Where should I stay next trip?

My brother & I have booked flights for a short weekend in Vegas in early January. It's been 3 years since my last trip and 12 years since his last one. We're trying to figure out where to stay. He'd prefer somewhere towards mid-strip, and I prefer Caesar's properties to avoid the Resort Fees. After checking Caesars.com, I found these deals for two nights (Saturday + Sunday), double occupancy, two queen/double beds:

Bills - $65/night avg
Flamingo - $44/night avg
Harrah's - $56/night avg
Rio - $71/night avg

I stayed at Harrah's my last trip and the room was clean, comfortable, and modern. (For comparison, when on other vacations I like to stay at Hampton Inns or Courtyard by Marriott.) I've heard the Flamingo's rooms can be quite dated. I like the idea of the Rio's atmosphere, but am not sure about staying off-strip and traveling back & forth. Haven't heard much about Bill's. Neither of us are interested in the IP, which we've heard has dumpy rooms.

I'd appreciate your vote and input.

I'm guessing Bally's was too expensive for the trip. Do you play at Caesars properties at all? If so, you should be able to get Bally's at the same rate schedule as Flamingo or Harrah's, unless there's a convention going on. Even still, I wouldn't think it to be a problem.

I prefer Rio of your choices. I was concerned about being on the other side of the interstate when I first stayed there, but its really no big deal. The shuttle buses are very convenient. I like the dining options at Rio as well.

If you really need to stay on the strip, I suggest you look into Bally's. Its usually in the same price range as Harrah's and Rio. Its comfortable, the location is great, and the connection with Paris is convenient.

Harrah's is probably the closest to what you are looking for -- the Holiday Inn-type place. (It used to be a Holiday Inn!) To be frank, none of the Caesars places on the East Side of the Strip (save Paris and P-ho) have a great reputation, and get mixed reviews. I admit I've never stayed at any of them. At Rio you are pretty much guaranteed a top-notch room. I have stayed there twice. Check out Bally's, and even give Bill's a second look. Kind of cool to be right "at the center of the action" there, and the hotel gets solid reviews.

I stayed at Bill's during 4th July week this year.

I chose it purely for location which was excellent. I hardly played at all there (only about 1 hour of craps) but it was handy for walking to Bellagio and onto Aria and MGM where I spent most of my time playing green chip blackjack.

I wouldn't particularly recommend it if you can get Flamingo or Harrahs for less as the place seemed a bit worn out and the air con smelled a bit musty in my room. Incidently the $20 trick worked for me here and I got the room on the top floor nearest to the Bellagio fountains which was a treat. I believe the rooms are larger than most other similarly priced rooms on the strip.

Quote: PapaChubby

If you really need to stay on the strip, I suggest you look into Bally's. Its usually in the same price range as Harrah's and Rio.

I looked into that, but the prices were a lot higher than the other properties I mentioned. Caesar's website has it listed at $129/night.

What weekend are you looking for? I just checked the Caesars rate calendar for January, and the period from January 6 - 14 seems exceptionally expensive for properties on the strip. I don't know what is going on right then, but their basic rates at Bally's are listed at $259 to $299 per night mid week! That is outrageous, compared to normal times. Maybe you just picked a very expensive time period. Is that the week for the computer/electronics geeks?

Do you have a Total Rewards Card? Do you have a user ID and password set up on the Caesars web site? If so, sign in and then see what rates they offer you. It can make a tremendous difference, even if you are a low roller like me, but it doesn't seem to make much difference for Bally's that particular week. Also, try clicking the link for Hot Deals, whether you are signed in or not, since some of those are much better than the standard rates.

On the other hand, the Rio rooms are offered for $55/night (after I sign-in) for Sat/Sun Jan 6-7. There must be something happening right at mid-strip that week to make the Bally's rates so high. I like the Rio rooms much better than the Bally's/Harrah's/Flamingo rooms. Since I always get a rental car, the off-strip location is never a factor for me, since I just park at whatever casino I want to spend time in. If I didn't have a car, I don't know whether it would be a problem or not, since I have no experience with their shuttle.