Priceline Hotel: 5* Venetian Las Vegas - bidding help

[chasman]

I am planning a guys trip to sin city on 6-9 of Feb. (friday - sun nights) - one week after SuperBowl Sunday. I stayed at the Venetian a couple years back.

Here is my plan -

I am going to use PL and split up FRI & SAT and then bid separately on SUN night. I will start at $79 and bid up by $10 increments. Was planning on doing this one week before my trip. Does this plan make sense?

Here are my questions -

Is it worth tipping the check-in clerk $20 to get a room upgrade? Seems like the best rooms are called "Venezia Concierge Bella Suites" with a view. Any other 'upgrades' avail. that i should know about?

Is there a big difference between the "Venetian Tower" and the newer? "Venezia Tower"?

I think the room can hold 4 guys somehow, but what about a 5th? (We won't be sleeping much).

I was planning on saying only 2 adults are staying in the room, but would like to get 4 key cards. Advice? Using PL does it matter if you tell them 2,3,4, or even 5 folks are staying in the room? I am hoping to get 2 Queen beds by checking in early in the day.

Any advice on stuff to do on the outskirts (hoover dam trip) and under $50 golf courses?? (FYI - www.ezlinks.com has discount green fees in some areas.)

Thanks.

[bbbb]

I have never been able to get two queens without paying the $35 extra charge per night that they want.Some have posted that they have without the charge but I would not count on it.They also have a $35 per extra person charge over two.They said nothing to me last time I had 3 people.Your best bet is to bid two rooms.As far as you getting Friday and Saturday for less then $99,I dont think thats going to happen.I have never seen a post for those two nights for less then $99.Sunday you might get for $79 if theres nothing going on in town that week.Keep watching Hotwire for your dates because you will know if Venetian is open for your dates and the priceline price is usualy about $10 to $20 less then hotwire.Check each day by its self so you can see trouble days that will cause problems in your bidding.

[thereuare]

I changed your date(s) in the post above to the 9th since that's the day you'll be checking out on (if that's in correct, let me know).

I think you have the right idea about how to bid this but i would make sure to have a back-up reserved beforehand since while the Venetian on a Fri and Sat is not unheard of, it's certainly not a high probability bet.

The "$20 trick" is up to you, but you may want to try it simply for the extra keys you're looking for (just don't give up the cash w/o the upgrade or keys!). I wouldn't tell them about the extra two occupants and you probably won't need the extra keys anyway unless the 4 of you go off in 3 different directions (as when you're in two or fewer groups you can just have each group with a key... surprisingly this sounds like a pain but it's not too bad (although not ideal either)).

If you want to ask for add'l keys, i'd just ask for them but be prepared with some sort of story of why you need them if asked. For instance, only have one person check-in and say u need one for your wife and one each for your kids?... less likely to have a problem if asking for your family than asking for your drinking/gambling buddies. I still think you need to show a room key to get up the elevators so you can just tell them that you want your little kids to feel 'important/priveleged' and have to show a key to get up to the room. (or if the kids want to go up to the room early while you're eating dinner at the hotel and they've already finished) If they say something about only allowing 2 in the room then you can always say, "Forget about it then, my kids will probably just stay with my in-laws who live in town... give me and the wife some time alone." Anyway, you can come up with your own similar story.

As for 5 in a room, i think the rooms at the V will hold them but you may be breaking some Las Vegas fire code in the process. Why not call them up (as a regular customer) and ask if you can put 5 people in one room? (you'll then know for sure).

[bbbb]

If all five of you do stay in the same room just give the keys to the two people that dont have their name on the room and the other two that do have their name on room can just get another key from front desk by saying they left it in the room and showing ID.Make sure you add a second name to the room at check in.Hope this helps.Another helpfull idea is if you have a car self park it dont use valet,it takes 20 to 30 mins to get your car back from them and self parking is close to the hotel.

[azepine00]

You should be able to get 2 queens without difficulties if you check in relatively early. If not - call before arrival and request what you want.

Venezia is new and significantly better. You can get there through a key operated elevator so plan your 5 guys/2 keys arrangements accordingly. I do not recall anyone checking the room key at any point but I may be wrong.

I really think you will largely eliminate the comfort of 5* hotel if you get 5 guys in 1 suite.

