I like using kayak.com to find rates (it is a search engine that searches most of the major sites online at once) and using tripadviser.com to find the best hotel based on customer reviews.
I have had just the opposit luck as Hotwire has always been cheaper for me. I had a 4 star in MN that was 5 miles from the MOA and was awesome for only $49
“Also, I met a lot of Iowa State fans and I don’t want to leave any of that behind.” - DARIUS DARKS on Staying a CLONE!!!
I use hotwire or priceline. This website helps Priceline and Hotwire Forum to figure out what hotels you are bidding on with hotwire and what prices have recently been accepted on priceline. Remember if you use priceline you can do multiple searches for the same date just by changing the name of the suburb/city.
You can try using discount codes for the hotel as well. These are often company specific or promotion specific codes. For example, here are some Marriott codes you could use when you book through their site;
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