Priceline Hotel: 5* venetian 4/14-4/17

[mungwi]

i'm planning to go to vegas for a college buddy's bachelor's party, from 4/14-4/17. been looking around for the best rates for really nice hotels, and most are $1000+ (from hotels' own reservation systems). from reading prev posts, i know it's probably next to impossible to try to bid for rooms for something like $99, being on weekends, but will something around $200 be accepted? or even $250? $750 is probably the max i'd be willing to spend for hotel, so if anybody has suggestions, i would love to hear it. thx.

[thereuare]

What hotels do you put in the 'really nice' category?

Are you only looking for things like the Venetian, Bellagio? What about properties ike Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, Paris, etc?

I see plenty of hotels that i would consider 'acceptable' in the sub-$200 area.

[mungwi]

well, i've never been to vegas before so all i have is info from the web, i'd consider four seasons to be really nice, but that's not on priceline's offerings rite? the others you've mentioned are all good too, i liked mandalay bay from what i've seen on their site and other ppl's reviews. so for these, (which are 4*'s rite?) would $150/nite be acceptable? don't think i'd want to split my bid, btw.

[mungwi]

oh and forgot to mention, my friends are staying at new york new york, so that'd be my first choice, but i just checked and for 4/14-4/17, comes out to a total of $900!

[thereuare]

Given the major price differences for each nite of your stay i think you'll end up paying the most expensive nite of your stay for all 3 nites on Priceline if you're not willing to split your bid. As well, the opaque services are not always the best option in Vegas, as per this thread: LAS VEGAS a PRICELINE and HOTWIRE EXCEPTION.

Best option in your current situation i believe is the EXCALIBUR for an average of $162/nite.

It's not my first choice of hotel on any given nite, but having taken a look at rates for your dates the above is a pretty good deal considering it is directly across the street from NYNY where the others in your group will be staying. It is also cancellable up to 72 hours before check-in date so you can continue to monitor rates to see if anything better comes along, as rates in Vegas are probably some of the most volatile in the country.

How does the above work for you?

[mungwi]

hmm. i think i'll be splitting my bid now. i sorta misunderstood the term before, but now i understand how it works. my plan now is to get the excalibur as a backup, and bid seperately for 4/14, and 4/15-16 @ the venetian on priceline. the excalibur is cancelable so that should be a good safety. what are the chances of getting an upgrade to a better room at excalibur if i do end up staying there tho? do they offer any special deals for ppl who want better rooms?

[thereuare]

I don't know of any upgrades that are available at the Exaclibur, but you may be able to get a 'Strip View' or the like by asking or for a property placed gratuity.

Do you need help bidding for the priceline portion of your stay?

[mungwi]

i started my priceline bidding earlier today for the 4/14 thur nite stay. i started at $80, then went, 85, 90, 95, 100, 110, 120... none were accepted. then i tried for 4*s up to $110 and still not accepted. A little disappointed as this was my first time bidding on priceline.

Do i need to wait 72hrs before i start bidding for the same night? Do you have any other advice on bidding techniques or anything that i'm doing wrong?

[thenewbie]

Are you bidding blindly for the Venetian? For those dates their rates are: Thur $259.00, Fri $549.00, Sat $899.00. There's no chance that your bid would be accepted anywhere close to $100 for Thursday night.

If you understand 'free rebidding' you can rebid before the 72hrs is over. Vegas should have more than a few areas without 5* locations.

[TBQ]

Thanks to thenewbie (and welcome to BB, by the way) for doing the requisite homework. The weekend in question coincides with the ramp-up to the huge meeting of the National Association of Broadcasters. With the NAB sessions starting Monday morning, the 140,000 delegates are coming in on the weekend. Due to expense-account spending, the more expensive rooms are in especially high demand (too bad the Wynn opens one week after the NAB ends).

Good luck in your quest .