Cheap Las Vegas Lodging?

[BigMoneyJim]

I'm not apt to try counting cards at the blackjack table or the double-up on red strategies discussed recently, but I am likely heading to Vegas this weekend. I already have the airline tickets but am a bit surprised at the hotel room cost. I figured with all the hotel rooms and gambling I could find a value somewhere...not yet.

I could fly in Friday night and stay at the hotel 2 nights or fly in Saturday morning and stay 1 night. I think at these rates I may choose the latter.

Anybody have tips on Vegas hotels? Maybe I should finally try Priceline.

 

[Nords]

"Around here, pal, a $5 bill IS change!"

Do you have to be there on a weekend with a bazillion others? Can you try a weekday Tue-Thur?

The California Hotel (http://www.thecal.com/, not the "Hotel California") is a Hawaii favorite. "Reasonable" rates, rice cookers in the room, lots of locals. They may have a package available even if you don't have a kama'aina driver's license.

We stayed at MGM Grand on a $89/night tour package. Nice place if you can find that price.

 

[BigMoneyJim]

Re: "Around here, pal, a $5 bill IS change!"

Do you have to be there on a weekend with a bazillion others? Can you try a weekday Tue-Thur?

Unfortunately I don't have much vacation time, and I work Mon-Fri. So I'm going to be doing a lot of weekend trips this year because I want to travel a couple times a month. I'm usually one to avoid crowds, but for now it's either travel little, travel on weekends or change job situation.

The Cal does seem comparatively reasonable. They are sold out this Friday but seem to have availability Saturday.

 

[peggy]

Las Vegas native/local here...

Try any of the Station Casinos - Palace Station, Boulder Station, Sunset Station, Texas. They're off the Strip (Palace is the closest to the Strip), and I frequently see billboards advertising $50 per night or less for them.

You might also take a look at the Orleans Hotel (also off the Strip) and see what prices they have; an acquaintance who is coming to town later in the month has a convention rate of $70 per night.

 

[cc]

Yeah, superbowl weekend = high rates in LV. I'm at Mandalay Bay tomorrow for two nights but the weekend is too high for me...

 

[G_Mack]

If you are game to try an offbeat kind of place, you might check the Somerset House:

http://travel.yahoo.com/p-hotel-375527-somerset_house_motel-i

I have never stayed here, and in fairness it gets mixed reviews. Not for everyone. But it's just the kind of place I like to check out (although DW hasn't let me try it yet for any of our LV trips.)

Good luck.

G.

 

[gratefuled]

Do not, under any circumstances, stay at the High Hat on Las Vegas Boulevard.

My buddy and I arrive in Las Vegas after a few days' trekking in Mojave. No reservations, dead on our feet. Every place in town was booked solid. We looked for hours and finally entered the High Hat lobby.

Us: "We need a room."
Desk Clerk (eyeballing us): "Got nothin'."
Us: "Nothing?"
Desk Clerk: "Well, we got room 21."
Us: "Sound great. We'll take it."
Desk Clerk: "The bathroom don't work."
Us (looking at each other and figuring we'll bathe in the pool): "We'll take it anyway."
Desk Clerk: "That'll be two hundred bucks. Cash."
Us: "What?"
Desk Clerk (with a sly smile): "Oh, come on, boys...what ya'll want a room for doesn't take more than a couple of hours, does it?"

 

[John Galt]

We got married in Las Vegas. Stayed at The Aladdin
and got married at The Flamingo. Thus, we opted for
more upscale lodging. Anyway, we checked out a lot of places (including wedding chapels) on the Internet
before we went (first time there for both of us). Some
of the websites looked nice until we saw them up close and personal. A couple we wouldn't have entered
without a HAZMAT suit

JG

 

[Beachbumz]

Try www.travelworm.com, they had the best rates when we went to Las Vegas 2 weeks ago.

 

[BigMoneyJim]

I didn't realize going on superbowl weekend would result in higher rates, but that does seem to be the case. What's odd is that places seem to be sold out Friday but not Saturday which seems to be at odds with the superbowl-busy theory. Oh well.

Palace station is $99 for Friday and $169 for Saturday. The Somerset house looks a tad scary to me; I don't mind Motel 6--in fact I checked them out for this trip but they were sold out--but one reviewer described Somerset as several notches below Motel 6.

I was about to reserve The Cal for $80 on Saturday but found Fitzgeralds on Freemont Street for $65/night through Travelworm. At that price I may stay two nights if they have a vacancy and the Friday night flight isn't full. Otherwise I'll go for The Cal this time.

Hey, since there are a few travelers on here and people living all over the country I wonder if there would be interest in a "Travel Talk" forum here for this type of thread? At least here I'm fairly sure the regulars aren't shills; I can't be sure with other sites.

 

[BigMoneyJim]

ACK! Maybe superbowl weekend is a bad time to fly to Vegas. I'm flying standby, and the flights I've checked on are booked full or near full and unlikely to let me on.

I'll sleep on it and decide if I want to brave the odds or wait for a more available weekend.

 

[Beachbumz]

BigMoneyJim,
I used travelworm and booked Fitzgeralds (It's a nice enough place, after 9pm, you can get ribeye and lobster for 14.95 and it's excellent). Just be sure you get the email confirmation from travelworm. I had the one when I booked it and it did say I'd get an email (which I didn't read). When I arrived in Las Vegas, they didn't have the booking. Of course, the hotel blamed travelworm and I'm sure travelworm would blame the hotel, but I didn't bother with that. We got it straight, but it took about an hour on the phone.

The Beachbumz

BTW, I would love to see a "traveltalk" forum on here.

 

[yelnad]

This morning NPR reported that Superbowl weekend is one of the busiest weekends in Vegas.

 

[BigMoneyJim]

Figures. Bad timing. I decided not to try it. Since I was flying standby I was highly unlikely to get the early flight out or the late flight back, so I was looking at arrivng early Saturday evening and leaving early Sunday afternoon. I decided it wasn't what I had in mind and will wait for a less busy weekend.

I will go, though, and the suggestions in this thread have been very helpful. Thanks!

 

[retire@40]

I would love to see a "traveltalk" forum on here.

I've stated before that the "Retirement Afloat" category doesn't get much activity and should be made into a subcategory of a "Travel in Retirement" category.  There are many travel threads scattered throughout this forum that would be well placed in a single category.  I don't know if Dory reads every post here, so I will private message him.  Maybe if he hears from enough members here, he may consider making that change.

 

[Beachbumz]

That's a great idea!