Las Vegas - July in Vegas

I've begun planning a multi-location vacation for Summer of 2007. It will include three nights in Vegas in late July (tues-fri, 24-27). I've been watching the online promo's and I was wondering if anyone knew whether special rates were ever offered that time of year and if so, when I should start looking for them.

Thanks!

My birthday is in July, so of course it is a special month in Las Vegas.

You are wise to come in the summer - often people shun Las Vegas (add whine: "It's too hot...") but us dumb locals gots us some fancy city-folk air conditioning and we crank it up when it gets toasty outside. To be quite honest, bring a sweater and a few long sleeve shirts - they crank those AC's up and you can freeze to death if you sit at a machine for over 10 minutes, or go see a show.

The best bet is to start making some calls now. Although for the most part, good rates can be had in the summer months, there is always that danger that you hit the exact week and days of some convention in town. Always, and I mean without fail, ask what the rates are a week before, and a week after your tentative dates. You might be surprised that by coming a week earlier or a week later, you can save a huge amount of money for the same room!

Another "trick" is to be extremely polite when you call the hotel/casinos - get their normal rates and then ask, "are you running any specials around that time?" More often than not, the operator will then inform you about some deals they have (hey, if you don't ask, they don't have to tell ya!). It might just be a package with a free show, or a package with a room upgrade, or it might be a package with an extra free day or even a lower price. But ask!!!!

And I said to be extra polite as those poor operators get enough nasty people .....ing on the phone all day - if you seem like a nice person, they are inclined to go the extra mile for you. I once had an operator go out of her way to put me down for every "special rate" possible - I think I became a teacher/engineer/member of the armed forces/platinum card member of every credit card/etc etc until my rate dropped to an unbelievable price. She had all the codes right there and filled them in for me.

Another nice thing about July is you get to take full advantage of the swimming pools (though maybe not exactly at 3-5PM when it is the hottest part of the day.) You might want to take that into consideration and look for the best pools - Mandalay Bay and Bellagio for instance, and even the Tropicana (a somewhat run-down property that could be a great value for you) has one of the best pool areas on The Strip and would be worth putting up with their less-than-stellar rooms.

In other words, yes - July (and August) are good times to come to Las Vegas to get (somewhat) cheaper rates and take full advantage of the pool areas.

Have fun, and I will let you know later where you can drop off my birthday gift.

Thanks for the quick response. I've been checking online, but I probably should call around as well.

Bring on the heat!!

- oh, forgot to mention one little thing:
July is considered the beginning of monsoon season here. Granted, it doesn't rain in Las Vegas all that often (even in July), and sometimes nothing more than a few sprinkles, but there have been some wild storms during that month with flooding. It doesn't exactly happen like clockwork - some summers we get almost no rain at all - but just thought I would give you a heads up.

I've begun planning a multi-location vacation for Summer of 2007. It will include three nights in Vegas in late July (tues-fri, 24-27). I've been watching the online promo's and I was wondering if anyone knew whether special rates were ever offered that time of year and if so, when I should start looking for them.

Thanks!

You'll be there during the middle of the week so that would be good for hotel rates. There also does not appear to be any major conventions during that week. I recommend you book what you desire and continue checking every other week, then weekly beginning about 8-10 weeks out. If get something better then cancel the original reservation. Have fun.

I agree with kingalien - book something refundable now, but wait until you get closer and you'll likely get a better deal.

Summer nights are interseting in Vegas because the wind, rather than being a nice cool breeze, is like a hairdryer blowing in your face - it's hotter with the wind than without it.

Summer nights...is like a hairdryer blowing in your face - it's hotter with the wind than without it.

That made me laugh - the first time we ever visited Las Vegas was in the early 80's and had flown in from Berlin. Got here at about 11:00 PM and as we stepped off the plane onto the ramp leading into the airport, I said, "gee, how cold is it here? They have the heater blowing full blast!"

Needless to say, it wasn't the heater, it was simply a late night, Las Vegas wind blowing that heat in our face. And yes, it really did feel like someone was aiming a hairdryer at us.

I figured our best bet would be to schedule our stop in Vegas for mid-week.

Although we do gamble, I am looking for a hotel with beautiful grounds and pool area. Right now I think we've narrowed it down to Wynn, Bellagio, & Caesars.

I agree with the advice from others. I'd like to add that if the heat is a concern for you, you can always take advantage of a day trip or side trip or two to Flagstaff and/or southern Utah. The north rim of the grand canyon is well worth it.

I usually stay at the Flamingo (great location and pool) and am monitoring it now for a late April or early May trip. I like their website as it shows their "hot deals" in a calendar format, so it makes it easier to pick our trip dates. I notice they carried this over from the Park Place days to Harrahs, so you can see it for their other properties too. It seems the promos get announced two to three months in advance.

Make sure you are registered for e-mails from your casinos of choice. Flamingo and Harrah's both just sent me e-mails with a promo code good through the end of March. The promo seems to be about 10% below the standard website pricing. I don't gamble much there, so this is probably not even a casino rate deal.

I also agree that if you see something good, book it - just make sure it is refundable. My trip last year I cancelled and rebooked three times as the price kept dropping. I also booked a two day package plus an extra day - it was cheaper that way. I just had them combine the reservations when I checked in.

I love going to Vegas in July and August. My biggest pet peeve, however, is that the pool at Mandalay Bay is a zoo. It has great attractions -- wave pool and lazy river -- but it's extremely crowded. You can expect, especially on weekends, chaise lounges literally abutting each other, such that it's hard to even find a spot. Tough to get drink service. Lots of screaming kids. (Did they expand or add a new pool for The Hotel? It was bad enough last time I was there, before TH even opened!)

I find the atmosphere and service far better at the Bellagio pool, although it doesn't have the attractions. Or you could stay at the Four Seasons, which has its own tranquil pool area but also access to the Mandalay Bay pool.

July can be very HOT, but in my experience it's one of the most economical times to go to Vegas. (And hey, it's a dry heat.) I believe July is the slowest month of the year in terms of conventions, and that means that there are a lot of empty beds in Vegas. Which means you can get great deals.

For instance, one of the more expensive places to stay on the strip, Skylofts at MGM Grand, often charges $800-$1,500 per night for a one-bedroom suite. During July, the rate dips down to $600 a night (Monday->Thursday), the lowest rate they publish months in advance. Last July, at the last minute the rates dropped down to $490 a night for some July nights -- which rarely happens with Skylofts. Not many people are going to pay that much money for a room, but I've seen this same pattern repeat across most strip hotels.

If you can arrive on a Monday and leave on a Friday, you'll get the best rates. Rates (and crowds) usually go up on weekends. So you should be able to find some good rates when you're planning on visiting.

Prices do fluctuate quite a bit (sometimes on a daily basis), as hotels try to predict supply and demand. So I like the advice of finding something good now, and then keeping an eye on other possible deals as July approaches.

I am considering Vegas for a 5th wedding anniversary trip. The appropriate weekend would start on the 6th of July (a Friday) - is this weekend likely to be any busier? (being the weekend after independence day).

I am considering Vegas for a 5th wedding anniversary trip. The appropriate weekend would start on the 6th of July (a Friday) - is this weekend likely to be any busier? (being the weekend after independence day).

Las Vegas room rates are always a case of supply and demand. I think it is safe to say that weekend will be fully booked, and thus prices will be very high. Many people will be taking off the day or two after July 4th and making a long weekend out of it - and any time there is a long weekend, rates shoot up in Las Vegas.

Just to try out this theory - ask for room rates the weekend of the 6th, and then ask for the rates the following weekend. My guess is you will see a dramatic decrease in the price of rooms the following weekend.