ekscrunchy

We are planning to visit Las Vegas for 3 nights in January.

Last time I visited was 20-plus years ago!

Hotel priorities are: Good location for exploring the strip; good heated pool for lap swimming; nice rooms; hoping to pay not much more than $200 per night

I have just started looking at places including Bellagio, Wynn, Venetian, etc. Rates seem to be lower on third-party sites such as Expedia. Although I am a very experienced traveler, I have never used one of these sites, preferring to book directly with the hotel.

What are the downsides/negatives to using these sites? Is it possible that the hotel would match the price on Expedia, etc, if I contact them directly? Is there one site that is better than others for booking hotels?

We will be booking airfare separately, as I have credit for an unused Frontier airlines ticket..

Also, please comment on the pools--we care only about lap swimming,not hanging out at the pool. Will we be able to swim in January?

Do hotel rates ever come with breakfast?

Should I be thinking about renting a car?

Thanks!

SiteC_er

Not sure of any major strip hotels with indoor pool. However, depending on the days of the week, you should be able to find a room at any or all for $200 or less: Caesars, Mirage, Bellagio, Venetian, Paris. These are the hotels I like based on ameneties and location. If you go Sun-Thurs you should be able to geat room at any on these hotels for $125-$150. You'll need to sign-up on-line to get these rates but it's free and not much of a process. Enjoy!

PS: Unless you plan on going downtown or out to Hoover Dam, I'd skip the rental car and take Cabs or ride the Duece on the strip.

djkbooks

Definitely book directly with the hotels. Rates tend to go down as your date approaches whereupon you can phone the hotel and have them match the current rates on your reservation. If you book with a third party, you're stuck with those rates.

There's lots of information for specific hotels on TripAdvisor in the reviews and the forum is chock full of excellent tips and recommendations.

ltt

well, lap swimming might be all you could do to stay warm. it's pretty cold in vegas in january - the high for the next week is 47F/6C. you don't need a rental car while in vegas - buses/monorail/taxis are the way to go. if you want to venture outside of town for a day (which i'd recommend) to red rock canyon, valley of fire, hoover dam, lake mead, etc then i'd rent a car but you can arrange that when you get there. the wynn hotel is off strip i believe. bellagio or venetian are good locations.

JJ5

Vegas has huge deficit of tourists and tons of vacancies, in every capacity.

I could get most of those hotels you mention (not Wynn)on the strip at any of the discount online broker sites for less than $200. Wynn too now, maybe.

I would never book directly with the hotel.

Vegas also has the best package deals for any vacation for 3 days in the USA. They are not any different than if you booked a room yourself- and you are not treated any differently.

I think you have not gotten the best advice on this thread.

Do a search here for discount sites.

www.hotwire or www.quikbook.com - either of those, just off the top of my head will give you choices where you KNOW the name of your hotel and that will be much less than booking the hotel directly.

If you give me your 3 dates- I would even tell you myself what the differential costs would be.

Or do a search here for Vegas hotel and read some of those threads.

I have gotten Paris for $69 when people here said you could get it for less than $239 per day.

ekscrunchy

Thanks! It sounds like we can skip the rental car. Are taxis pretty cheap?

I remember swimming at a heated outdoor pool at Caesar's in January the last time I was there..they used to heat them so high that it was ok to swim even if the air was cool...do you think that has changed?

I will sign up with a few hotels and book directly with one of them. I will take some time with the TA reviews.


We can go during the week; for the week we want to go (MLK week) it looks like the best rates are Wednesday through Friday..




Paris and Mirage do not guarantee that their pool will be open..and Caesar's entire pool area is closed for renovation, so those are out..

So I will look into Bellagio, Venetian and Wynn..any others?

FainaAgain

Expedia's reservations are legit, valid, I would go for it... BUT what appears to be lower price may be increased by "resort charges" or whatever charges added upon check-in.

Do they still offer $50 gas card on Expedia? Worked for me perfectly, not doubt this is valid.

Now a warning. As with all reservations, call the hotel directly maybe 2 weeks before arriving to make sure your reservation is there, at the hotel.

Happened to me once, there was a mix-up when I reserved 2 rooms for 2 couples with different last names. This was resolved within one hour with 800 helpline on Expedia.

No, you will not get the worst room, they will ask you if you want smoking or not, 1 bed or 2.

Pools may be closed in December, I would confirm with the hotel.

Sign up with all hotels for e-mail promotions if you have time. They may beat Expedia's price. Check also Quikbook. Also check if your airline offers packages.

Your hotel may have the airport check-in, don't know the (dis)advantages, if any.

There is no included breakfast, not even coffeemaker in the room! But there are 24hrs food places in every hotel/casino, so don't worry about your cup-of-joe (or bring your own coffeemaker LOL).

