These days, you can't just book a room the old-fashioned way and believe that you're getting a good deal. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. You've got to be willing to take a chance or to do a little legwork of your own. There are some fairly painless ways to ensure that the friendly hotel desk clerk or reservations agent doesn't pull a fast one on you, however. That makes perfect sense.
Time is of the essence.
When the pressure is on, they need to sell the room. But if you don't have the time or patience to wait until the last minute, another approach worth trying is to use a hotel consolidator. Just like their airline counterparts, these independent companies buy up blocks of hotel rooms and re-sell them, sometimes at incredible discount rates. There are a whole slew of these consolidators, which you can find easily online. And they offer a range from economy to luxury rooms with explanations for each, so that you know what you're going to get.