Vegas hotels

toyotaguy · 03-02-07, 03:22

anyone have any connection in vegas? Looking to head out there for the last weekend in april....just curious if anyone can help get a cheaper room than 200 a night...

Thanks

eric

tyymm · 03-02-07, 03:43

Speak of the devil... I just went to Vegas last weekend!

I stayed at the Excalibur for $195.00 a night. That is 5 bucks less than 200

. It was one of the cheapest around. It was nice too. Though you will probably only use the room to shower, change clothes, and the occasional 3 hour nap!

I guess try the hotels.com or something similar. Also, try calling the hotel directly and speaking to them, sometimes they will give you a break.

If you plan on gambling and do well/awful you may be able to get your room compted... one on my buddies got his compted. It is definitely worth signing up for the card/account so they can track you.

Also, if you go down to freemont street check out the golden nugget. They have a shark tank in their swimming pool with a water slide though it!!! It is awesome. Also the min bets are cheaper on freemont street. If you staying on the strip it is about a 25 dollar taxi ride or a 2 dollar bus ride (though the bus takes about twice the amount of time to get there, but you save 20 bucks).

Most of all, have fun!!!!

tyymm · 03-02-07, 03:44

I belive if you stay on freemont street (golden nugget, aces wild, etc.) the rooms are cheaper. So try calling them. All those casinos look old on the outsides, but are some of the nicest around. They have just been there a long time and are in the process of remodeling... that is why the shark tank pool was closed when i visited last weekend.

Next time I go to vegas (about 9 months) I am planning to stay at the golden nugget.

BlackElantraGT · 03-02-07, 06:24

I go to Vegas about every 2 months, sometimes more frequent. To get the really good rates, you have to sign up for their card membership programs. They'll email or send you flyers about special rates/deals they have going on.

Personally, I would never stay at the Excalibur, especially at $195.00. That's a kid's hotel. Same thing with Circus Circus. Excalibur is better than Circus Circus, but generally you can find a higher quality hotel for the same price or not much more.

If you want the most savings, go on a weekday. Weekends are way too packed and being that you're in SoCal, everybody and their mama heads out that way. I find that I can enjoy a lot more on the weekdays, from gambling to the buffet line. The only benefit I see about weekends is if you like big crowds or you like clubbing. For me it's not worth the price premium. The first time I was in Vegas, it was on a 3 day President's holiday weekend (which I didn't realize until we got there) and we only had a room booked for Fri, figuring we'd be able to easily find another room for Sat night. I ended up paying $400 for a regular room at the Flamingo, a room that would normally go for less than $100 on a weekday.

You might want to look into some of the off-strip hotels if you're looking to spend the least amount of money. One I like is The Orleans. I've stayed their on weekdays for as little as $30/night and it's a nice, large room for what you pay, compared to some of the other hotels on the strip. Generally, their prices will range between $45-60 on a week night The only complaint I have is that the inside of the hotel is a lot "smokier" than higher end hotels on the strip, which seems to have better ventilation systems/air cleaners. It's off strip, but still close enough by car/cab.

The Orleans is part of the Coast Hotels and IMO, they offer some of the best rates in Vegas for very nice rooms. If you want to be further from the Strip, you might want to check out the Suncoast which is in Summerlin, a suburb of Vegas. The Suncoast also has a nice looking golf course (I don't play golf though) and it's near the new Red Rock Hotel & Casino. I like to escape the ghettoness of SoCal so Summerlin fits the bill nicely. It reminds me a lot of Rancho Mirage near Palm Springs. If you have your car with you, I would suggest driving around and exploring the rest of what Vegas has to offer. Even without a navigation system in your car, it's fairly easy to get around once you get familiar with some of the main roads. If you stick to the main road, you'll be able to find most places you want to find eventually.

As far as Fremont St., it's an interesting place to go but besides the Golden Nugget, everything looks old and shabby there. Even the rooms at the Golden Nugget are way smaller than the usual rooms around Vegas. Generally speaking, you'll run into a poorer crowd in downtown and it's a far cab ride if you're planning on going to the strip.
Some of the rates there are cheap, but I still think you get a better bang for your buck off the strip at some of the Coast or Stations Hotels/Casinos.

