Known for its polished service, The Park Hotel offers bell service, a full-time concierge, and valet parking. A DEAL FOR OUR READERS At press time, the following hotels have agreed to offer Southern Living readers a guaranteed rate of $100 or less on a standard room, based on availability. All you have to do is mention that you read about the property in Southern Living. The offer, from now through Labor Day, is good at these properties: The Maison Dupuy (excludes Fourth of July and Labor Day), The Campbell House, Hotel Preston, The Iris Inn, The Park Hotel, and The Tutwiler. Tip: When shopping for rates on your own, keep in mind that hotels make up their own rules. While the hotels in this article offer rooms at $100 or less at certain times of the year, rates do vary based on availability, weather, events in town, etc. For our top-five tips on how to get affordable rates at great hotels year-round, visit our Web site at www.southernliving.com/features.

HOW TO SCORE THE DEALS
Hotels make up their own rules on rates. Each holds a high season and low season, which often fluctuates depending on availability, weather, and the occasional event in town. Your best bet is to call each location to find out exactly when you can score the $100 rate, as these rates aren’t offered all the time. Here are five tips to help.

1. Call in advance.
   Oftentimes only a certain number of rooms are available at the $100 rate. At The Iris Inn, owner Bob Hines says that 2 of the 10 rooms at his property go for $100 Sunday-Thursday, November-April. With your company name, a corporate rate of $90 will be given on any of the 10 rooms depending on availability. He agreed that it’s best to call ahead.
   
   
2. Call at the last minute.
   Calling far in advance has its advantages, but calling at the last minute does too. When rooms aren’t sold out for the weekend, hotels may give you a rock-bottom deal to make sure a room is filled rather than empty.
   
   
3. Don’t be afraid to ask.
   Have the nerve to negotiate a deal, and ask for a rate of $100 or even less. Remember the phrase, “Is this the best price you can give me?" The worst thing the hotel can say is “yes."
   
   
4. Travel in off-season.
   The more in demand the hotel, the more expensive the rooms tend to be, so try to travel when others are not. For example, Charles Gargus at The Tutwiler says this Birmingham hotel's busiest time of year is during the fall and winter months, so getting the $100 rate will be easiest when the hotel is in a lull during the summer. The Sea Turtle, says Karen, usually has high rates during spring break when lots of travelers are vacationing.
   
   
5. Be cautious when booking rooms on travel Web sites.
   You can sometimes get rates of less than $100 on Internet sites, but be cautious. Make sure to read the fine print, as there are often additional charges for processing or added cancellation fees that make the rates a lot more than $100. Not to mention that photos of properties can be misleading, so the room you think you are getting can, in reality, be a disaster.