I'm having an awful time getting a decent rate on a strip hotel for 10/17-18. Usually one can get a pretty good rate for a weeknight but so far no luck for me. Even with Priceline I've tried bidding $110+tax for a 4-star and been rejected.

Vegas can be hard when there's a convention or something in town, which is what I suspect is my problem for these dates.

Now, back on topic. Have you tried Luxor? I have always liked the rooms there, even the older pyramid rooms. If not Luxor, maybe try Aladdin, which I believe is a *W property, although I'm far from certain about that. Maybe it's just a *W partner or something.

Anyway, just stay far, far away from Imperial Palace. It's right on the strip and cheap but it's basically a trailer park in tower form with a weird Japanese theme. I'm sure you can find trip reports on the various hotels here on FT, too. Good luck and let us know which hotel you end up choosing!