Believe it or not there are great deals in Las Vegas and other casinos around the country. You just have to know when and were to look to find some of the best deals available anywhere and you get to stay in 4 star and 5 star hotels! I am still amazed when people tell me that it is expensive to go to Vegas , Tunica, Biloxi or Atlantic city. They tell me they are paying significant dollars for a room, the meals and the shows and yes you will if you just call them up and book a room , dinner or a show.
In fact you will pay top dollar at all of these locations if you act like a tourist and book online or direct with any of the hotels at these locations. Especially in Vegas, the hotels are 5 star, or at least the large well know hotels such as Wynn, Bellagio, Ti , Mirage etc. When there is a major conference taking place, you can be sure that the conference attendees are paying top dollars for their rooms.
An Example of an Inexpensive Room During a Large Conference
A few years ago I booked a room at the Bellagio Casino Hotel. We had a slot card and have played at this hotel several times, so I thought we would stay there for a change. I called our slot host and she quoted a rate of $125 per night which was the casino rate at the time. I thought this was high ( we have stayed there for less on other vacations), but we really wanted to stay at the Bellagio this time so we agreed.
Upon checking in I was informed that the rate was $250 per night. Of course I referred to our reservation and it was confirmed at $125 which was our original rate. Once we had all of this straightened out I asked the receptionist why the change in rates?
Apparently the hotel was near capacity due to a large conference taking place in the hotel. The hotel has approximately 4500 rooms! Anyway they had increased rates across the board, for casino patrons as well as conference guests. Anyone without a reservation was being quoted $700 / night and some were actually paying this amount for a very nice room, but not worth $700 any time!
Our slot card and slot host saved the day this time. This example just goes to show you that a room we would normally expect to pay $79/ night or even get free went to $125 , then to $250 and to $700 if you did not have a reservation at the casino.
Call and Book Ahead
Always call ahead and book a reservation. If the rates are over $100, ask for another night if you can be flexible and ask what events are taking place so you can get an idea of how you can negotiate and also perhaps when to change your dates. Sometimes by moving to another hotel that is not quite so busy , you can find very economic rates and very competitive as well.
Always speak to your slot host. They will do what they can to get you into their hotel at rates that are competitive and acceptable to you. They will help you understand which weeks you might want to consider or when they can give you better rates as well.
Hotel – air packages are also good to consider, especially if it is your first time in Las Vegas. Many people will use these packages to get to Vegas and then book vacation packages separately after that through their slot hosts.
Flexible Schedules
A lot of people cannot change their schedules due to work, business and family issues. This makes it more difficult to obtain the best deals, however if your schedule can be flexible then you can stay away from conference dates, week ends and other high traffic dates to get the best deal.
For example the Consumer Electronics Show is on in Vegas in January. There are over 120,000 people attending this show, so even with all of the rooms that Vegas has available, you can be sure that hotel rates are going to be high during that time period.
If you happen to be attending this show, your company has made the commitment for you to attend. On the other hand if you are paying personally, then you will want to stay away from these dates to avoid paying high rates.
We hoped this short post is helpful to readers. If you have comments and / or suggestions, please feel free to leave comments that will help our readers save money.
