Priceline Hotel: bid assist request Vegas Strip 5* 2/27-3/3

[thehuges]

I will be spending 4 nights in Vegas arriving 2/27 checking out 3/3/06. I'd love to stay at a fancy place on the strip, but I don't want to spend MUCH more than $100/night (depending on the property and how high up my list is is). Those nights are Monday - Thurs nights, so maybe I've got a chance of finding a deal. If I can't find a hot deal I'm perfectly content to stay at the Sahara for $40/nt.

My hotel choices in order of preference would be:

1. Bellagio

2. Wynn

3. Venetian

4. Mandalay Bay

5. Mirage

On the nights 3/1 and 3/2 I can get the Mirage for $129 (Orbitz) or Mandalay Bay for $139.95 (lodging.com). I would be willing to split my stay up, but I'm not willing to jump on those prices yet. (If you have a way I could book those for similar or better prices through your links let me know)

I could possibly get "poker room rates" at Wynn ($129), Bellagio ($129) or Mirage ($99), but that would require me to play something like 6 hours at that room - I'd rather avoid that obligation, but I might change my mind if I can't find a no-strings deal.

Here's my plan, let me know of suggested adjustments or additional tricks to try:

1. Reserve a room through Sahara's website for $40/night, cancellable up to 48 hours before arrival. (Again, if there's a way to do this through betterbidding links, let me know)

2. Start fishing on priceline for the Venetian. My impression is that $99 is the lowest price I might get, and that that is unlikely - maybe more likely at $120. I wouldn't want to pay more than $120 for the Venetian - I like the place, but their poker room hasn't quite opened yet. To try to get a deal on the Venetian through priceline, is there any reason (A) to start bidding less than $99? or (:) to start bidding now? (In another thread I've read that the Venetian only releases their lowest deals a week beforehand). I'll double check the relevant posts before I bid, but I assume I can bid $99, add a zone, bid $105, etc.

3. Keep digging around for deals on the listed hotels. Is there really any chance of getting the Wynn or Bellagio for, say, $140 or less?

Thanks for any assistance you can offer.

-L

[thehuges]

Just to take a stab at the Venetian I bid $99 for 5* Strip (using priceline through SavingsBarn.com). It replied offering me a 5* strip room for $179, which is $10 less than the Venetian is offering at their website, but more than I want to pay.

[thereuare]

The Venetians' website is currently down so i can't search rates there, but using other sources, i believe that if you're willing to SPLIT YOUR PRICELINE BID and bid as high as $120, you may very likely find success for 2/28-3/3... then you can figure out what to do for the lone nite of 2/27.

You can start at $99 for the above sub-set of dates and gradually increase your bid to $120 using the info in Priceline Re-Bidding Explained. (if you need a more specific strategy let us know)

Good Luck and let us know how it goes if you decide to try the above.

[thehuges]

well, it looks like my priceline attempts won't work this time. Every few days I've tried for the Venetian at $100 - $120, but in the end I decided that I wasn't willing to pay $120-plus AND take the risk of splitting my bid for a hotel that (while lovely) wasn't my first choice. So unless anyone has any suggestions for a fabulous deal on a 5* strip hotel, I think I'll just slum it at the Sahara this trip and hope to snag a deal on a glitzier property next time. Thanks...

[dahammer]

how about the Luxor for $59? Not the best strip location, but not slumming it either. Plus, you could still split your bid for the Venetian if you wanted.