Priceline Hotel: 1st time to Vegas, need help

[trakers]

Howdy all, great to be hear. Have been a long time lurker!

So the wife and I are heading to LV on November 13 - November 17.

I will be at the convention center everyday so I need good access to it.

I have spent literally 4 days now looking for a deal on a nice hotel. Ever time I think I found one, further research proved that previous visitors were disgusted. 3 and 4 star rated hotels that should be rated 1/2 star it appears.

So my question is this, do you think I have a prayer getting a 5 star for less than $90/night?

On the 4 stars, it also seems perhaps many of them are 'overrated'. I guess in my mind I expect a 4 star to be a heck of a lot nicer than say a Holiday Inn or Travelodge, yet the horror stories people tell scare the hell out of me.

I've used Priceline with great success in STL, MO but never anywhere else.

Can someone throw me a bone, particular if you know of 4 stars on the strip that are to be avoided at all costs.

I belong to a lot of forums so I know how irritating it can be to have a noobie come in and ask these types of questions, but after 30 hours of looking I just need some direction from experienced LV travelers. My head hurts.

I would be elated to pay $65-80, but I want a hotel we won't regret being at.

My boss tried to send me to the Mardi Graw for $75 a night, but isn

[thereuare]

do you think I have a prayer getting a 5 star for less than $90/night?

No, i don't think you have any chance of a 5* for less than $90 and you'd probably be very lucky to get a 4* hotel for less than this for these nites.

I would challenge you to find a hotel in Vegas which has no negative reviews for it... i've even seen negative reviews of the Venetian and the Bellagio, but more to the point, your budget is not realistic for a 'luxury experience'. If you only want to spend a maximum of $65-$80 we can probably help you find the best deal for that money, but i wouldn't expect a 4* hotel for that price and the hotel will likely have some negative reviews (although more positive than negative); if you want to a 4* hotel you'll need to increase your budget.

[trakers]

Thank you for the frank answer.

Upon spending another 5 hours last night looking I realize the 5* is out of our range.

I did see what seemed like a lot of 4* wins for what appears to be reasonable prices (mostly seemed to be the Westin which scared me at first, but after looking for an extended time didn't seem that bad) so I guess I will pursue that angle. I may be sleeping on the street since I am not going to stay in some Travelodge quality establishment. Been there, done that, never again. I can live without cigarette butts in the sheets and glass on the filthy floor.

Thanks again!

[thereuare]

If you would like help with your 4* bidding let us know... although if you intend to keep your maximum bid at $80 i'd be surprised at this point if you had any success (on the strip). Even though this is a mid-week stay, rates are higher than the average Monday-Friday stay.

[trakers]

Thanks for you continued feedback.

I can go as high as $90-100, but being from the Midwest where I score the Doubletree (which is an excellent hotel) in Chesterfield for $34 the thought of spending $100 a night makes me nauseous.

I've always heard these stories about traveling to Vegas for a week, RT flight and decent hotel room for $300 and all you can eat prime rib buffets for $4.95, so I was a bit startled when I started booking for this trip. The flight alone, which I spent days and days researching, is $300 a head.

Let me ask this as I am a bit confused. I read these horror stories from people about crappy, filthy rooms, broken stuff, etc. in hotels that are suppose to be 3 star or better and they say the staff could care less. Do you think they are not assertive or what?

I pay even $80 for a room and it better meet my expectations or I come unglued. (I have this special talent that allows me to roll on eye separate from the other making me look like an escaped mental patient)

Are the establishments in Las Vegas that much different than other cities? I've actually never had to rant and rave, the rare times I've had an issue here in the Midwest a stern request usually does the trick.

I guess I expect a true 3 star to be equivalent to say a Holiday Inn or Drury Inn. Nothing fancy, but clean and conveys the feeling you won't get rolled on the way out at night and a 4 star to surprise me with little extras.

Heck maybe I'm just focusing on the negative reviews, but most of the 3 stars I have tried to research look like dives.

[thereuare]

It's as simply as this: Some people are never happy, others are easily pleased.

Furthermore, to compare the rates for your Vegas stay to your local Doubletree is ridiculous... i can get a cheeseburger from the McDonald's down the street for .59 (i'm guessing), but that has nothng to do with the burger i pay $10 for 2 blocks further down the street. Hotels charge what their market will bear, so you can't compare two entirely different markets (just as the two establishments above serve a different clientele/market).

You're also coming to Vegas during an apparently BUSY week... come during December (before Christmans and while the rodeo is not in town) and your budget will be more realistic.

[dfreeze]

If you're happy with the Doubletree then I would imagine that you wouldn't even ENJOY a 5*. (Which is perfectly fine - nothing wrong with that.) It's just not worth the money to some people. I have a Vegas stay coming up in May. I'm in a 5-star for 3 of those nights, but a 3-star for the other 2 because of price.

When you return from a hotel trip, which experience are you most likely to post about? A really good one, or a really bad one? Really bad, of course. So I would take all of those comments with a grain of salt.

I'm sure you'll enjoy a 3-star just fine. And, for your dates, I found one on HOTWIRE for only $58 a night. On the strip!