Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
dozens of other events (I happened to be there when there was a surge in people
trying to break the world record for the largest game of “telephone” ever) and that
old saying “no room at the inn” takes on new meaning.
I won't sugarcoat it for you: Finding the right room at a good rate takes a mix-
ture of ingenuity, persistence, and that rarest of all commodities in “Pair-O-
Dice”—dumb luck. Below, I'll outline the various ways to save on digs, from
going at the right time to talking with the right people.
Further below those tips are reviews of the hotels that consistently offer the
best deals. You'll notice that I have not included such heavily promoted proper-
ties as Wynn Las Vegas, the Venetian, THEHotel at Mandalay Bay, the Mirage,
Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas, and several others. While these are all plush proper-
ties and have their charms, they rarely offer the affordable rates that cost-con-
scious travelers are seeking. I'm not saying it never happens—hey, this is Vegas,
Baby, and anything's possible—but I strongly feel you'll get better value for the
dollar at the hotels in this chapter.
SIX WAYS TO SAVE BIG ON A HOTEL ROOM
Nothing is ever guaranteed, of course, but by following the suggestions below you
should save enough money to more than justify the purchase of this topic.
(1) Go at the right time
If you can figure out how to do this, ditch all other methods. There's simply no
better way to save money in Vegas than to go when the town is slow, as prices in
this mathematically savvy city are set by supply and demand. And Vegas' planners
are getting more sophisticated by the hour at calibrating just when the town's
going to be busy. Which means that if you're able to travel during a convention-
free week, when the temperature's pushing 115°F (46°C), and no major sports
teams are playing anywhere, you could very well find yourself center Strip, in a
luxe room, for just $39 to $49 a night. Vacation at a time when all of those fac-
tors are against you (great weather, loads of gadget-pushing conventioneers, and
every seat taken in the Sports Book) and that same room, and I mean that very
same room—same hotel, same floor, same number—might top $229. I've seen
prices flip-flop between those extremes in the course of 1 day.
How can you tell, then, if you're visiting at an advantageous moment? Follow
these rules of thumb. In general, December and January are slow, with the excep-
tion of the time of the National Finals Rodeo (early Dec), New Year's Week, Super
Bowl weekend, and the week of the Consumer Electronics show. Beastly weather
keeps July and August affordable, except when the World Series of Poker is in
town or there's a large convention. And, of course, weekdays are always cheaper
than weekends (with some small exceptions).
But dates can also vary significantly within the fall and spring months as well.
For more specific information, go online. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors
Authority (www.visitlasvegas.com) offers a free listing of every convention up to
12 months out, with their dates. As it may be difficult for an outsider to tell which
of these will really paralyze the town, it's also useful to visit the Strip casino hotel's
websites directly—really, any will do—and search for their pricing calendar. It will
list starting rates for each day of the month up to 5 months ahead. On most web-
sites, you'll click on the “Special Offers” section of that site to access the calendar.
(Often, but not always, if one hotel's calendar shows it to be a busy period, prices
