Way OT

[snapdragen]

Anybody ever use hotels.com? I'm on the site, and it's been searching now for 20 minutes.... Surely it's not that hard to find a hotel in Las Vegas.

[bcipam]

I'm really not certain any of the companies (such as Expedia, Hotels.com, Priceline) are any better than calling the hotel and negotiating a good price. Also if you are a member of Auto Club - check their website. They definitely have good deals for hotels especially in Vegas.

If oyu need some recommendations or nformation I'm sure the ladies (including myself) can help. What are you looking for?

[snapdragen]

Yeah, I get really anal when I start planning a trip-checking all the different travel sites, the hotels themselves etc. Lately I've been playing on Hotwire - trying to guess the hotel. I read somewhere that Hotwire is owned by Hotels.com, so I thought that would be a way to figure it out.

We're going to Vegas in November to see the Rolling Stones at the MGM Grand. We won't have a car, so it looks like staying on the South Strip is where we want to be.

Any suggestions?

[Adventure Girl]

MGM Grand or NYNY are pretty nice on the south end of the strip. Excaliber is kind of lower quality. Luxor's elevators that go at an angle are pretty cool, but the rooms aren't anything special.

If you stay at NYNY, don't go with the lowest level room. They are pretty small. The next level higher is only a little more money and worth it.

We had a great girls' weekend in June. We stayed at the Venetian. That place is NICE! The room was bigger than my house! It's not at the south end of the strip, but it's easy to get around Vegas by cab. So you really could stay anywhere. Maybe the Hard Rock or the Palms would be nice.

I have never booked anything through travelocity or hotels.com or any of those types of sites. You can usually get the same or better rate by going directly through the hotel.

[snapdragen]

NYNY is one we're looking at. Of course the weekend we're going is THE most expensive weekend in November. Rooms for saturday night are OMG high!

I've found another place I may call to check prices/availabilty - Hooters! The room pix on their website look nice! And they have a bar called 13 Martini's! I'm mean, really, it's a sign!

[slinkedog]

My friend, Alison, swears by tripadvisor.com. People leave ratings and reviews on hotels, restaurants, etc. You might check it out.

I actually grew up in Las Vegas, but, alas, I would be no help to you because the Vegas that now exists bears little resemblance to the place I lived.

[Deanna]

We're going to Vegas in November to see the Rolling Stones at the MGM Grand. We won't have a car, so it looks like staying on the South Strip is where we want to be.

Any suggestions?

The Tropicana is older, but clean and less expensive. It's also right across the street from the MGM. I've stayed there twice because of it's pool, but I'm not sure the weather will be optimal for pool lounging in November.

[colby]

I was just in Vegas last month, and there is a bus that runs the strip every 5 or 10 minutes that costs $2 one way or $5 all day. It's JAM PACKED late at night (we rode one night at 11 and probably could have walked faster ) but it's nice to get around without having to pay for a cab. The cab drivers do know all the alternative routes to get to hotels, and sometimes will drop you off in the back of a hotel whereas the bus would still take you just down the strip.

If you can afford it, it really is nice to stay in the same hotel you are going to be doing stuff in. It's much more convenient and less of a hassle. If you can't do that, I'd make sure to be to the hotel where your show is taking place, or nearby, an hour or two ahead of time just to make sure you are there. The cab lines at around 6PM when people start lining up to get to shows are insane! It could take you a while to get where you're going if you're far enough away.

Every hotel is an experience in and of itself, so no matter where you stay as long as you leave yourself enough time to get where you're going, you should have a good time

I've only ever stayed at the Aladdin, Caesar's, and the Mirage, so I am a crappy reference for rooms anywhere else. (For reference, all three seemed pretty similar, but the Aladdin has PF Chang's and Caesar's has Joe's Stone Crabs )

[SJCzar]

I also find Trip Advisor to be quite helpful. I always check the ratings before I book a vacation. I then usually end up usually checking Travelocity, Expedia, and the hotel's own site to find the best price. I have never run into any problems with online booking.