Long-Term Stay Deals: How to Get Monthly Hotel Rates

I walked into the front desk of the Ibis Styles hotel in Medellín, Colombia, and asked about their monthly rate. The receptionist, a woman named Carolina, typed something into her computer and said, "1,800,000 pesos per month." That was about $450. The nightly rate was 180,000 pesos ($45). For a 30-day stay, the nightly rate would have been $1,350. The monthly rate was a 67 percent discount. I had a clean, modern hotel room with daily housekeeping, free breakfast, a gym, and a rooftop pool for less than the cost of a one-bedroom Airbnb in the same neighborhood.

Monthly hotel rates are one of the best-kept secrets in travel. Most travelers assume that hotels charge by the night and that long-term stays are always cheaper through Airbnb or hostels. In many cases, the opposite is true. Hotels offer steep discounts for monthly stays because a guaranteed month-long occupancy is worth more to them than the uncertainty of nightly bookings. Here is how to find these deals and negotiate even better rates.

Which Hotels Offer Monthly Rates

Not all hotels offer monthly rates, but many do, especially mid-range and business-oriented chains. In my experience, Ibis, Holiday Inn Express, Best Western, and local chains in Asia and Latin America are the most likely to have monthly rates available. Luxury hotels rarely offer them because their nightly rates are already high enough that a monthly discount would cannibalize their revenue. Boutique hotels sometimes offer them, especially in destinations with significant digital nomad populations.

In Chiang Mai, Thailand, I stayed at the U Chiang Mai hotel for 18,000 baht ($510) per month. The nightly rate was 2,200 baht ($62), so the monthly rate represented a 23 percent discount. The hotel included a swimming pool, a fitness center, and a daily breakfast buffet with both Western and Thai options. An Airbnb apartment with similar amenities in the same area would have cost 15,000 to 20,000 baht per month, but without daily housekeeping, a pool, or breakfast.

In Lisbon, I contacted the Hotel da Baixa directly by email and asked about a monthly rate. They quoted 1,400 euros ($1,510) per month for a standard double room, compared to the nightly rate of 130 euros ($140). That was a 64 percent discount. I negotiated it down to 1,200 euros ($1,295) by offering to pay the full amount upfront in cash. The hotel agreed because a guaranteed prepaid month was more valuable to them than potential nightly bookings that might not materialize.

Negotiation Strategies

The most effective negotiation strategy is to contact the hotel directly, not through a booking platform. Booking platforms take a commission of 15 to 25 percent, which means the hotel has less room to discount. When you contact the hotel directly, you are dealing with a person who has the authority to set rates, and you eliminate the middleman's cut.

I always send an email rather than calling. An email gives the hotel time to consider your offer and check their occupancy calendar. My template is simple: "I am planning to stay in [city] for [number] weeks/months and am interested in a long-term rate at your hotel. Could you let me know what monthly or weekly rates you offer? I am flexible on dates and happy to pay upfront." This email communicates that you are a serious, low-maintenance guest who will not cause problems, which is exactly what hotels want for long-term stays.

Timing matters. I contact hotels during their low season or shoulder season, when occupancy is lower and they are more motivated to fill rooms. In Bali, I contacted a hotel in Canggu in February, the rainy season, and received a monthly rate of 8 million rupiah ($510) for a room that charged 1.2 million rupiah ($77) per night during peak season. That was a 78 percent discount. The same hotel quoted me 15 million rupiah ($960) per month for a July stay, still a discount but a much smaller one.

One more tactic: ask for added value rather than a lower rate. If the hotel cannot reduce the price further, ask for free breakfast, late checkout, airport transfer, or a room upgrade. These perks cost the hotel very little but add significant value to your stay. At a hotel in Da Nang, Vietnam, the monthly rate was fixed at $400, but I negotiated free daily breakfast (worth $5 per day, or $150 per month) and free airport pickup (worth $15). The total value of my stay increased by $165 without the hotel reducing their room rate by a single dollar.

Monthly hotel stays are not for every traveler. If you want a kitchen and the feeling of living like a local, an Airbnb apartment is a better choice. But if you value daily housekeeping, consistent amenities, and the security of a hotel, monthly rates offer extraordinary value. I have stayed in hotels for a month or longer in seven countries, and my average nightly cost has been $15 to $25, which is less than most hostels and far less than any Airbnb. The hotel industry does not advertise these rates because they want you to pay the nightly price. Ask. The worst they can say is no.