Luxury for Less: Destinations With the Most Affordable 5-Star Hotels

You can have an amazing travel experience at any type of accommodation. I've enjoyed trips where I rented a cheap room on Airbnb, and plenty of backpackers have had a great time staying at hostels. But there's something special about staying at a luxury hotel and getting the royal treatment.

These hotels are usually expensive. Luxury comes at a cost, after all. Five-star hotels can cost $500 to $1,000 or more per night, which is above most people's budgets. When you're trying to improve your finances, spending that much on a hotel may be out of the question.

However, there's also a way to get the luxury experience at a much lower cost: Visit a more affordable destination. Not sure where to go? In Skyscanner's Travel Trends 2024 Report, it listed some of the destinations with the most affordable five-star hotels, with prices as low as $102 per night.

Destinations with the most affordable five-star hotels

Here's Skyscanner's list of some of the best-value five-star stays around the world:

1. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: $102 per night
2. Hoi An, Vietnam: $117 per night
3. Tirana, Albania: $140 per night
4. Chiang Mai, Thailand: $146 per night
5. Brno, Czech Republic: $156 per night

Those were the average prices per night on Skyscanner between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2023, for stays booked throughout 2023.

So if you're looking for the five-star experience without a five-star price, you have options. There are plenty of destinations that are popular with travelers on a budget. In any of the cities listed above, you could stay five nights at a luxury hotel for less than $1,000.

More ways to book luxury hotel stays for less

We've covered one of the best ways to save on luxury hotel stays. But going somewhere because of price isn't always an option. Maybe you already have plans to visit a specific destination, or you're simply interested in a city that's on the expensive side.

There are other methods to save on hotels, no matter where you go. Here are the methods I use and recommend for booking luxury hotels at a lower price.

• Do a price comparison on multiple booking sites. Google Hotels is perfect for this, because it provides a list of the sites where you can book a hotel and the nightly rate at each one.
• Go to the hotel's offers page to look for deals. Some hotels have special offers available online, such as a discounted nightly rate or a complimentary daily breakfast.
• Sign up for hotel loyalty programs. As a member, you'll earn points every time you stay with that hotel. If you stay with a hotel often, you'll eventually have enough points for a free stay.
• Check out the best hotel credit cards. Many of these include an annual free night certificate. These can be valuable, especially if you redeem them at an expensive five-star hotel (make sure to check the rules for the certificate for any exclusions). When you use a hotel credit card, you also earn points in that hotel's loyalty program, so earning enough for a free stay happens much faster.
• Travel in the offseason. Hotels are much more expensive during an area's peak travel season. Consider visiting at another time of year. It could cut your hotel costs in half, and there won't be nearly as many people, which means fewer lines and sold-out activities.

A five-star hotel isn't a must-have every time you travel, but it can make for an incredible getaway. It doesn't need to cost thousands, either. All those tips can help -- I've personally saved thousands on hotel stays with travel credit cards. For a very budget-friendly stay, you can also plan your next trip to one of those affordable destinations.