Priceline Hotel: Help with the Vegas Strip

[rebels9999]

First of all, this board is a very good board. I have been reading alot of the posts and it is good to see people helping other people. So I figured I would see if anyone had any advice for me. My friends and I are planning a trip to Vegas for spring break. I have been several times before and used Travelocity and Expedia before, but a friend told me to try priceline. There are four of us going and we would like to stay somewhere on the strip either a 4 or 5 star. Our travel dates are flexible we can leave anytime between March 12 and March 16 we would like to stay for 3 - 4 nights. What would be a good price to pay on Priceline for the hotel rooms during this time. Having never used Priceline before do you think this is my best bet. Also would it be a good idea to get airfare from Priceline too, we will be flying out of Memphis, TN. Thank you for any information you have.

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

How many rooms would you need? Keep in mind that Priceline only guarantees double occupancy and bedding type (2 beds, 1 king, etc) is assigned at check-in... whether you 'declare' more than two in a room at check-in is up to you. If you need more than double occupancy and don't want to take a gamble (pun intended :) ) before you even get to Vegas, there are other options available.

Personally i'm not a fan of Priceline's airfare product as you can't choose departure/arrival times... as well airfare is currently deeply discounted and the savings in the airfare product just aren't there to justify giving up the depature/arrival times. In a city such as Vegas which is 24/7 this isn't as big of a problem, but on a short 3/4 nite vacation i wouldn't want to end up with a very late depature and a very early arrival... thus eliminating almost 2 days of your vacation. Use our AIRFARE CHECKER to search for prices.

Let us know the answers to the above and we'll take it from there.

[rebels9999]

We only need one room, however there will be four of us and we were hoping to get one room with double beds. I have never had a problem before with this, but if it is a busy weekend or something this could prove to be more difficult. What other options would you suggest to guarantee two beds in one room. The point you made with the flight times is one I had not considered, since our trip is only going to be 3 or 4 nights (we haven't decided yet). Thank you for your response and any further advice you can advise in a good amount to submit to priceline for the hotel amount.

[rebels9999]

bump

[thereuare]

We were waiting for you to decide upon your actual dates... we'll need that information in order to determine what your possibilities are.

[rebels9999]

Our trip dates are flexible we can leave anytime between March 12 and March 16 and we would like to go for 4 nights but if it gets really expensive we will settle for 3 nights. We want to stay on the strip at either a 3 or 4 star casino. Thanks for any help you can offer.

[thereuare]

Rates are very expensive for these dates... compound that with a Saturday check-in (often a problem in vegas, even thru convetional bookings) if you begin this stay on the 12th.

Most Vegas hotels have begun to charge a lot for more than double occupancy ($15-$30/nite for each guest in the room over double occupancy). Whether you choose to book double or quad occupancy is at your discretion.

For 3/13/-3/16:

I would first try to see if ECT can come thru for you with their $79/nite rate ($119/nite quad occupancy), it's not currently available but "on request" which means that they'll need to see if they can get additional rooms at their block rate.

If they can't come thru i would then look to QUIKBOOK who has the Imperial Palace at an average of $130/nite ($167 quad occupancy).

Although the IP may not be your first choice of properties, i think based upon the rates i'm seeing it may be one of the better choices based upon value. It ain't luxury, but it has a prime strip location, and the REVIEWS appear to be on the upswing.

A less appealing option is HOTWIRE which has a 3* property for $78/nite ($119 quad occupancy) which i highly suspect is the Sahara.

I know the above hotels are not at the top of most people's list, but i think these are you best bets unless you are willing to spend about $200/nite (if that is within your budget let us know and we'll take a look at those... but personally i wouldn't spend that kind of money on a midweek room in Vegas, and if you're a bunch of guys putting 4 in a room, i suspect you'd rather not as well).

Let us know what you decide to do and if we can help further.

[rebels9999]

First of all thank you for your quick reply. The only reason we were thinking checking in on the 12th is because through the research I have done I found out why I think these rates are so expensive. There is a ConExpo convention from 3/15 -- 3/19 with 135,000 people attending so I would imagine that is why the rates are so high. Does priceline and hotwire take this information into account when approving a bid for a room?

I would rather not pay 200 a night for a room, and I would also rather not stay at the Sahara ( I don't like the north strip very well) I would rather stay between Mandalay Bay and TI. We have been looking at the boardwalk ( I know it is not a good hotel, but it has a great location) Would Priceline have this as an option. I have found the boardwalk w/airfare out of Atlanta 3/15 - 3/19 for 400 Per Person, but we would rather stay somewhere nicer. Our budget is around the 400 dollar range. This is including airfare from Memphis, TN, Atlanta, GA, or Little Rock, AR . I have flown out of all three of these airports to Vegas before for 4 night trips and never paid more than 380 per person for both airfare and hotel combined. I think we have just gotten lucky, because the last two times I have stayed at Mandalay Bay, and the MGM. The hotel is not as important as the location. We really want to be around the mid, lower strip.

Thanks again and I think that this is a great board.

[thereuare]

Please try to be a bit clearer in your posts... based upon my earlier comments i had no idea that a package was still what you were looking for (additonally, i had also misread your original post... i thought you wanted 3 or 4 nites between 3/12-3/16... not between 3/12-3/20).

Let me have another look at this tomorrow with the larger date range, although i don't think it will make much difference.

I also believe that if you're willing to 'chance' booking double occupancy you'll do better by booking airfare on your own and the hotel separately rather than as a package. Actually, before i look further, are you only looking for a package deal?

I don't think you were lucky the last time you booked to Vegas, without knowing typical airfare from the cities you flew from i would venture that those are more normalized rates... the problem you are having now is that you're arriving along with 135,000 other guests. Even in Vegas a convetion that large disrupts the suppy / demand relationship and the result is <much> higher prices.

[rebels9999]

Sorry about the confusion I can travel any time between 3/12 but I must be back on 3/20 that is what I meant. No I do not have to have just a package deal. I have booked airfare and room separatly before. I had never heard of ECT before and I have found that useful. THe best thing I have going so far is Airfare out of Atlanta by Orbitz and Hotel stay at Imperial Palace through ETC on the days of 3/14 - 3/18. There was a little cheaper flight out of Atlanta but I would rather arrive in the early afternoon than late at night so I have selected a little more expensive flight. But all of this totals to 270 PP. I do not think I will be able to beat that but if you have any suggestions please let me know. I wouldn't have found this cheap rate without you. Thank you so very much!!!! :)

[thereuare]

If EasyClick could come thru for you at the Imperial Palace (the $79/nite rate is 'on request' as discussed above) then it is a great deal... if it fails you could consider the QUIKBOOK option also mentioned for the IP.

Confirm the hotel first, then book the air thru Orbitz.

If the above starts to cost more than you anticipate for some reason (i haven't priced it all out individually with the airfare) i also found the following (which may be better since it gives you 4 nites in Vegas):

Search the PACKAGES option near the top of the screen HERE for 3/14-3/18, one room, 4 people... select one of the cheaper airfares and then scroll to the Luxor... price listed is $350/pp (for 4 days! :) ) but actually comes closer to $390 after taxes. This is under your $400 limit, gives you a better hotel, and is located between Mandalay Bay and Treasure Island... also no worries about the double/quad occupancy issue. Now you have some options.

If you move forward with any of the above, please use the links in this post to book or the links in our SUPPORT page if you need other sites to book.

Let us know how things progress and if there are any additional questions or we can be of additional help.