Been to Vegas lately?

DangerMouse

DangerMouse

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Just wondered if anyone has been to Vegas lately. I'm planning a trip with the girls next month and I have been surprised at the cost of hotels compared with what we paid last year. I thought that Vegas was supposed to be hurting and was wrongly assuming we would be able to get the same great deals as we did last year.

However, based on how much higher the prices are in 2010 vs 2009 I am led to believe that they are plenty busy.
 
We were in Vegas in May. Hotel prices were down then, but the place sure seemed crowded. We got a package deal from Southwest Airlines. We stayed at the Monto Carlo for three night. The package deal was air from Dallas, 3 nights at the Monto Carlo, and tickets to a top show for $429 each. We saw Love from great seats.. The last time we were in Vegas (2008) the cheapest ticket for Love was $130, and being the LBYM people that we are we didn't see it in 2008. The $429 each this past May seemed like a steal to us.
 
i've been thinking about going in oct. i think the vegas deals come more last minute. e.g. if you search on dates a month out, they are much more than dates a few days away. i did a quick search starting this wednesday for about 5 nights on orbitz and there were plpenty coming in around $50/night w/tax. not sure how you plan on "rolling" while there...
 
I'm in Vegas now and have been here a few days a month for a part-time consulting gig since May.

I've only been to the Strip twice since May and it was -- as usual -- mobbed, expensive, tacky, overwhelming to the senses and everything else it has ever been. You might score a nice hotel package but otherwise prepare for the usual costs and craziness.

No surprises far as I can tell.
 
We have been bombarded with offers from the various hotel/casinos we've stayed at over the years. When we signed up for the cards for the slot points (for comps and such) we gave them one of our lesser Email addresses. This was over about a 10 year period when we would go once a year for a work-related trade show. The last time was about 5 or 6 years ago.

Recent offers: Venetian at under $100, Monte Carlo for $39, all seem like low prices to me. Comparable offers from T.I. and even a couple of places that didn't exist last visit. How good does it have to be?
 
I am with John. I stick to the Harrah's properties and have gotten a ton of promotions the last couple of years. My last trip in July my 3 nights at Bally's were free as was the gimmicky poker tourney. I meet a bunch of my Silicon Valley friends and even the non gamblers in the group got the pay for 1 night and get two nights free. It is absolutely worth signing up for the casino promotional cards to get the special deals.

There is a huge difference between midweek and Saturday night rooms. So a room that might cost $50 midweek will often cost $250 on Saturday. So if you can avoid staying on both Friday and Saturday that will definitely help.

Finally one bit of non obvious advice despite everybody encouraging you to do everything on the internet, calling the place directly can get you some pretty fabulous deals. Vegas is still hurting badly and good deals are out there. My last 4 trips I've spent less than $250 total for hotel rooms of more dozen nights at Bally's, Paris, and Rio.
 
I am receiving all those emails offering rooms at the Monte Carlo etc. for $39, however they are all total BS. As soon as you go to book the dates you want, which include a Friday/Saturday stay the room rate jumps to $120, then they add tax, plus they all now have a resort fee of about $30 per night. So you can take those emails with a pinch of salt because you are unlikely to get anything you want for that price.

Cliff, thanks for that info. I will wait a few weeks until the trip gets closer and give a few of our chosen hotels a call to see what I can get.
 
Odd, I didn't think the regulars of this board would also be Vegas regulars.
 
Just back from Vegas yesterday. It was a decompression for us for a couple days after rafting the Colorado River. We usually stay at Ballys since it is literally conjoined with Paris Hotel and pretty good. We commonly get $39 deals from the Bally system but this time the place was full so we ended up at th Imperial Palace, yuck, never again will I stay there.
We did see Zumanity, see that with your spouse or SO or someone picked up on the strip, do not see it alone or with younger members of your family.:blush:
Vegas seemed quite vibrant, the new Aria is interesting. Lots of shows, good food, people watching and even some gambling. There are was to save money but you do have to search them out. Just walking around is fun.
 
going to vegas for first time next weekend
interesting comments on prices (we are paying more than everyone here listed)
 
Absolutely! Although we live SE of the strip in Henderson so you'd be a bit far from the action :)
 
Couple of tips that you guys may already be aware of, but if not can save you money:

1. Buy your show tickets from Tix4Tonight (never pay retail!) The have same day tickets for just about every show on the strip. You physically have to go to the Tix4Tonight booth, but there are several on the strip. Discounts are anywhere from 20 - 50%.

2. When you get to a casino go to guest services and get their coupon sheet. Some of the coupons are lame, but some have blackjack matchplay, slots matchplay and great food discounts.

3. Take advantage of the free stuff! Downtown has the "Fremont Street Experience". It's a huge outdoor street party and on the weekends has live music.