If you are on a tight budget you may be better off just getting a couple rooms at other hotels and coming to Venetian to wonder around.

As for out of town activities you can check out ski area (within half-hour drive I think on 95 north) and red rock (?) canyon.

[bbbb]

If you enter the elevator on the casino level theres a guard there 24/7 checking room keys.If you enter from the second floor you need your key to enter the elevator.I always check in around 2:00 pm and never get two queens w/o a charge when i ask,but I have never called ahead. I always ask at desk.

[chasman]

Thanks to all that replied! Really appreciated it.

Not too concerned about the keys - looks like now there will be just 4 of us, but I know what you mean - it might make more sense for us to get 2 rooms at a place like the MGM instead. If I do stay at the Venetian I was actually leaning towards trying the $20 (or $50?) trick and upgrading to a bigger room in the older tower. I read somewhere that the newer tower is a long walk away and not all that much better. Thoughts? Will let you know what I decide to do and how it all works out. I do plan on checking in early and do not mind paying the extra $35 for 2 rooms. Thanks again!

[chasman]

FYI - just for fun I bid 5* PL on a Fri and Sat night (6, 7 of Feb) from $79 to $109 without any luck. I did not expect to get a room at the Venetian because I have read here that they do not release cheap rooms until 7 days beforehand.

I am still trying to figure out what to do. I believe there will be 4 guys on this trip. So... I don't mind bidding about $150 at the Venetian for Fri and Sat and then $100 on Sunday night for a total of $400. Plus I was going to try and "tip" the check-in clerk $50 to upgrade us to a "Concierge" Suite. That would only be $112.50 per guy for the 3 nights - or $37.50/per night. (i have left out taxes and charges for simplicity.)

Any idea how high the Venetian could get on a Fri and Sat on PL?

However, I am also considering getting 2 rooms at another 4.5* or 4* instead. The tough part is that the MGM and Cesaers appear to have the exact same amenities offered. Also you can wind up at the Westin off the strip, I think. If I go this route I was going to bid 2 rooms on Fri and Sat and then another 2 rooms for Sunday. Obviously, I would rather not change hotels on Sun night either.

Any advice? Thanks!

[bbbb]

I checked out the westin two weeks ago when I was in Vegas.The place is only about one block or less from the strip.I did not see the rooms but the casino/hotel is very nice and if you got it ,I think you would be very happy with the hotel and how close it is to the strip.

[chasman]

Thanks so much for your help, bbbb. Appreciate it.

Did not see the Westin avail for 6-9 Feb on Hotwire.

What I might do is bid 4* on the Strip on PL and hope to get the Westin or Treasure Island. Although, I read the Westin was noisy (www.tripadvisor.com) and not completed. I don't mind walking a block to to strip.

I am a bit nervous about splitting up my bid (Fri and Sat) and then another bid on Sunday - because I don't want to move hotels on Sunday morning.

I have no idea how low I can go on bidding on a Fri and Sat on a 5* or 4* Strip hotel - fortunately there is a lot of rebidding avail.

Will let you know how it goes. Thanks a lot!

[thereuare]

I am a bit nervous about splitting up my bid (Fri and Sat) and then another bid on Sunday - because I don't want to move hotels on Sunday morning.

You most likely will over-bid for Sunday then since Priceline doesn't look at the total lodging and compare it to your total bid... rather your bid needs to be sufficient for each individual nite of your stay.

I would look at your total costs for a Priceline and then take a harder look at Hotwire and compare... since Hotwire appears to give you a total based upon the sum of your nites (and not the most expensive nite multiplied by the number or nites).

Since Sun-Thur deals are usually readily available, you could also bid for Fri/Sat on Priceline and then book the last nite conventionally (although it's easy to find a great deal in Vegas for a Sun-Thur stay, it's not as easy as finding a great deal for a specific property).

[chasman]

Thanks, Thereuare -

Good ideas. Thank you.

Any idea what hotel on Hotwire is the 3* Las Vegas Strip with - Casino, Restaurants, Pool, Business Center?

It come up for $73 for 6-9 of Feb.

It has the same amenities as the Sahara, less the Golf.

Gracias.

[bbbb]

Some bad hotels could come up if you bid less the 4* on the strip.You may be willing to take that chance but you might be very unhappy with the results.

