Hello,
This will be my first trip to Vegas and I would like to try to find a nice hotel in Priceline. I am wondering what region of the city I should bid in. What regions do you recommend?
My budget will be 150 USD / night (including taxes). Reasonable?
Thank you,
gpm

When are you going? In slow seasons even the nicest hotels can be booked in that price range midweek and not much more on weekends.

I would bid on "the strip", both north and south. Going by this site (http://www.betterbidding.com/index.php?showtopic=85&), you have these hotels available in those areas:

STRIP NORTH:
5* Palazzo REVIEW
5* Venetian REVIEW
5* Wynn REVIEW
4* Mirage
4* Treasure Island
3* Imperial Palace
3* Riviera
3* Stratosphere REVIEW
2.5* Sahara

STRIP SOUTH:
5* TheHotel at Mandalay Bay-- REVIEW
4* Luxor-- REVIEW
4* MGM Grand
4* NYNY
4* Paris
4* Planet Hollywood REVIEW
4* The Westin REVIEW / tripadvisor review
3.5* Flamingo
3.5* Monte Carlo-- (previously 4*) REVIEW
3* Hooters Casino Hotel
3* Tropicana
2* Crestwood Suites Las Vegas Blvd


Again, though... if you are going midweek or off-season you can quite possibly book almost any of those hotels directly for near $150 or less. That way you do not take the chance of not getting what you want. I always recommend staying right on the strip because it has always been easiest for me. Never had trouble with valet parking at the resorts so my car is available if I need it and I can walk to anywhere on the strip easily without worrying about the car.

Thank you. I will be in Vegas from September 23rd (Thursday) to September 26th (Sunday). We will not have a car.

Unless you are wedded to Priceline, you can often get deals by going to the hotel's web page. One feature that many have is a calendar that shows how much it costs for a specific type of room on every day of the month.

If you google Las Vegas lodging discounts you will find several sites that list deals. Sometimes you can bid too high on Priceline.

In fact a pop up just came up that was ONLY Vegas, check hotel rates and availability, guess I've had a cookie that told them I might be interested.

Thanks. Any hotels you recommend in Vegas? What about the resort fees?

We stayed at Bally's in December. The location was perfect, the room was large, the bathroom was very attractive. I got it for $44 per night on www.i4vegas.com. I'm sure the rates will be higher in September, but that's a website you might search.

If you can avoid Friday and Saturday night, your stay will be a lot cheaper. For instance, the Flamingo for those dates is close to $200 a night for Fri and Sat but only $105 for Sunday. Sunday thru Thursday will be much cheaper at most hotels.

Resort fees in LV are common, but a few hotels are starting to do away with them. But you should figure at least $20 per day for a resort fee just to be safe, especially if your hotel budget is tight.

Since you don't want to have a car, then you really need to be directly on the Strip; for this reason alone, I'd recommend trying to go directly through the hotel web sites first. So you really have to be very careful on Priceline. The Stratosphere, for instance, is pretty far from everything and would require a long bus ride to get anywhere. The Westin is also not on the Strip. To be safer, you could concentrate on 4- and 5-star hotels, but then I don't know that your bid would be accepted, especially on a busy Friday and Saturday night in September (high season).

You should also check Hotels.com and Hotwire. Hotels.com especially can sometimes give you good deals and you'd know the hotel name.

Looks like The Palms is $119 and Trump Towers Condo is $119 that weekend on hotwire, so I would start my Priceline bidding at $80 for a four-star center strip.

I'm a huge fan of Priceline, but never use them for Las Vegas. You take the chance of getting an undesirable hotel (such as Trump). The pinned hotel list is a useful reference, but you could still "win" another property entirely, OR get "upgraded" and not like that hotel.

Agree with the advice to check individual websites for specials.

That said, we have had some amazing stays with Hotwire (after checking BetterBidding).

Note also that you're much more likely to get a free upgrade or a nice upgrade for a nominal additional rate if you book directly with the hotel.

Thank you all. Any hotels names you would recommend?

I loved Caesar's Palace... only place I have actually stayed when in Vegas. From what I have seen, though, other places I would love to stay or enjoy staying at would be Venetian, MGM Grand, Bally's (mainly for location), Paris, and Planet Hollywood. But, if I were booking now and could get Caesar's at my price I'd probably just do that again.

Also, I want to stress again the I fully support the "book through the hotel" idea. I was pointing out priceline as a fair option and the neighborhoods I would choose (since you asked) but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Priceline and have never used it for Vegas. It is true that you can get a resort you did not really want or one that is on the end of the strip and not very central. With the deals the hotels offer I don't think you need priceline... I was just sharing the info.

For a mid-priced hotel, I actually like the Flamingo. While the rooms are just ok (though I understand they have been renovated recently), the pool area is great. Food is mediocre and horribly overpriced, but there are better options near the hotel. And it's mid-Strip.

There are often good deals at the Paris, and it's a good hotel, though the pool isn't so hot.

If you can get a good deal, Planet Hollywood has a great mall attached.

The Monte Carlo is often overlooked, and it's a good location.

Luxor is cheap and blah, so I can't recommend it any longer.

Excalibur usually has very good rates, and it's a surprisingly decent place to stay. They have a nice spa, and while the pool is just ok, it's heated and open year-round, unlike many.

Ballys also has a good location, though it's kind of a blah hotel, and I don't like the casino.

I'm mentioning these hotels because they often have good prices. The Mirage, Bellagio, Caesars, MGM Grand, TI, Venetian, and both Wynns are all better hotels but much more expensive on average. The Rio, Westin, and Hard Rock are off the Strip, as is City Center (the Vdara).

I LOVE Red Rock Resort, but it's very far from the Strip and requires a car to get around.

Here is a list of resort fees...

Excalibur $8
Gold Coast $3
Hard Rock Hotel $7
Hooters Hotel $5
Hyatt $10
Luxor Hotel $11
MGM Grand $15
MGM Signature $20
New York New York $3
Planet Hollywood $6
Sahara $6
Stratosphere $8
Treasure Island $20
Tropicana $8
Trump $19.95 (updated June 2010)
Westin $15

Source: http://www.hoteldealsrevealed.com/fo...php?f=28&t=434

Update on resort fees. I just got back from Vegas and stayed at Flamingo the first 3 nights and the Vdara for the remainder of my trip. Vdara as a $15/night resort fee (which includes free wifi internet in room) and Flamingo has a $0 resort fee.

With that budget you will have no problem finding a rooom in most of the 4 and 5 star hotels.

You can compare different hotels here http://www.hotelreservation.com/

People...he went on his trip 2 months ago