Cheap Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Hotels

Some tips on getting discount hotel rates in Ixtapa Zihuatanejo.

If you arrived at this page looking for list of super discount hotel rates, you are going to be disappointed. There are a bazillion sites offering the “Discount Rates on Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Hotels”. Yeah, right. On the other hand, if you want a little free advice on finding your own hotel discounts, read on.

As a hotel owner, I am perhaps slightly qualified to pass on a few tips on getting a discounted rate for your next visit Ixtapa or Zihuatanejo. You make also want to check out my article on how to How to Choose an Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Hotel, Or Choosing an Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Hotel location.

Anyway, if you are still with me, here are some ideas to try:

• Call the hotel directly.

If you know exactly which hotel you want to stay at, see if you can find a local phone number for them. This advice is especially true for the small bungalows or boutique hotels. Calling direct will generally put you in touch with the owner of the hotel, and rest assured that they are perfectly aware that they do not have to pay a commission to an on line reservation service, (or a local taxi driver). Expect at least 10% flexibility – it costs them nothing to give you a discount equal to the commission they would otherwise have to pay.

TIP: All local telephone numbers in Ixtapa Zihuatanejo have an area code of “755”. If you see a number published like any of the following, you know it is a number local to Ixtapa or Zihuatanejo (I will leave the explanation of what the prefixes mean for another post). Very soon I will be posting a list of all the hotels, casas, condos, bungalows, villas,
hostels and rooms that I have telephone numbers for.

755 555 1212
01 755 555 1212
045 755 555 1212
044 755 555 1212
011 52 755 555 1212
011 52 1 755 555 1212

• Make a reservation in the evening.

Virtually every hotel in the world will cancel a reservation if you don’t show up by 6pm, unless of course your room is secured by a credit card. This of course will only work if you are already in Ixtapa or Zihuatanejo, or are planning to arrive within a few days or so.

With the smaller hotels, especially in Zihuatanejo, a canceled reservation may also mean that the owners have withheld some or all of the guest’s deposit. You may find the owner more inclined to give you a discounted rate. A very typical policy is to require a 50% deposit up front and then only refund 80-90% of it if the room is re-rented.

• Make a “high-season” reservation in the “low-season”.Again, from personal experience! The months of May/June and September/October are the lowest seasons in Ixtapa Zihuatanejo. Everyone is out, or running out, of money and are therefore more motivated to discount at these times. Hotel maintenance is expensive and never stops! Neither do the staff salaries! Be prepared to leave a substantial deposit though – you will get a better discount in the future by leaving them with cash-in-hand now.
• Negotiate.

Mexican commerce is built on negotiation. There is nothing inherently insulting or wrong about negotiating a better price. If fact, to the contrary, it is expected. I could probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of Mexican guests who have stayed in my bungalows in Zihuatanejo who have not negotiated a rate (or at least tried to!). On the other hand, the reverse holds true for American and Canadian guests.

I am never offended by this. It is a way of life. Obviously a guest wants the best rate they can get for their accommodation, as does the owner. As a guest, remember one thing: the owner will never rent a room for less than they are happy with receiving!

This of course is impossible with the large, chain hotels.

• Settle for second best.

The big hotels, like virtually all the hotels in Ixtapa, always have a few rooms out of service. Perhaps they are on the maintenance list to fix an outlet, replace a tile in the bathroom and so forth. If you let the manager know that you are will to accept this sub-standard room, for a discount of course, you may just get it!

Along the same lines is the idea of choosing a lower-priced hotel in the same area. Let’s say you want to be on Playa La Ropa (in Zihuatanejo), but your hotel choice is charging $350 a night – well outside your budget. Next door is a perfectly decent, but not as fancy, hotel that is charging $200 a night. Don’t forget, the beach is the same, the sun is the same and you probably won’t be spending that much time in the actual hotel itself. Get out and explore! If you are staying in Ixtapa, jump on a bus to Zihuatanejo for the day, you won’t regret it.

• Book one night and wait-and-see.

1. Decide whether the area you picked is where you want to be. Perhaps Ixtapa is not to your taste after all and you would rather have a room in Zihuatanejo, for example.
2. Ask around and explore other options and negotiate a rate you are happy with. The previous advice about cancellations now applies.Another Caution: DO NOT TAKE ADVICE from the friendly guy on the beach, the taxi driver or the waiter that offers to show you his “amigos” hotel. They almost invariably are in it for the commission. On the other hand, if you do strike up a conversation with someone who is not trying to hand you a flyer, bundle you into a taxi or worse yet, trying to sell a time-share, listen to them.

This really belongs under the topic of choosing a hotel, but can also help in finding a better rate.

Caution: Do NOT attempt this at Christmas, New Year’s, Easter or during summer vacations. All the hotels, and even the crappiest rooms, fill up during these holidays in both Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo. You could well find yourself sleeping on the street (no, not on the beach, it’s not allowed).

If you don’t know the Ixtapa or Zihuatanejo areas well, or suspect that you can get a better price while you are “on the ground”, consider booking just one night at any likely looking hotel. Once you are here, you can then:

• Consider other accommodations.

A lot of us feel more comfortable booking a room in a large, well-known hotel. In Ixtapa, you will find all the large hotels. Zihuatanejo on the other hand, generally has smaller places to stay. There are a myriad of 1 to 10 room properties available. There are also condos, houses, apartments, bungalows, guest houses and the like. Playa La Ropa and Playa La Madera, in Zihuatanejo, are full of choices like these – and yes there are a few larger hotels too.