I am looking to book a hotel in vegas - first time and want to stay somewhere nice.

What is the best way to get cheap hotel rates.

Ideally looking to stay at Paris or something along that line.

Is there a good discount site or card that will help.

I booked my hotel through hotwire , I chose the "3-4 "star and on the strip only options and got the 23rd floor of "the Aladdin" with views of the bellagio fountains for $65US a night , a top notch hotel , staff was wonderful as was the Casino buffets and bedroom ...... it is the smaller room attached to the massive bathroom (if u have been there you know exactly what mean lol ) anyways I can recommend Hotwire , i have used them a few times and always got terrific bargains ...

Browse the web sites of properties that are attractive to you and check out their automated reservations to get a price. Then call and get a price. Reserve the one that is attractive to you. Move on to the next hotel and do the same, book that too. Repeat in a couple of weeks.

When the time is right, cancel the ones that you do not want. I give this same advice for car rentals.

Go to individual hotel sites and sign up for email promotions. Last summer, I got the Bellagio for $159 a night with a free upgrade to a fountain view room. Enjoy Vegas!

Since you do not say when you plan on going I can just point out that some weeks are much higher then others due to conventions. I go to 'Vegas often and always book directly with hotel - they all have websites and you can sign up for e-mail promotions too.

Be aware that all hotels require a one night deposit charged to your credit card. You may not want to make too many reservations at different hotels if you do not want these charges to appear on your card.

Go to each hotel's individual website and sign up with them to receive e-mail promotions. Now the prices are going down for January-February.

Don't know if it will work for you, as Lori said they charge for first night right away, but I made reservations for full price and hope to cancel it later to book something cheaper. My credit card is not maxed out. The purpose of this: I'm going over a holiday weekend, so not sure I'll get much better rates. My initial reservation is with a hotel directly, fully refundable.

In the interim I occasionally search websites like Expedia, Orbitz, etc...

Check also the prices on the website: often hotels comprise a package with perks like 2 for 1 buffet, discounts on spas and shows - you may find a nice offer which will give a discount on something else, not only the room price.