When and Where for best Vegas hotel rates?

[oceanscape]

Hi

I have been told that reserving direct with the hotel is often the way to get the best rates - is this true?

Also, is it best to reserve early or nearer to departure? We need two rooms at the Mandalay Bay for this July. At the moment, the official site is quoting around $200/night for each (standard) room. Any chance this might go down?

Thanks!!

 

[ZekeKelso]

Book now. They will charge your credit card for the first night, but it's fully refundable if you cancel 48/72 hours in advance. Keep an eye on the price and adjust whenever it goes down.

If you know you want to stay at Mandalay (great place BTW) go ahead and sign up on their website for email specials. If you want to track the email specials for all resorts in Vegas, bookmark and track http://vegashotelspecial.com/

If your 2 nights are weeknights, there's a decent chance rates will go down. If they are weekends, $200 is great and it probably won't get cheaper.

 

[oceanscape]

Book now. They will charge your credit card for the first night, but it's fully refundable if you cancel 48/72 hours in advance. Keep an eye on the price and adjust whenever it goes down.

If you know you want to stay at Mandalay (great place BTW) go ahead and sign up on their website for email specials. If you want to track the email specials for all resorts in Vegas, bookmark and track http://vegashotelspecial.com/

If your 2 nights are weeknights, there's a decent chance rates will go down. If they are weekends, $200 is great and it probably won't get cheaper.

Thanks so much for the great advice and link. The dates are 07/23 to 07/27 which is a Monday - Friday. Do you think the rate might go down?

 

[oceanscape]

If you know you want to stay at Mandalay (great place BTW)

Have you stayed there before? I keep hearing reviews about it being too far away from the main "action" of the strip, but my kids are desperate to stay there because of the beach and pool. Do you think the location is okay?

 

[Kae]

Signing up at the resorts web site is a good way to get good rates.

Kae

 

[salmoneous]

One persons opinion: I've been to Vegas enough that I don't feel the need to sleep in the center of it all. I'm happy to spend some time in my resort, and then other times right in the middle of the strip.

Personally, I love the Mandalay. You could spend days there without leaving. Luxor/Excalibur are easy walks, and there is a tram if you don't want to walk.Once you are at the Excalibur, you are at one of the two epicenters of Vegas (the other being the Strip/Flamingo intersection.) My one and only complaint is that the pool is too darn crowded. It was crowded before theHotel opened, now its just nuts. But the water itself is less crowded than finding a good chair to sit and sun yourself. It's the sunbathers that really have to fight for space.

There are no guarantees with Vegas room prices, but I'd say you've got at least a 90% chance of seeing less that <$200 for weeknights in July. But always have a fully refundable backup just in case.

 

[Albort]

if your set on a hotel, its hard to pick deals...

i always check travelzoo.com

one time, i found Wynn Hotel Rooms (this was like 6-8 months since it was built) going for $139 +tax w/ $50 gambling credit. (kudoes to travelzoo.com)

It was the nicest rooms i have EVER been in.

 

[antmaril]

I agree with the advice to sign up for promotional e-mails at each hotel website. I think your rates will come down for a Monday - Friday stay in July. It will be brutally hot and summer is a great time for good rates.

I stayed in a huge suite at Bellagio on Labor Day for $299 per night. It was a bargain!

 

[ChrisnKim913]

I just booked July 22-28th at Mandalay Bay for our honeymoon. $1400 in a honeymoon suite for 6 nights, not too bad. I booked directly through the hotel's site.

 

[53offsuit]

Sign up for a Harrah's frequent player card. You can get special rates even as a member, even if you haven't gambled a lot (or any). Obviously the rates won't compare to what big-time gamblers pay (or get comped), but it's a start. Harrah's owns Caesar's, the Rio, etc.

Sign up at all hotels' websites for their mailing list. The Venetian offers some great email specials.

lvadvisor dot com and cheapovegas dot com are two that I've heard about for advice on being, well, cheap.

And also, if you're not traveling at a peak time, don't reserve a suite. Reserve a regular room, and use the $20 trick for a "free" upgrade. Google $20 trick and you'll find out how to do it right, and where it works.

 

[MARTINIUS]

OK Guys - Great advice - but does anyone have a definitive easy to access list of all the Hotel Websites of Vegas Hotels so I can sign up for their special deal emails.

 

[antmaril]

bellagio.com
flamingolasvegas.com
wynnlasvegas.com
parislasvegas.com

You get the idea. If you are in doubt, Google is your friend.

 

[Rapunsel]

Nice cheap hotel right on the strip....

Casino Royale.. $99 a night. cheaper during the week. Totally worth it to us. Right next door to Harrahs.