Three Ways to Save 20% or More on Boutique Hotels in California

San Francisco's Hotel Vitale has outstanding views of the Bay Bridge

Planning a trip to California and looking for a hotel with a bit of personality? Hospitality group Joie de Vivre has 33 distinctive hotels in the state, and there are three up-to-the-minute ways to save on your next (or first!) booking at properties like the waterfront Hotel Vitale in San Francisco, the beautiful Gaige House in the heart of Sonoma's wine country, or the recently renovated Hotel Erwin overlooking Venice Beach.

First is the Pride promotion, announced last month to coincide with the upcoming San Francisco Pride weekend, June 26-27, offering 20 percent off to anyone using the booking code PRIDE. While the discount stems from JDV's efforts to operate gay-and-lesbian-friendly hotels, anyone is welcome to use the booking code for an automatic discount through the end of the year.

JDV is active on Twitter, where deals are announced on the company's main account, @JDVHotels. Twitter Tuesdays feature discounts at a different, surprise hotel every week, usually announced before lunchtime on the West Coast and available for booking in a very small window of time. This week's special was 20 percent off at the Hotel Maya in Long Beach through December 30, but the discount had to be booked within two hours of appearing on Twitter. Previous flash sales included 25 percent off Sunday through Thursday stays at Gaige House and 30 percent off Petite Auberge and the White Swan Inn, both in San Francisco. While the @JDVHotels timeline is public, and therefore accessible to non-Twitter users, it's probably easier to snag these discounts by following along.

The hotel group has similar promotions under the descriptive banner Facebook Fridays. Like Twitter Tuesdays, these very limited-time bargains are pushed out to Facebook fans. Last week's deal was $99 Executive Suites at the Domain Hotel in Silicon Valley, with a three-hour booking window. And previous discounts include $89 rooms at San Francisco's shabby-chic Phoenix hotel and 25 percent off Marin County's Mill Valley Inn. As with Twitter Tuesdays, these deals aren't restricted to social media stalkers, but it's much easier to track the discounts when you're following along.