Hotwire Hotel: 4.5 star hotel for vegas

[abrantley]

I am currently researching a hotel through hotwire for vegas. the following is what I am seeing.. any help as to what this could be would be greatly appreciated...

Check in- april 28, 2004... check out - may 1, 2004

City area - Las vegas strip

$174/per night + taxes($49.95)

amenitie icons (in order) - Casino, Restaurant(s), Pool(s), Fitness Center, Business Center, Golf Course nearby, Tennis Court nearby, Spa Service

Thanks in advance for your help... :)

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

Based upon the Las Vegas Hotwire Hotel List it is mostly likely the MGM Grand or Caesars.

I will add that $174/nite sounds high for these dates and i think you can do better... especially if you're willing to split your stay. If you're willing to split the stay let me know and i'll offer some other options (or if you're not say so and i'll also try to find some alternatives).

[abrantley]

When you suggest split the stay, I am assuming that you are talking about staying at two different locations?? please give me additional options, always looking for a deal.

thanks in advance. :)

[thereuare]

Splitting the Bid

Let me know if you're willing to split the bid or not (explained above, but if questions remain feel free to ask) so that i'll know where and how to begin researching this.

[abrantley]

From what I have read, it looks as if splitting the bid deals with priceline and not hotwire.. haven't checked priceline to see what is offered, but can do some research on that as well..

also, checked hotwire packages, and of the two 4.5 star hotels you suggested as matches, the only availabe one through the package is the MGM.. wander if this is a better indicator as to what is available?

[thereuare]

Generally speaking, yes, splitting the bid refers mostly to Priceline... but in this instance i think you will save more money by splitting the bid with Hotwire as well. This is for a variety of reasons, including the fact that the difference between weekend and mid-week stays differ so greatly, Hotwire's mark-up on hotels being variable, and that sometimes in Vegas there are better options than Priceilne and Hotwire.

Looking at the Vacations as an indicator of which hotel it might be can be risky since not all hotels participate in both the vacation product and the hotel product.

Let us know when you decide if you are willing to split the bid or not and i'll give suggestions accordingly (i'm not pushing it as some people are willing to change hotels and others are not... you have to do what's comfortable for you).

[abrantley]

yes, I would be willing to split the bids on hotwire.. i am guessing i should try to pick up one for one night and then one for the second two nights.

or do i pick up for hte first two nights, and then the third night seperately?

or should I try to pick one up seperately for all three nights?

yes, please provide assistance and help?

thanks again

[abrantley]

just did all three scenarios on hotwire, adn for the 4.5 star hotel here is what I get:

1 night - $120/night + 2 nights - $208/night = $593.90

2 nights - $144/night + 1 night - $275/night = $594.90

3 nights - $174/night = $571 total..

don't see how this is any cheaper by doing this way..

any help would be greatly appreciated...

[thereuare]

I don't think that the 4/28-4/30 rates you are seeing are good.

A quick look at Bally's website shows a $69/nite. Now Bally's might be a slight step below the Mirage and Caesars, but it's a fine hotel in its own right and i'd stay there in a hearbeat if it was $50 cheaper than each of those (which it is!). If i were in your shoes i would call Bally's immediately and confirm that the reservation is indeed cancellable up to 48 or 72 hours before arrival as i don't think this rate will last long. I've seen some rates in Vegas last only a few hours... lock it in an cancel if you change your mind, see a better deal for a preferred hotel, or decide you want to spend more money.

You could then continue to search for the nite of the 30th... or if you 'locked it in' and took the Hotwire offering above:

28th - $69

29th - $69

30th - $236 (just did a search on Hotwire and came up with this price)

Total: $374 (or $125/nite)

... and that is how it can be cheaper doing it this way :)

As well, if you only lock in the first 2 nites at Bally's your still able to consult Hotwire and try a combination of bids on Priceline (either for all 3 nites or just the last nite) for a better deal.

What are your thoughts?

PS- Unless you have some reason you don't want to stay at Bally's, i can't emphasize enough how important i think it is that you confirm that it's cancellable and then reserve it immediately.

[thereuare]

Here are some options for the nite of the 30th which i think are better than $235/nite Hotwire rate):

Westin Casuarina (slightly off strip) but new hotel: $149/nite

Flamingo: $160

Monte Carlo: $180

Venetian: can be had for $299, which doesn't sound too good, but not too bad when considering the $235 Hotwire hotel above

Booking the $69 Ballys above and one of the other options above for the last nite should be a good back-up while you continue to monitor rates over the next month for anything better. (just confirm that everything is cancellable and know at what point you're able to cancel)

Definately reserve some type of back-up for your nites and hopefully we'll see that last nite come down in price as we approach check-in date.

Your thoughts?

[abrantley]

my wife logged onto hotwire and did the exact same hotel search as me and she is getting $165/night for a 4.5 star hotel.. I followed along with her over the phone to make sure she wasn't doing something wrong and this is what she came up with.. does the price change according to who is logged on to the website? female vs. male.?

also, I opened up hotwire through somebody elses computer (not as me), just generic, and it came up with the $174/night..

very wierd...

going to go ahead and book the hotwire for $165/night through my wife.. (one night is paid for through work, so when you break it down, rates not bad coming out of our pocket)

thoughts on why she is getting a better deal?

[WillTravel]

I had something similar happen with airfare where there was a big difference in price (I just used a different browser on the same system). Maybe Hotwire has a complicated algorithm, or maybe it's somewhat random, but this definitely happens all the time.

[thereuare]

Hotwire prices can easily fluctuate up to $10/nite from one search to another. Although they are given a price by the hotel, they do add a mark-up, and this mark-up is variable. I'm not sure of how the mark-up is determined as it appears random, but that's my take on it.

I would have had my employer pay for the last (expensive) nite and paid for Ballys on my own... $69 for that hotel relative to the other rates you were seeing would be too good to pass up.

Let us know which property you get.