Which hotels would be best for me?

Hi

I'm thinking about visiting Vegas with my fiance during June, we're looking to stay for about a week and would like to stay in a nice hotel that wouldn't cost me leg and arm :). Which hotels should I consider for:

- Free/affordable wlan
- Decent pool (doesn't need to be fancy or anything)
- Decent breakfast

I'm assuming every hotel in Vegas has air-conditioning in the rooms and the rooms are decent sized and clean? What else should I consider when choosing, is there anything "special" about hotels in Vegas vs hotels elsewhere?

There are many people here that can give you much better information, but I have a couple tidbits as I planned my first trip there last year with friends and did pretty much all of the planning:

On getting a deal: Go to their websites and sign up to get e-mails from them. I get $50-$60 rooms from NYNY almost weekly. The nicer hotels haven't given me good $ deals, but they add free comps.

On a nice casino: NYNY was very nice for me for a couple of reasons. First off, it's on the strip and I got away with under $100/night per room. If you feel like a cheap lunch (which I assume you'll be wanting if you're staying a week there and money is an issue) you can go to Excalibur's food court.

I would really like to know if any of the nicer casinos have complimentary wifi... a friend had to pay like $15/day for in-room. I think most of them have a business area? If not, I'm sure you could find a starbucks or something if it's that important.

The Flamingo has decent rooms and a great pool. It also has tennis courts and a small spa. I find the room rates to be low for the great location in the center of the Strip.

Do you need a hotel with a casino? None of the casino-hotels have free wlan. The national chain hotels (Courtyard, La Quinta, etc.) will have it, but they tend to charge slightly more than the casino-hotels. You can find the national chains on Paradise east of the strip and scattered around/off the strip generally.
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I would recommend the Tuscany. It is cheap and has free wireless in the common areas. The common areas are very nice and quiet, and they have a good coffee shop with good breakfast. The rooms are large and air-conditioned. The pool is nothing spectactular, but it is nice. They have a tasteful, low-key casino that never gets very crazy. Rates are usually in the sub-$40 range and can approach $20 at slow times. They charge a resort fee.
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If you want to stay on the strip, New York New York, as mentioned above, is a very good value, as is Monte Carlo. I would not recommend downtown, unless it's the Golden Nugget (which is great).

My girlfriend and I just stayed at the Flamingo a few weeks ago, and we loved it. Very very cheap, and arguably the best location in Las Vegas. We paid an extra $25/night to upgrade to a GO ROOM with a view of the Strip, and it was worth every penny. We usually stay at the Venetian or Wynn/Encore, but the Flamingo is half the price. (Although admittedly, the GO ROOMS are only 350 sq ft, whereas Encore's rooms are 700 sq. ft.) The Flamingo's pool looks great, but it's closed in the winter. :(

Most Vegas casinos have Internet access, but you'll have to pay about an extra $12/day. Somebody mentioned the Tuscany, which I reviewed. It is a nice place, has a nice pool, but it is about a half mile from the Strip. Also, a whole week in Vegas may be too much. You might consider doing a side trip to Death Valley, Zion, or the Grand Canyon for a few of the days.

Quote: teddys

Do you need a hotel with a casino? .......
I would recommend the Tuscany.

I somehow would never consider a place without a casino.
Tuscany has quite large rooms but its only a short walk to the strip. The free internet is in the various common areas. If you pay for the room area internet access the rate goes down after a few days.

Well, Internet-access in the room is VERY important for me, but if I can get in-room Internet for less than $15/day I can live with it, having a casino within the hotel would be nice. We're staying the US for two weeks and are visiting San Diego (I've been there before so just checking the zoo and downtown) and Los Angeles before coming to Vegas where our flight will be leaving back home, as I'm going to drive a car from San Diego to Vegas, and if a whole week in Vegas could be considered "too long", I'm open to suggestions on where we could dip on the way from Diego to Vegas.

And thanks for all the input, I checked that it's possible to get quite nice deals on NYNY at the moment from hotels.com and will probably ask them directly what they are able to offer.

"And thanks for all the input, I checked that it's possible to get quite nice deals on NYNY at the moment from hotels.com and will probably ask them directly what they are able to offer."

If you use hotels.com, or some other travel service, isn't it harder to get nights comped for casino play?

Once you are in the casino, the casino will comp you based on your play. If you use hotels.com or another site that makes you prepay, and you go to a property that reduces the cost of your stay by the comps that you earn, you won't be able to take advantage of this (you can only use the comps to apply against charges to your room). However, the casino may be willing to comp you another night or two during your stay based on your play and may also upgrade your room, but if the casino tries to upgrade your room, they might make the decision based off the rate that you paid.

