Usually there's a penalty on top of the cost of the hotel. You really have to be selective, and read the fine print, though. Often they try to make you pay fee

Usually there's a penalty on top of the cost of the hotel. You really have to be selective, and read the fine print, though. Often they try to make you pay fees for the free room, and the fees almost equal the cost of the room. Read everything, and be sure you can say no to people before you even think about doing this.