With my new dates, the MGM Grand is definitely out of my price range.

The three I'm considering at the moment are Bill's Gamblin' Hall, Circus Circus or (if I can get it) LV Hilton's 3 nights for 2 promotion. Leaning towards Bill's Gamblin' Hall as it seems the best compromise between price, location and quality (at least according to the reviews I'm seeing).

Thanks for the advice.

Bill's is a great choice. A $20 tip at checkin could work wonders with your room assignment. Make sure to catch Big Elvis. Also, Tix4tonite has a booth right at Bill's. Catch a show on the cheap.
Enjoy.

+1 on Bill's - this is a hidden gem right at center Strip. Very easy walking to lots of attractions. When I'm not accumulating Marriott or SPG points, this is where I stay. Ask nicely for a high south-facing room and you probably won't even need the $20 trick.

The airport is less than 15 minutes away by cab from the strip, so I don't know that there's any advantage to booking a "closer" hotel to the airport. At 7:20 a.m., you'll have no traffic and security should clear fairly quickly. You'll also likely run into other passengers who have gone for the "stay out all night" option - rather drunk and very tired.

Also, no problem picking up your bag from the hotel at 5 a.m. Just leave your luggage with the bell desk - it's usually manned 24 hours. Just tip the bell hop $1-2 when you pick up your bag. You can double check their hours when you drop off the bag.

Again, thanks for all the advice.

Found a promotion which was a bit too good to pass up, even if the hotel is a bit questionable. $USD 54 (including resort fee) for two nights and $100 promotional slot play at Hooters. Not my first choice, but it comes out at about $50 less than Bill's for those two nights.

Still haven't decided about the third night. If I do book a hotel, it'll likely be the Tuscany, which is quite cheap ($USD 40) and less than 500m from the 108 bus line to the airport.

She left an unsecured laptop in her room? I wouldn't do that at the Bellagio.

I'd consider the Imperial Palace as a better location than Hooters and early check in wasn't an issue there for us (we didn't actually stay the night but had a late flight out so checked in at 8am and left at 10pm as the night's rate was only $15). It's $24 per night on your dates -if the Hooters slots deal is only on selected machines then this is IMO a better deal.
Rooms were clean, bit basic and tired but adequate and the location is far better for what you're looking for than Hooters.

Hooters and Tuscany are off the Strip. Why are you going to Las Vegas? Just to save a buck? Stay center strip (Bill's or IP) one night first. If you don't love it, you can always bail out for the other places.
Don't worry about getting to the airport, it's very easy from anywhere on the Strip.

I'll probably do that, but that's because my laptop is 2001 vintage and almost worthless (and contains no sensitive information).

The reason I'm going to Vegas is that I managed to get a very cheap flight to the US. $NZD 1 + fees (so $NZD120.30) return from AKL-SFO, with a 2 week stay. I've already seen a bit of SFO/LAX/SAN on my last trip (same price, but for 5 days) so decided to see a new city. I don't really have enough income to travel much at the moment, so if it wasn't for the cheap ticket I wouldn't be going at all.

I chose Hooters because it was very cheap, was in a better location than Golden Gate and the reviews didn't read as badly as the Imperial Palace. It's only ~1 block away from the strip, and I don't mind walking. Haven't booked Tuscany yet, but it seems a reasonable price and the reviews seem pretty good.

That doesn't actually save you any money. If you're getting Hooters for less than $25 a night, staying at the Tuscany costs an additional $15. A cab ride to the airport from the Hooters should be around $15 with tip. The Tuscany and Hooters are about the same distance from the airport.

So, it looks to me like the choice is 3 nights at the Hooters and a cab ride to the airport. Or, 2 nights at Hooters, 1 night at the Tuscany (which is a nice hotel), a 500m walk and a bus ride to the airport. Both cost the same amount of money.

The third night at Hooters would cost me $57.50 ($50 + $7.50 resort fee). A Tuscany it's $40 ($30 + $10 resort fee). Being (from what I can tell) a nicer hotel and closer to the airport I should be able to get more sleep on that last night than I would at Hooters as well.

Anyway, I'll find out when I'm there whether I made the right decision.

I'll probably be staying in USA Hostels in San Diego again, so now I just need to find a place to stay in LA and SF.

IP for your dates is now $49 for 2 nights

As a fellow cheapskate I recommend that you eat at the Ellis Island Casino and Brewery just off the strip.
The place and its prices are legendary.

+1 --- the BBQ restaurant is a whole in the wall with some good food. And the price are OK http://www.ellisislandcasino.com/bbq.html

I have been a bit wary of Tropicana since I read they source their water from a well. May have changed by now since their health scare some time back.