Priceline Hotel: 5* Las Vegas (Strip South) Aria Resort And Casino

[tarspaceheel]

After lurking on this board for a while, I decided to try my luck with getting a 5-star hotel for an upcoming trip to Vegas with friends. Used the PRICELINE link in everyone's signature and made the following bids.

Bid #1: $75 for 5-stars in Strip North. Rejected

Bid #2: $80 for 5-stars in Strip North or Strip South, Accepted at the Aria.

I'm pretty excited, as I've heard good things about the Aria, and am really looking forward to the stay. Any tips for making the most of it?

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Additionally, this is only the last night of a 4-night stay in Vegas. I insisted on getting something nice for the last night, but my group wants to save costs the other three nights by staying at a timeshare about a mile from the strip for the first three nights (at a total cost of about $129 or so). Is it possible to get the full experience without staying on the strip the whole time? Is it possible to get a decent stay on the Strip without pushing the first-three-nights budget past $180 or so?

[yellowdog]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Congratulations on your success!

Thanks for using the PRICELINE links on the board to begin your bidding :)

We hope you're satisfied with the outcome and will like the Aria.

Is it possible to get a decent stay on the Strip without pushing the first-three-nights budget past $180 or so?

So you're looking for 8/22-25? What kind of rating on the hotel do you have in mind? Is both South and North strip OK?

Enjoy your stay.

Yellowdog.

[tarspaceheel]

It's actually 8/23 to 8/26, but yes. I'm not married to a particular star rating, but I'd like something convenient to the strip that will give at least something of an "experience", with my apologies for the infuriatingly vague term. I'm seeing 3-stars on Hotwire (as ever, using the links provided) for $36/night, but I'm not sure whether those will be good enough to make for a memorable trip, or whether we'd be better off saving our money and staying off the strip.

Full details for the Hotwire find I'm considering:

The Strip - North Area

$36/night (plus estimated resort fee of $15/night)

Amenities:

Free Parking

Resort

Casino

Fitness Center

Pool(s)

Restaurant(s)

Golf

Spa Services

Accessible for the blind

My best guess from researching it is that it's the Stratosphere, but is a hotel like that worth the $50 or so (after resort fees) premium over our backup option? I've only been to Vegas once and briefly, so I'm not sure.

EDIT: to add that I think I found the same property on Priceline Express for the same price, but eligible for a 10% off promotion Priceline is running for its Express deals. Could I do better on a similar property by bidding, or would I be better off just taking the deal as posted?

[thereuare]

Since this thread already reflects your previous purchase for 8/26-8/27, please start a NEW TOPIC for the remaining nites of your stay.

However, i'll add here that while the Stratosphere is located in the Strip North zone, it is not what most consider to be 'the strip' and is not in the best of neighborhoods.

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board.