ScottyVegas!

Let the fun begin! Searching for hotels can be frustrating to say the least. Do a Google search for “best rate Las Vegas hotels” and you will get over a million hits. In this post I will illustrate how I go about looking for the lowest hotel rates in Las Vegas.

Before you begin, you will need to decide if you want to stay on or off the strip. If it is your first visit to Las Vegas staying on the strip is a must. Part of the allure of Vegas is the strip itself and staying anywhere other than on the strip your first time would be cheating yourself, well at least I think so. It is a great feeling walking out of your hotel and being right on Las Vegas Boulevard where all the action is.

Off strip casino hotels usually offer lower room rates, cheaper food prices, and lower table minimums. Some even offer shuttle buses to the strip. My advice remains, if it’s your first trip to Vegas, stay on the strip, even if you have to pay more.

Fat Wallet

http://www.fatwallet.com/

Fatwallet is an online community where members share deals on almost anything. But if you look under Forums then Travel Deals and finally “Las Vegas Promos….” You’ll find current offered promotions from various Las Vegas hotels. I’ve stayed at Planet Hollywood for $79 per night using a promo code from this forum. When planning a trip to Vegas I always, always check out this Las Vegas Promo site.

Tip: Visit strip hotels websites and register your email address. They will send you hotel offers (promo’s).

Tip: When you visit Vegas sign up for each Casino’s players card.

What is a promo code? Casino hotels often send out postal mail and/or email to registered player card members announcing promotions (promo) to entice you to stay at their property. The promos usually involve a combination of: discounted hotel rates, free play (“free” money to gamble with), show discounts, and/or food discounts. A promo code will be printed on the promotional advertisement. When you call or reserve on the internet you will need this promo code.

Tripres.com

http://www.tripres.com/default.aspx

TripRes.com is a Hotel broker site where the company buys blocks of hotel rooms and resells them at a discount. I have found some great deals at TripRes. The reservation process is very easy and I found the customer service reps knowledgeable about the company’s policies. As a bonus the reps I’ve talked to even spoke perfect English! I found the whole reservation process very easy and comforting.

I4vegas

http://www.i4vegas.com/

This is another broker site. I always check this site when searching room rates. Like TripRes this site allows you to get a good idea on what the room prices will be during your stay. I like the sorting capabilities High to Low, Low to High, On strip, Off Strip, etc.. I have found some good deals through these broker sites. I have called hotels directly asking for the deals found on these sites and have been told they could not match them.

Warning: Before you book a room through a broker PLEASE read and familiarize yourself with the brokers cancelation policy.  Broker cancelation policies are stricter than when you book directly through the hotel itself and have penalties associated with cancelling reservations.

Regardless where you reserve your room do your homework first and don’t reserve the first “deal” you find.

Going Direct

Remember, if you find a good rate going direct, book it (as long as you can cancel) then search for better deals. You can always book the better deal and cancel the previous.

Tip:  Before you pick your trip dates you might want to check and make sure no large conventions are going on. Large conventions will impact hotel rates and possibly your overall experience in LV.

Here are a couple of sites that list convention dates and number of attendees

http://www.lvol.com/conventions/index.html

http://www.pcap.com/lvconv.htm

There are plenty of sites that have this information, just Google it.

Filed under: Tips, Trip Planning, Warning | Tagged: code, Hotel, low, Promo |