Hotels.com and all of the travel web sites are able to offer heavily discounted rates because they get the rooms themselves at a much lesser rate (usually 30%) than the hotel book rate. With hotel chains offering a low price guarantee through the internet, the rates now between internet booking sites and the hotel itself are usually the same. I think the only time that an internet booking site would beat a hotel rate is within a package that includes airfare. That enables the internet travel agent to hide the price of the hotel within the package and advertise a price below the hotel's lowest rate (and thus not break the hotel's property). Internet travel agents are not able to do much with airfare.

Yes, I've usually used hotels.com to see what's available pricewise and then contacted the hotels directly. I don't think I would play enough to get any kind of comps (at least not rooms), would probably be playing BJ at $10 or $25 a hand for couple of hours a day and I'd assume that's so little action that they wouldn't bother?

I've been informed Terrible's has free wireless internet.

I should emphasize that if you are looking for the "Vegas" experience, Terrible's is NOT for you; you will be disappointed. However, if you (and/or your fiancee) are the bargain-hunting types, you will be satisfied and maybe even a little surprised.

I, personally am trying to make a decision between Casino Royale and Tuscany. From what I have seen they both have casinos with pretty good odds. It sounds like Tuscany is a nicer hotel while Casino Royale has much better of a location. If anyone can give me input from their personal experience with these two I would be very grateful. Also, does it really only take 15 minutes to walk to the strip?

Quote: ahiromu

I, personally am trying to make a decision between Casino Royale and Tuscany. From what I have seen they both have casinos with pretty good odds. It sounds like Tuscany is a nicer hotel while Casino Royale has much better of a location. If anyone can give me input from their personal experience with these two I would be very grateful. Also, does it really only take 15 minutes to walk to the strip?

I stayed at the Tuscany last October. My room was very large and somewhat nice. There were some signs of wear, the TV was a CRT, and the cable only had about 15 channels. It had a kitchenette, among other things. The buildings with the rooms are all 3 floors or less, so no view to speak of.

I could've walked to the Strip in less than 10 minutes if I wanted to. It's a bit of a walk to the Tuscany casino from any of the rooms - some of it outside.

I don't know anything about the Casino Royale rooms, and I've heard mixed reviews about them, but I've been to the casino. The location is nice. But you might be able to get Imperial Palace, Bally's, Harrah's, or others for less on weekdays.

Quote: ahiromu

Also, does it really only take 15 minutes to walk to the strip?

No. Not unless you're talking about a small portion of the strip...and aren't stopping to look around.

Manadaly Bay to Stratosphere is 4.4 miles. That's the extremes of what any normal person would call 'The Strip'.

If you want to walk just the 'center' of the strip, i.e. the cluster where the casinos are tightly packed on both sides of the road, then you're talking about Tropicana to Wynn: 2 Miles.

Can you power walk 2 miles in 15 minutes?

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A few years back, I decided to walk, with the wife, from the Stratosphere to Circus Circus. 1 mile. As I explained to her, it was only about an inch on the map.

The bad part of my decision was that it was 2 in the afternoon, in August. The wife remarked that it seemed like we were walking thru the desert (Duh!), and that our destination seemed to be getting further away (I didn't want to say so, but I agreed).

I did the same walk this past September, but at 8pm. By myself. It seemed like a relatively short walk.

If you play $10 or $25 a hand at the right property, you may be happily surprised at least in the way of future offers. Have your play rated at every place you play (unless you are a counter and staying under the radar :)) and see what offers you get. If you end up playing $25 an hour for 4 hours or so at a smaller hotel/casino, make sure you ask if you can get anything.

I'd also book directly with the hotel if the price is similar--they can't fix things for you on the back-end if the room is prepaid. Obviously, the pricing differences you find when booking do make a difference.

I also joined a bunch of email lists and regularly get $55 offers for MGM, etc.

We played at Vegas Club/Plaza for less than an hour. We did both free plays ($5 ea on slots) and match plays ($10 even bets) from ACG. I used the money I won on the match play to play more roulette at one place; I put $100 on the craps table at the other. My wife won $1,000 on the free slot play between the two places. Since we returned, we have a letter from the hosts offering a free room.

The point is this--don't underestimate what your play may get you. The worst anyone can say is "No"...

Have fun, enjoy the trip, and see what happens...as long as you aren't playing to get a comp, it'll be good news when you get one!!

For me, it's about the experience and the company you are with. If you like to be a hard core gambler there to win money on the cheap with great house rules, then downtown or somewhere else off-strip is where to be.

For me, the strip runs from Mandalay Bay to the Encore and this is a Las Vegas experience. A walk down the strip from South to North will take me to the following properties

Mandalay Bay -> Luxor -> Excalibur -> NYNY -> MGM -> Planet Hollywood -> Paris -> Bellagio -> Caesars -> Harrah's -> Casino Royale -> Venetian/Palazzo -> Mirage -> TI -> Wynn/Encore.

