- Expedia first to find out what franchises are in the area you want to go to and if the reviews jive with what you're looking for
- hit up the franchise's website for a couple of the hotels that look good to you, search your same dates and try to find a rate discrepancy (high or low) to what Expedia is showing.
- If you find a higher rate for the same room/stay on the franchise's site and that hotel has a good price guarantee policy (i.e. Hyatt, who will beat a cheaper rate by 20% if you find one elsewhere such as Expedia or Marriott at 25%) book direct on the hotel's site and take them up on their guarantee.
- If the rate is lower on the franchise's website, book with Expedia and then call them on their price guarantee where they'll match the rate and then give you a $50 voucher for your next hotel booking through them. Expedia will still own up and give you the $50 if the difference in rates is literally pennies (nickels?).
When comparing prices, just make sure you're comparing the bottom-line taxes-in rate. Sometimes when searching a rate online you're looking at the pre-tax number, sometimes you're looking at the taxes-in number.
A little more work, but vacation costs add up and saving a few bucks on your hotel can take a bit of the sting out!