[thereuare]

I agree... even the Sahara (which this doesn't match) doesn't classify as 3* in my book.

If not going for the Venetian, keep an eye out for other deals as well (non-Priceline and Hotwire) as Las Vegas usually has some great deals of their own; especially for non-Fri/Sat nite.

However, nothing comes close to the deals we see on the Venetian! (when available)

[hannahb352]

For the dates you are looking for it appears that the Mirage 41/2* is available (due to amenities and packages) for $159.00 on Hotwire and also the Westin(most likely due to amenities and packages), which people have mentioned is also available on in the Near East Strip section on Hotwire but for $155.00 a night. I recently got the Westin on Priceline for 1/28-1/30 (Wed. and Thurs.) with a final winning bid of $54 a night after a counter offer I rejected. I think the price of $155.00 seems high for the Westin even though it is a weekend due to the fact the Mirage is coming up $4 more a night. If the Westin is a viable option for you I would suggest priceline and bidding and being willing to go to a 4*, just be careful not to overbid since you know the Westin is an option on Priceline.

[iahphx]

I'm actually planning on being in Vegas part of that weekend too. I've done some half-serious bidding, but my sense is that you can't get anything "good" in Vegas on priceline this far in advance. Is that true?

I've looked at some of the Vegas room websites (like Vegas.com), but it's hard to get too excited by the offerings for that weekend -- even though things don't look THAT busy. All the "deals" are Sun-Thurs, and Vegas actually looks more expensive than most US cities on the weekend (understandable of course).

Any ideas/suggestions on where to stay for good value would be welcome. I'm hoping to snag something comfortable (preferably near the Strip) for $50 to $60 for a 3 star, up to about $70 for a 4 star, and maybe a bit more for a 5 star. None of that seems terribly unreasonable. If nothing like that works out, I'd be happy to get a 2 1/2 star (like a Courtyard) somewhere in town for 35 bucks and spend the money on dinner or a show.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[thereuare]

While the Venetian sometimes can be had earlier than 7-10 days before arrival at a decent rate (~$119/nite) the real low priced stuff isn't around unitl about a week before check-in date.

What are the actual date(s) you need a room for or are you flexible as to arrival/departure.

If your dates are other than the 2/6-2/9 you may want to start a new thread in order to keep it separate from this one... this way it'll be easier to put each of your results in a title heading once you each 'win' something (assuming you end up at different hotels).

[chasman]

thanks to all that helped out on this thread.

not sure if this is the appropriate place for this post, but i thought i would just report back about my trip last weekend with 2 other buddies.

ok. after a ton of research on this bb, i bid up to $139/night at the venetian (for a fri and sat) and did not get it so i gave up on the venetian. i then checked out www.Orbitz.com (i think) and saw some decent rates at the Luxor. went directly to the Luxor website and made a reservation for a nice 2 bed, non-smoking room in the pyramid for around $139 on fri, $109 on sat and $99 on sun - something like that. very reasonable. a few days before my trip i checked the rates on the Luxor website again and they had come down a combined $50 so i called them and they gave me the lower rates. woo hoo!

the Luxor worked great for us. no problem. we got there at noon and the first check-in clerk said we had to wait till 1pm, but then i asked another clerk and she checked us in right away - that was great because we avoided the 5pm check-in crowd because we were going to play golf. i tried giving the clerk a $50 to upgrade us to a 2BR suite, but was unsuccessful. FYI - if you go with your better half, the jacuzzi suites are only a bit more and look like fun.

had a good dinner at the Monte Carlo Pub, albeit a bit noisey.

went to see Penn & Teller one night - expected more for my $80 in the short 80 min show. Oh well. Also saw the Second City Comedy Troupe which were good. (If you ask you might be able to get 2 for 1 coupon for that show at the Flamingo).

it was hard to find anything less than $5 blackjack during the day and $10 at night - although, i read somewhere that the Sahara has cheap blackjack during the day, but did not check that out.

make sure you budget for a lot of cab fare. strangely, breakfasts seemed to be as expensive as dinners somehow.

all in all, it rocked. just wanted to share some of that with ya'all.

[bbbb]

Thanks for the reply on your out come,glad you had fun.