dates, and the type of joint you prefer to bed down in (7-star hotel, B&B, party hostel), give 'em your name and number of guests, and hit "Get Offers". From there, Bidroom uses wizard science and/or the internet to contact hotels matching your criteria. 

2. When/if a hotel bids for your business, you'll get an email with the room rate and are officially on the clock. You have 24hrs to accept the offer or ignore it and wait for other hotels to express interest/give you a rate -- it's like OKCupid, except you don't have to buy the hotel a white wine spritzer before it invites you to stay over.

Because hotels can see each others' offers  -- and since Bidroom's not charging the traditional 25% online booking fees -- they're inclined to lower prices to attract your biz. It's a reverse auction where the bids get cheaper.

Bidroom graphic
Bidroom

3. If you get multiple bids, simply choose the best offer -- it's great for travel to a place like Prague or Istanbul where they're well-versed with the model; though there aren't any US hotels on Bidroom yet, we're hopeful the trend will make it across the Atlantic. A lot of times the hotels will toss in freebies to woo you, like complimentary breakfast and airport transfers. The hotels can also keep lowering their prices and sweetening the pot, right up until you accept an offer.

4. If you regret ignoring a hotel after the 24 hours, you can always ask them to reopen their offer; they'll then have a day to decide. According to the site, bartering with hotels actually ups your chances of getting a cheaper offer, as does booking within two weeks of your arrival.

Chloe Pantazi is an editorial assistant on Thrillist's travel team. Follow her champagne tastes on a lemonade budget on Twitter at @ChloePantazi.