I think that staying at any of these hotels will give you the "Strip" experience. Certainly, the centerpiece of the strip is still the Bellagio fountains. You can still get good blackjack and craps games at Casino Royale, which is always a stop of me.

But Girlmimbo prefers the more refined style which is why you'll find us at the Wynn/Encore at the end of next week. For me, it's a bit out of the way of the rest of the strip, but we like to walk.

Quote: Retardi

Hi

I'm thinking about visiting Vegas with my fiance during June, we're looking to stay for about a week and would like to stay in a nice hotel that wouldn't cost me leg and arm :). Which hotels should I consider for:

- Free/affordable wlan
- Decent pool (doesn't need to be fancy or anything)
- Decent breakfast

I'm assuming every hotel in Vegas has air-conditioning in the rooms and the rooms are decent sized and clean? What else should I consider when choosing, is there anything "special" about hotels in Vegas vs hotels elsewhere?

First off, I'm not an old school Vegas guy, nor do I care for Fremont St. or small casinos. I live on the east coast and can hit AC anytime, so I look for the big stuff in Vegas.

What kind of trip are you looking for? What's you price point? You won't find free wifi at the big strip casinos... none that I know of anyway. You will probably be able to find it in some of their coffee shops, etc. After taking that into consideration, I would suggest:

Luxor
Bally's
TI
and maybe Harrah's (I like their breakfast, don't care for the rest)

Lux would be my top choice under those conditions, though, expecially after their latest "remodeling."

Last time I went through the Luxor, I didn't like it as the gaming area was just too dark. I like high celings and little smoke. Luxor is a good bet though as it's part of the MGM group and you can walk through to the Excalibur or Mandalay Bay. Once you're at the Excalibur, you're across the street from NYNY or MGM. So really you're at the center of the MGM universe at Luxor and the hotel itself is quite unique. But I wouldn't gamble there.

I'm coming for a convention at the Covention Center in September, so I did a little research this morning.

I'm leaning towards Imperial Palace for a variety of reasons:
It's on the monorail route, so it will be easy to get to the convention
They have a fridge in the room - I tend to buy food and snacks and not eat to often in the restaurants.
It's relatively center strip.
Once I entered my player's card, the $390 rate dropped to only $40. For the entire 5 nights!

My point is two-fold: "Best" is a relative term. What are you looking for? I'm traveling alone, so I don't care if it's a little run-down, or even very run-down. As long as the room is relatively clean, I'm happy. So the four items I pointed out above hit all my other hot points.

What are your hot points?

And if price is a factor, be sure to enter your player's card number before you get the price quote.

Quote: Retardi

would probably be playing BJ at $10 or $25 a hand for couple of hours a day and I'd assume that's so little action that they wouldn't bother?

Right, they probably would not bother with a room comp for that action, but don't waste it. Get a players club card so you at least get into their computer for future trips. A green chip (25) each hand for four hours would be fine with many places in town, but some places wouldn't notice you if its only two hours or if its 10 a hand. Bet what you are comfortable with but get the benefits of what money you bet with.

I refuse to even walk in the shadow cast by Terribles, much less enter the place.

At Tuscany, if you played Blackjack for two hours at 100.00 betting level, you would just about be at their minimum for a room comp, so two hours at 25.00 a hand would not be getting you a room.

Enjoy your trip no matter what decisions you make.
If you will have been in San Diego and Los Angeles, you may be used to the weather but remember to drink water when you are in Vegas. Good luck.

Quote: FleaStiff

Quote: Retardi

would probably be playing BJ at $10 or $25 a hand for couple of hours a day and I'd assume that's so little action that they wouldn't bother?

Right, they probably would not bother with a room comp for that action, but don't waste it. Get a players club card so you at least get into their computer for future trips. A green chip (25) each hand for four hours would be fine with many places in town, but some places wouldn't notice you if its only two hours or if its 10 a hand. Bet what you are comfortable with but get the benefits of what money you bet with.

I want to add to this,

My wife and I stayed at Monte Carlo in Dec and I joined the MGM/Mirage Players Club.
We booked a room and flight through a travel agent and prepaid for everything.
At checkout the hotel gave us comps for the resort fee and 1 dinner(about $80). So don't think
you can't get anything if you prepay, it might not be much but anything is better
than nothing.

Also we received and are using comps for 2 days free room rate at Mandalay Bay in July, plus
the Players Club room rate for the other days is about $10-15 less than internet pricing.

Chuck

Quote: DetroitCobra

What kind of trip are you looking for? What's you price point? You won't find free wifi at the big strip casinos... none that I know of anyway. You will probably be able to find it in some of their coffee shops, etc.

I believe some or all of the MGM properties give "free" wifi now as part of their $15.99/day resort fee.