Even if you have managed to book a dirt cheap hotel room – no matter what source you have used – it is important to keep this cost low. The booking rate is simply the cost of your accommodation. Just because you have managed to succeed in the manner doesn’t mean your final bill will have a low total as well. Keeping it low will be up to you. In order to do this you must avoid all the additional costs that come with a hotel room if at all possible. Of course every now and then you may need to use the telephone or order room service, but going out of your way to ensure that you do not incur these costs can go a very long way. It is not uncommon to book a four-star hotel for $80 or $90 per night only to have it escalate to $250 or $300 because of a little carelessness when it comes to the hotel extras. Below is a list of add-ons that you should look to avoid…

Room Service
You may never find a quality hotel that has cheap room service. By its very nature, room service is expensive. American hotels are very service-oriented when it comes to treating their guests, but with good service comes high costs. The meals itself are overpriced enough. In addition to the high-priced food comes a hotel “service charge” that they tack onto your bill for delivering the food to your room. This can be as high as $10 at some hotels. Unfortunately, this is usually not a cost that you can avoid. They will deliver the food to your room for this cost whether you like it or not. You are not allowed to go downstairs and pick up the food on your own. Moreover, many hotels will also add on a 15-18 percent gratuity charge – essentially a tip for the delivery. Again, this is a cost you cannot avoid. It is imperative to check the bill once you receive your food in order to see whether the gratuity is already included. If you don’t, you may end up tipping the delivery man a couple of extra dollars when it’s not necessary.

You may find that a mere room-service meal can run as high as $50 just because of the additional costs. The simple way to avoid this is to go out of your way and leave the hotel if you’re hungry.

Sometimes hotels offer breakfast for free and sometimes at a charge. As discussed on another section of this site, your accommodation should be open for negotiation. This includes negotiating for a free breakfast at the time of your booking.

Telephone Charges
Some hotels don’t charge for making local phone calls, while many others do. You should look up the hotel policy on making phone calls before you decide to do so. There are hotels that may charge you up to $2 just for making a local call, including toll-free 800 numbers. Therefore, if you use a calling card with an 800 number, the hotel will still charge you for making the call. Long-distance phone calls can be ridiculously high. You may find yourself paying $5 just for making a two- or three-minute phone call. This would be much higher if it were an international call.

The solution to this is simple. Use your cell phone. Just about all cell phone plans include free long-distance calling for calls within the United States. Make use of it instead of unnecessarily paying the hotel.

Internet Access
Many hotels nowadays are offering free WiFi access in their guest rooms as part of their amenities package. This is becoming more and more the norm. There are still many hotels, though, that will charge for this service. If it’s only a couple of bucks and you have a lot of work to do online, this may not be a cost you can readily avoid.

It is not entirely impossible to avoid the cost if you’re willing to go to a nearby restaurant or café that offers free WiFi. Also, many hotels offer free Internet access in their lobby. Some may limit this access to 30 minutes or one hour per day while some have no time limit, but in any case anything is better than no free access.  Be sure to find out whether such access is available to guests.

Avoid the Mini Bar
$3 for a Coke or $5 for a small bag of chips is absolutely ridiculous, no matter how hungry you may be. You may think that $3 or $5 may not be much, but such small costs can unnecessarily add up especially if you’re trying to limit your travel costs. The best thing is to refrain from such hunger if at all possible, but if you must eat then go to a supermarket across the street where food is much, much cheaper.

Many people think that they can take things from the mini bar and simply replace the items they took later on by buying the same foods from a supermarket. Many mini bars now have sensors that automatically charge your bill once they detect that an item has been removed, so replacement is not an option. Even if you do nothing more than look inside the mini bar, be careful to avoid something as small as picking up an item in order to avoid disrupting these sensors.

Pay-Per-View
Most regular cable channels are included in the booking, and maybe some premium ones as well. Pay-per-view can be costly. The best thing is to avoid it. You probably didn’t go on vacation just to watch TV in your hotel room. There’s better entertainment in the city in which you’re staying.

Fitness Centers and Facilities
Guests generally think that the use of a fitness center, pool or spa would be included in the price of the booking. This is true for the most part, but a lot of hotels still charge for things that should be free. This can be rather pricey. Many brand-name New York hotels charge $30 for a three-day use of their facilities.  Some hotels will charge you per person instead of per room. The per day charge becomes cheaper the longer you stay. Just like many other things, ask in advance whether this is included instead of assuming it is. If it isn’t, trying to negotiate for it. If you must exercise and the hotel charges a fee, try to find other exercise alternatives if you want to avoid the cost.

Carry Your Own Luggage
Bellmen are present in almost any hotel, but sometimes tipping them can be excessive for something as mere as carrying your luggage. If somebody opens the door to your taxi, you’re expected to tip. If somebody else brings your luggage to the check-in desk, you’re expected to tip again. And again if the bellman carries your bags up to your room. Now reverse the process during check-out. If at all possible, carry your own bags. The savings can add up. And it doesn’t hurt to try to flag down a cab a block or some away from the hotel.