Las Vegas Hotel $ end of August?
 

My wife and I are planning an August getaway to Las Vegas for just the nights of Thurs, Aug 23rd, Fri Aug 24th and Sat Aug 25th. We are looking at hotels like MGM, Mirage, or Monte Carlo. Is there a chance of better rates as we get closer to the summer months, or should we just go ahead and book now?

We are seeing $450 - $550 range total expense (standard room w/tax) for the 3 nights. This seems reasonable to us but we don't have a reference point...just haven't been to Vegas in many years. Any advice would be appreciated!

Thank you!

The first thing you want to do is check a calendar of events to see if there are any large conventions, sporting events (like Nascar or boxing), or concerts in town. Even if it's just your hotel that's holding a large event, the prices will be impacted.

For conventions, use the LVCVA site. You'll be able to choose by date and venue - the conventions and number of attendess will be listed. Anything under 50,000 is probably no big deal. Here's the URL:

http://www.lvcva.com/meetings/convention-calendar.jsp

Next, check for concerts, headliners, and sporting events at a site like LasVegas.com. Plug in your dates and see what's in town.

If there is a big event planned, consider changing your dates.

If you don't see anything that should drive prices up, you may want to wait to see if anyone offers a deal.

If you are uncomfortable waiting, book directly with the hotel, then watch the room rates on the hotel's web site as the date gets closer. If their prices go down, call the hotel and have them change your reservation to reflect the lower price.

Be wary of booking through a site like Expedia or Orbitz - you may be expected to pay a fee to cancel or change a reservation (if it's allowed at all.)

Lastly, $150 per night is probably a reasonable rate if you are planning to stay over a weekend. If you are coming mid-week those are not very good rates for the hotels you mentioned (at that time of year). I'd expect to pay closer to $100-$120 per night mid-week.

Thank you so much vegaslocal...just the help we needed!

Broadwaybox.com/lasvegas has some good rates for the hotels you mentioned.

bookmarking for my trip next spring! Thanks for the info.