As far as hotels on the Strip, I generally get some of the best rates from The Aladdin now known as Planet Hollywood. Their weekday member's rates can be as low as $49-89 and I would say that it's about a 3.5/4 star hotel out of 5. I like the layout of the hotel because you can check in and go straight up to your room without having to walk through the smokey casino floor. Unfortunately the last few times I was there there were always constant renovations going on, and so I was a bit annoyed with how everything was moved around or shut down.

BTW, good luck finding a table with $5 or $10 minimum bets on the strip. It's next to impossible. Even if they had some, it'll be 2 tables at most and it's always filled up. $15 seems to be the new $10 in Vegas. If you stay off the strip, it'll be easier to find $5 tables but even that's becoming more rare nowadays.

toyotaguy · 03-02-07, 11:14

looking to mainly party it up and gamble a little bit...that is why we want the cheap rooms...only going to be there for about 5 hours a night...why spend 200 for that????

LastDetail · 03-03-07, 12:33

Try the Holiday Inn on the strip. Right in the prime location. As I remember the room wasn't that expensive, although I could be mistaken, my memories of that whole weekend are kinda fuzzy.

BlackElantraGT · 03-03-07, 12:40

are you going with your boys? If so, you might just want to book one room at a nice, decent hotel on the strip and split the costs. I really don't see the point of going to Vegas and staying in some $hit hole motel. Vegas hotel rooms are a bargain when you compare them to other hotels in big cities.

If you're there to party with other people, chances are you're not all going to go to sleep at the same time, nor gamble all at one table. Having a room on the strip is nice because you can gamble at your own hotel and when you're too drunk or too broke to play anymore, you just stumble up to your room, instead of drunkily stumbling along Vegas Blvd. The strip is a LOONG walk. For example, let's say you booked some cheap rooms at The Stratasphere, but you partied and gambled it up at The Bellagio... it's going to be difficult to make it back on foot, especially if you're drunk which you most likely will be. The cabs in Vegas can get expensive.

If you can split the costs, get a nice room on the strip. It'll be a much more enjoyable experience. Just make sure you have reservations ahead of time, otherwise you might have to stay at the only place with vacancy. That usually means: a) it's a crappy motel, b) the room is expensive, c) both of the above.

r_wain · 03-03-07, 09:24

Check out the South Point Casino. It used to be the South coast. The usually have very cheap room since they are kinda away from the strip. You can catch a bus to the strip for two bucks or most of the time they have a shuttle running back and forth from the strip. I just moved away from Vegas a few months ago.

BlackElantraGT · 03-04-07, 02:40

The South Point Casino is another Coast Resorts. Great, new hotel with some good rates, although I haven't seen them as cheap as some of the other Coast properties. When it first opened, some of the rooms were going for $50 a week night on one of the travel sites. I haven't checked lately so I can't tell you what they're going for now.

I prefer the Coast resorts because they offer everything that I like when I escape to Vegas. Sometimes I don't need high end, expensive retail shops or some other gimmick to lure people in. It has a liquor store inside that sells liquor at prices rivaling those of Costco's, along with stadium seating theaters and a bowling alley. I usually cringe when I see the prices I have to pay for food and liquor in a hotel store so it's kinda weird even now how it's usually the first place we hit after we've checked in and put away our luggage.

toyotaguy · 03-05-07, 02:51

yeah that is the reason i dont want to waste 250 a night on a hotel...when we will be sleeping for about 6 hours a night only, and the rest of the time I will be out and about...clubs, gambling, eating, hitting the streets....NOT IN THE ROOM. i'll never understand why people pay 234312413243 dollars for a night in a room they are in only to sleep and wind down from the days activities....

kpounds · 03-05-07, 03:11

Very informative posts BlackElantraGT.

EGPrelude · 03-06-07, 12:26

I paid $150/night at the Venetian (5 star)

Though I had it Friday/Saturday, you should check out deals like on priceline.com (where I got mine), hotels.com...etc.