FainaAgain

Pools may be closed in December, I would confirm with the hotel.

Of course I meant January

Loki

I don't know of any pools that are open in winter but if they were, I don't think you'd be particularly welcome to lap swim in them but if nobody else is floating around drinking beer in there...more power to ya. Most certainly aren't deep enough to kick turn. Maybe look for a local Y to train in? Maybe slip into UNLV somehow?

ekscrunchy

JJ5: My post crossed with yours. Hmmm..what you write is interesting.

So far, the hotels with open pools seem to be the Wynn, Venetian and Bellagio so I will be looking in particular at those three hotels. I will write to each of them to double check. Since I am not a gambler, I would probably use the pools while my partner is looking for a lucky table! (This trip is really for him, as is probably obvious here)

We are thinking of traveling on Wednesday January 21 and departing on the 24th. I will take a look at Quikbook and Hotwire. Then, armed with their prices, perhaps I should write to the hotels and see if they will match the offers.

janisj

Most important question? When exactly is your trip. The Consumer Electronics Show is HUGE (even in this economy) and will mean few if any bargains that week.

Otherwise - you should have no problems getting deals any other time during the month.

janisj

OOPs - was posting the same time as you. Your trip doesn't conflict w/ CES . . . . .

sf7307

Hotwire does NOT tell you which hotel until you hit "purchase". You can probably figure out which hotel it is using betterbidding dot com (or is it bidding for travel -- one of them does hotwire, the other only does priceline).

JJ5

No, there is a section that lets you pick the hotel first, if you don't want to do the pig in a poke thing. The prices aren't like Priceline or other bidding sites but they are totally better than a direct call to Vegas right now.

Hotwire and all of the discount hotel sites or bidding sites change all the time. Hotwire has had that first rung new feature, picking your hotel when you know which by name you want, for some time.

The one or two ekscrunchy has his/hers heart set on, might not be in the mix, but you do not have to pay $200 per for a Vegas hotel right now or in January.

google discount hotel vegas and you'll get 10 examples of sites where you can get fab pricing, locked in- and most of them like quikbook, you can even cancel.

FainaAgain

Now even Priceline has a link where you made reservations like on any other website without bidding. Don't know about the prices - I was peeking over a co-worker's shoulder while she was making air reservations on non-bidding Priceline.

sf7307

JJ5, I still can't find that link on Hotwire -- what is it called? No matter what button I press, I get a list of unnamed hotels. (I'm not interested in Las Vegas particularly, but for future reference...)

JJ5

Of those three, the Venitian has been on the lists I describe. I don't have time now- but when I have a chance I will post what I find here, eskcrunchy.

It may not be until late this evening- but I will not forget.

Don't forget in Vegas most of the pool experience is outside, not inside. And people when I have been there, are not swimming outside in January in great majority. Vegas has a hot climate, but hot is also relative and subjective to where people live and what their tolerances are.

I will not forget. I'll post what I find.

I have gotten the Palm for $49. I have gotten Paris at $69 and an entire suite at Rio for $59- when people said that it would cost be 3 or 4 times that much minimum.

Day to day- changes. Fridays are not like Mondays or Tuesdays. But I'll look and see what I find. And come back here sometime this evening.

We are having a snowstorm/blizzard and the commute is going to be miserable- so it may be late.

ErikaS27

January is a bit too cool to be swimming although the pools are heated. I have been to the Venetian, Bellagio and Paris and none of them have a lap pool. All three of these hotels are great, you can't go wrong with any of them. Bellagio is a bit stuffier than the other two. Haven't stayed at the Wynn but it is more like the Bellagio, bit stuffy. Rooms are beautiful, I'm sure. All are in good proximity to each other and where you want to be.

Expedia and Hotels.com are great sites. Don't be afraid to use them. No downside at all. Just make sure you can cancel if you need to. Sometimes rates are nonrefundable.

Absoultely, NO CAR NEEDED. You walk everywhere or take a cab.

ekscrunchy

Thanks, everyone!! This is very helpful!

When I last stayed at Caesar's, in the early 80s I remember that there was steam rising up from the pool because it was heated so well. But maybe they do not heat them so high nowadays.. Even back then, I was the only one in the pool!

My partner has been wanting to return to LV for a long time. I had to cancel a flight last summer, so I have the Frontier ticket I can use (minus service fee)..

We could go anytime, preferably during the days right after MLK holiday, which is the 19th..when I checked, the rates were high for that Monday and the following day, Tuesday..

Those dates do overlap with the NAHB show--I hope that does not have too much effect on things..

unclebro1

I would just call each hotel that you are considering and see if they will match whatever price you come up with on the internet. I have done this several times in different cities and it works almost every time. They want your business.