Big-city lodging that won’t break the bank

Hotels eat up a major chunk of your travel budget. Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can lower the cost.

Urban hotels usually charge the most. Average room rates in New York City are more than $220 a night. You’ll pay comparable amounts in San Francisco, Chicago and Washington, D.C. In London and Paris, you’ll pay far more.

To avoid the high prices, some smart travelers rent spare rooms in occupied private apartments or homes.

In the United States, it’s done by accessing the Yellow Pages of your destination city and looking up “bed and breakfast accommodations,” where you’ll find (in many large cities) organizations that list residents offering rooms to visitors for about half the price of a hotel. (Such residents are probably breaking the rules of their co-ops or condos by accepting such rentals.)

If you don’t have access to the city’s Yellow Pages directory, you can search using your computer. Go to www.superpages.com, type “bed and breakfast accommodations” in the keyword or category box, list the city and state you’ll be visiting, and you’ll get the same listings as in the printed phone books. Be sure to contact a reservations organization, which has presumably inspected the apartments it represents, rather than the apartment owner directly.

Looking for a room overseas? In London, Paris, Rome and the like, city tourist offices maintain lists of private homes or apartments that accept visitors at rates below those of equivalent hotels. Such facilities are now the key to an affordable Europe; they have returned to popularity in this time of a weak dollar.

If you’re an adventurous younger traveler determined to live absolutely free of hotel costs in either U.S. cities or Europe, check out www.globalfreeloaders.com. You can use that organization to find a spare room or couch when you travel domestically or abroad, provided that you are willing to accommodate a “freeloader” in your own home at some later time. GlobalFreeloaders.com is a free site: The only condition is that members provide reciprocal hospitality to others. Hosts and guests contact one another online to make arrangements.

Another option for budget travelers is to join Hospitality Exchange. Travelers of all ages can obtain free accommodations in thousands of U.S. homes and apartments by contacting the organization, (406) 538-8770, www.hospex.net. Members receive a biannual Travelers Directory of people willing to accommodate visitors without charge. Membership is $20 a year.

If you are 50 or older and willing to pay a nominal $15 a night for a double room, $10 for a single, you can join the Evergreen Club, (815) 456-3111, www.evergreenclub.com, ($60 a year for singles and $75 for married couples).

Other news: Top-rated hotels are now waging a battle for your loyalty based on the bedding they offer. Marriott Hotels’ full-service properties are claiming victory. The hotels now provide six pillows per king bed and have removable duvet covers on beds that will be laundered after every stay. Sheets will have a 300-thread count, and beds will have thicker mattresses resulting from a 2-inch to 4-inch topper placed over them.