As a AAA member and a frequent traveller that likes to wing it, when checking in to the hotel I ask for the rate first and then say Ok so with my AAA discount that would be how much? Also if the internet and the 800 number tell you the hotel is full, call the hotel directly. The 800# and the internet told me a hotel I had to stay in, (conference was in that hotel), was full, I called directly and got the four nights I needed, the clerk laughed that I was told it was full! Also for the flight arrangements at 1AM, would that be you time or the time of the operator taking the call? Either way the rates are better cuz you helped her/him stay awake?

I read about the Wednesday 1am thing as well. I believe the notion was it's Tuesday night going into Wednesday morning, and that this is when they post the lowest airfares since not many people book trips in the middle of the week. (not sure how true this is, but have seen difference between checking on a Tues or Wed and checking again on a Fri, Sat)

Also, a lot of chains have the best price guarantee. What some also have (Wyndham, Six Continents which includes Intercontinental, Renaissance and Crowne Plaza and Marriott are some I can think of) where if you pay in full in advance they offer rates up to half off the rack rate. On Wyndham it's their WebRates, and Six Continents it's usually a 21 Day Advance purchase.

This is what I have done in the past, if this helps....I decide on a hotel after reading reviews, and checking the location and amenities and such. I then do a search to see what the rates are on every travel site for my dates and then also call the #800 number as well as checking the hotel site's rates. Whichever gives me the best offer or best price is the way I go. SideStep is a good program for checking the lowest rates on numerious websites.