Las Vegas - Help a LAS newbie out!

Hey FT LAS Crowd:

This is definitely one of the more entertaining forums on the FT site! I have found some great info, but am looking for a little bit more that I could not find...

My wife and I are travelling with another couple to LAS mid-Nov. Generally speaking, I book reward air travel and hotel on hotwire or priceline. I realize we are asking for a lot, but we want a 5-star experience for as little dough as possible! Don't we all....

I see some ok prices on hotwire, but one thing I am not clear on is room. Is it safe to say that Hotwire bookings get you a standard room? Does the $20 upgrade option work on these kind of bookings? Or should I really be looking for deals from the property directly?

I happen to be in LAS next week for a conference. Is there any merit in walking into one of the properties we are thinking about and trying to negotiate a superior rate in person? If i cound get a great deal, I would book on the spot. Anyone ever tried this before?

We are not gamblers per se. That is, no comp'd rooms due to casino activity. We are going for a new experience, never having been before. We love good food. And being a Canadian, we will hit the outlet mall.

Any Canadian Dollare at par deals anymore? Not that it matters that much really...

Thanks for your help!

Hi Bluenose. While the wife and I have booked using Priceline before, we've never done it for Vegas. Generally, we like a little more certainty on where we'd be staying in Vegas.

There are usually a lot of deals to be had. We usually look at Travelzoo and a Vegas deals thread on FatWallet. (I have a few more fav's but I don't remember them off the top of my head and I've lost their bookmarks.) They'll usually list a promo code that and link you to the hotel to book directly. Alternatively, we've checked hotel websites for the best deals for a date range and the numbers occasionally came up noticeably better on Travelocity. I suspect because you're basically locking in when you book with Travelocity, Expedia, etc.

Having never used Priceline for a Vegas hotel, I haven't tried a $20upgrade with a Priceline win. However, we've tried it with some crazy promo rates and were successful. Eg. Planet Hollywood, 2for1. Something like $95/night booking the cheapest room we could (this was during reno's from Aladdin to PH) . We only stayed 2 nights so room rate ended up about $50/night after taxes. $20 got us a renovated room facing the Bellagio facing the fountains. Even my "frugal" wife was impressed. (With or w/out the $20, the main things are to be friendly and just ask.)

Even tho you aren't a gambler, I hope you are getting a slot card. You sometimes get promos, freebies, and/or discounts with it.
Personally I like the northern Outlet Mall with the outdoor walkways. The southern one is more traditional indoor under one roof. Sign up on Premium's website to get various free coupons.
There are a lot of meal deals. You just have to do some research.

YMMV regarding using the $20 trick. However, higher end properties may require an inflated trick to work. If you don't do any gaming you're not going to get a better deal ahead of time.

Some more info can be found here with regard to promos:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/las-vegas/283841-consolidated-hotel-deals-discounts-codes-best-rates-___-thread-12.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/las-vegas/283996-consolidated-wynn-thread-14.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hotel-deals/929586-las-vegas-codes-promos.html

Also try travelzoo.com.

Enjoy.

Even tho you aren't a gambler, I hope you are getting a slot card. You sometimes get promos, freebies, and/or discounts with it.

Sorry for the (possibly ignorant) question, but slot cards....they would be for the casino at the hotel at which we are staying? Or should I sign up for a bunch of them?

Harrah's is the only frequent vistors program I know about (the HBS cases...)

Depending on the casino, they may have their own if they are independent or share a card if they are part of a larger group of casinos. Consider signing up for slot cards other than your own hotel's if you don't mind the wait (occasional long line up) and the stuff they're offering.

Again, you should probably research or just ask once you're there what the benefits are since the promos change. Generally, the free stuff is pretty basic but you can occasionally get stuff like free slot play, discounts on food, etc. Some cards will have relatively low point requirements for free food (eg. The Wynn had free buffets after X pts. Unsure if they still offer this). If you're playing a bit, you might as well use a slot card. My wife isn't a heavy player and last year, she surprisingly was offered a couple of nights free at the Encore that we took advantage of in January.

I realize we are asking for a lot, but we want a 5-star experience for as little dough as possible!

Please define a "5-star experience." ;);)

If it's just a largish suite, with great views, that's one thing....

If it's 5* service and dining (as well as stellar accommodations, spa amenities, transportation and other services), that's a different animal.

Of course, a 'real 5* experience' would probably be impossible for 'as little dough as possible' --- as fine dining, spa, entertainment, and VIP transportation are often part of that mix; though, of recent, there have most definitely been 'deals' that will allow for the 'experience' at a significant discount, YMMV.

Please define a "5-star experience." ;);)

If it's just a largish suite, with great views, that's one thing....

If it's 5* service and dining (as well as stellar accommodations, spa amenities, transportation and other services), that's a different animal.



Yeah, I think the latter. I will take service quality over a larger room anytime.

Thanks everyone for your help....am in DEN en route to LAS for the "trip before the trip" so will see if I can walk in and get any deals!