4. A lot of people don't know this one and I certainly didn't before moving here. You may want to rent a car. The strip is LONG (over 5 miles) and walking can be exhausting and cabs can be expensive. Every hotel has free self-parking for their guests and the parking towers are super easy to get in and out of. Note: this tip only works if there is a designated driver in the party!

5. If you have a car you can eat MUCH more cheaply (and usually better) than eating all your meals on the strip. One place in particular that has WONDERFUL breakfast is Blueberry Hill. It's a family owned small chain of restaurants that has a location just NE of the strip....I just can't see the attraction of paying $20+ for a buffet, but I guess some do. If you do want to experience some fine dining on the strip, Tix4Tonight has food discounts as well. You pay $2 - $3 for the coupon and can get 50% off of your meal. A good example is BeniHana. For $3 whole bucks you can save 50% on your check (not including alcohol and tips).

I've run out of 'top of the mind' ideas for saving money at the moment, but if I think of any more I'll add them.

Have fun!!
 
Well, I'm going on a trip to Reno in a week or two. Not as overwhelming to the senses as Vegas, but still fun and besides, it's only $40 round trip on the Greyhound from the Bay Area where I live. That together with $39 rooms should be a fun few days.
 
Lisa99 said:
3. Take advantage of the free stuff! Downtown has the "Fremont Street Experience". It's a huge outdoor street party and on the weekends has live music.
Click to expand...
It was also my experience that if one is going to do "budget" casino gaming, the downtown/Fremont Street area has considerably more "cheapskate" slot machines and lower minimum blackjack tables than on the Strip. My wife played her first casino blackjack in a Fremont Street casino with a $2 minimum -- and had a streak of beginner's luck, won 7 of the 8 hands she played and left $20 richer. :)
 
Agree completely Ziggy! And while we don't gamble now that we live out here, when we used to visit occasionally I had more fun playing at the 'lower end' casinos. I know it is completely psychological, but I felt really out of my league playing at places like Bellagio.

We found a dealer at Circus Circus, of all places, that was a riot and once we found him didn't go anywhere else.
 
Thamks Lisa for the tip on tickets4tonight, I'll check them out as a frequent visitor.
 
Hi Danger, I haven't seen it but I've included a link to the local newspaper's review of it. They liked it. http://www.lvrj.com/neon/40836452.html

Also, every time we've been to tix4tonight, Tony and Tina's has had tickets available so you should have no problems.

Have fun!
 
And for the non gamblers, etc, Vegas is a good place to fly to and then drive to some wonderful parks in southern Utah: Bryce Canyon, Zion - and there's Red Rocks (or something like that with Red in the name) for hiking near Vegas as well. For more of a 'normal' city Henderson or Boulder City are nearby (I think Boulder City has an ordinance against gambling in the city - no slots, etc). Henderson is where UNLV is - don't know how the basketball team is doing now, but they used to be top-notch.

Laughlin AFB is in Vegas and you could theoretically watch fighter jets landing and taking off - also, Vegas has a speedway where NASCAR comes at least once yearly.

Then, there's the Boulder Dam, Lake Mead.....so it's not all about gambling. I'm not a big fan of the strip area - also prefer Fremont street - it's sort of a mall. Circus, Circus had a quarter craps table the last time I gambled - that was fun and didn't kill the pocket book.
 
ziggy29 said:
It was also my experience that if one is going to do "budget" casino gaming, the downtown/Fremont Street area has considerably more "cheapskate" slot machines and lower minimum blackjack tables than on the Strip. My wife played her first casino blackjack in a Fremont Street casino with a $2 minimum -- and had a streak of beginner's luck, won 7 of the 8 hands she played and left $20 richer. :)
Click to expand...

Gambling in Fremont Street was pretty depressing when I was there last about 5 years back. I saw a lot of people who looked very down on their luck and one guy who was wheeling around his oxygen tank between craps tables. It wasn't scary or anything, just depressing. Has it gone upscale recently? Vegas must be hurting. My coworker, who gambles a bit, has gotten a ton of comp'd rooms and shows over the last 6 months. He says he has never gotten that much in all the years he has been going to Vegas.

Our last 2 stops in Vegas have been on the way to and from Zion NP. It's one of our favorite parks. Deserat, I think you are referring to Red Rock Canyon. It's a nice diversion and close to Vegas:

Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association
 
Got back from Vegas with dw 2 weeks ago. We stayed at Harrah's (our place, since we like to play at the Mirage but don't want to pay the premium, also Harrah's has no 'resort fee' (read hotel equivilent of airline bag fee)). 30 bucks a night for the week days and 100 bucks for the weekends. Get a Harrah's players card and go to the website for the best price. I found and booked the low rates about a month in advance. I usually do that. You have to arrange your trip when there are no conventions or big conferences in town. That's when the prices usually go up.

Have fun
 
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