There were cities where this experiment failed to turn up a single hotel room.
In looking for at least two-star quality and a distance no more than three miles from the city's center, there are a lot of hotels eliminated. When you put a cap of $100 and require favorable user reviews, the number drops to zero in some places.
My Kayak.com search revealed no results in Tokyo, which many consider the world's most expensive major city.
Another one that came up empty was Hong Kong. A third dry search was Monte Carlo, Monaco.
Does this mean there are no such hotels in these cities? No.
It only means that at the precise moment of my search, nothing matched in Kayak's universe of possibilities. Days or weeks later, your results might be different.
Again, please take this exercise only for what it is--an experiment in finding low-priced downtown hotel rooms. Your results will vary, and your needs are likely to be far different.
The point is to get out there and search, undaunted by reports of $300 downtown hotel rooms and secure in the knowledge that a hard working budget traveler will usually turn up a bargain.
