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Hi, I just wanted to thank everyone who posted with ideas for my trip (especially our fearless leader, thereuare). I've spent the past few days evaluating where I'd like to stay and how much I want to pay... oh, and I also figured out there's some sort of NASCAR event going on in town which is driving up hotel rates. I really wasn't too excited about paying more than $150 a night.... and I wasn't very excited about the Hotwire choices (Desert Rose and Excalibur) which, I might add, kept going up in price. Eventually, I settled on a choice between the Gold Coast and Courtyard by Marriott (South Strip), with the Courtyard running about $100 more for the trip. I saw that the Gold Coast was older and the Courtyard had much better reviews, so I decided it was worth spending a little bit extra money and went with the Courtyard. Perhaps I could've done better with Priceline on a different weekend (or one without NASCAR), but I had to be there 9/21-9/24. I can cancel my room any time up to a day before 9/21, so I'll keep my eyes open for other rates. However, its just nice to have something guaranteed in case I don't find that "diamond in the rough" Anyhow, thanks again for your help!

Thanks so much for the thorough strategy... I really appreciate all of the time and effort you've put into helping me out. Unfortunately, Priceline wasn't quite as impressed and they didn't accept my bids. At this point, I'm not totally sure how to proceed with it since it looks like I'm probably not going to be able to get a 4* in the price range I was hoping for. I've found a few 3* places on Hotwire (I believe its Desert Rose for $109 and Excalibur for $129) and I still have the Golden Nugget (either for bid on priceline or for $135 per night on Hotwire), Stratosphere and South Point as options (although probably no longer strong options since they are much further from where I need to be) I know that the hotel list is more of a guide and not a guaranteed comprehensive list of hotels, but I was just curious when the last time it was updated for content (as opposed to separating the North/South strip thing).... since i only see "Bill's Gamblin' Hall" as the only South Strip 3*. Based on the 3* Strip hotels available on Priceline right now and compared to the two I've found on Hotwire, I'm going to scale down my wish list and would like to try to bid on a 3* South Strip hotel with a maximum price of $130 If this doesn't work, I'll probably just go with either of the Hotwire hotels... Thanks so much!

Yes, I'm willing to pay up to $150 a night for Convention Center/ UNLV and West of Strip... and I understand that I might get (crossing my fingers... hopefully not) a random hotel not listed on the list. Thanks again!

I just tried the strategy and ... :) I didn't get it. I'm willing to branch out a bit to 4* UNLV/ Convention Center (Renaissance and Hard Rock) and West of Strip (Rio)... hopefully I'll have better luck there. If not, I'm not sure if I should just take my chances with the two other places I was thinking about ... or messing around with selected 3* zones... it looks like South Point is the only 3* in the airport area (and was one of the places I had thought about before shooting for 4* properties). As always, thanks so much for your help!

Thereuare, thanks so much for updating the list :) Anyhow, after looking at the list, I'm totally fine with staying at TI (the only 4* on the North Strip list)... so North and South Strip would be ok. As for staying off strip, I'd also agree with you... and I'll give those a try if the Strip ones don't work out. Yellow Hammer... thanks so much for your reply. Which of the non-Priceline methods have you used? Are you thinking of other blind sites (like Hotwire)... other travel sites (like Expedia or Travelocity).... or through the casino's direct site? As always, thanks everyone!

From the list that I see you folks have compiled, I'm guessing the "Strip Area" is just South Strip? From what I can remember, most of the properties seem like they are located in the South Strip area: 4* Aladdin 4* Luxor 4* MGM Grand 4* Monte Carlo 4* NYNY 4* Treasure Island 4* The Westin I noticed that the Westin seems to be on the borderline of South and North Strip based on Priceline's map. Is there a separate list with the North Strip properties or is the Westin perhaps the only one? I'm not sure if it helps, but in re-reviewing the properties that are listed, if I'm willing to drive from the North Strip, then the 4* UNLV/ Convention Center zone (Hard Rock and Renaiisance) seem like it could work too. Thanks again!

Thanks.... I've had a chance to think about it (as well as eat lots of BBQ this weekend) and I'm willing to go up to $150 for the 4*... if it works out, wonderful, if not, I'll just book the off strip places I had mentioned. Also... I saw the list for the Strip properties... I'm just trying to figure out which ones are North/ South Strip. Would the strategy include selecting only south with different zones and then north/ south with different zones? Or should I just do north/ south? Thanks again and have a wonderful Labor Day !

Hi... I just wanted to let you know that I tried the $130 strategy below and I wasn't as lucky as I had hoped. Do you think my chances would be any better if I tried for $140 or only if I went up to $150 or more? I also have to balance out whether I might be better off going for the cheaper Stratosphere (for around $300 for the entire stay) or South Point (around $400 for the entire stay). Thanks again!

Hi, I've thought about it and this is what I've come up with... I'm willing to use $130 a night for the three days and I'd like to find a 4* on South Strip Do you think this is a realistic bid that stands some chance of getting accepted by someone? I know you had previously mentioned that the chances were less than 50%. Finally, do you think its worth my while to submit bids for Fri/Sat and a separate one (afterwards) on Sunday, since the Sunday rates are normally lower? Or am I just making more work for myself and forcing myself (potentially) to have to change hotels for one night? As always, thanks for your help!

Hi, thanks so much for the quick response. My preference is to stay in the $125 range, but I'm willing to go up to around $150ish if I can be sure that its a really high quality property. I can check the boards to see which hotels correspond to the 3 and 4 star ratings... although I realize that the three star properties may be a mixed bag. So.... I'm just curious what your suggestions would be if: - my budget is around $125 a night. - my budget is (begrudgingly) around $150 a night - what would be a reasonable bid/ price if I'm looking at a 3* Just out of curiosity, would it be a good idea to try $125 and then, if rejected, try the rezone/ rebid thing that I've read about? Thanks so much!

Hi, I'm going to be in Vegas, arriving Friday 9/21 and checking out Monday 9/24. I was hoping for a 4* (or higher) but am looking to spend about $125 a night at the most. I've used Hotwire for a hotel room before, but I've never tried Priceline. I'm hoping to stay South Strip but I would consider North Strip (or slightly off Strip) if the price is (really really) right. I wanted to find out if $125/ night is realistic for a weekend at a nicer place.... and, if its too low/hi, approximately how much should I bid? I was also curious if you might have any ideas what would be a realistic bid for the Venetian for this weekend. Finally, I was also curious whether Hotwire might be a better alternative. If worse comes to worst, I'm pretty sure I can stay at the Stratosphere for $300 for 9/21-9/24 (booking directly through their site) or for about $400 staying at the South Point (booking through Southwest Airlines' site)... its just that I'm hoping for a nicer place that's not so far from the MGM Grand (where I need to be 9/22 night). Thanks so much for your help in advance! :)