Former Vegas resident. I'm partial to the Palazzo over the Ventian. You can snag that w/ IHG points. You'll have to look on the Intercontinetal site vs IHG normally. Just know, December is NFR. So even weekdays, rooms will be $$$$. I had to graduate on the baseball field because NFR took over the Thomas and Mack. There is a Westin Bonvoy that is near the Horseshoe (Bally's) mid-strip. It's where my BF stays (and actually will be tomorrow night, LOL). It's not bad. As far as Hilton's....there is Resort's World, you'll need to uber from there or have a rental car. There is a Waldorf, and a few other hotels down by MGM. That is the opposite end of the strip from the Sphere. But you can walk it (I have several times) or use the monorail. There are LOTS of cheaper rooms to be had at places like Flamingo and Linq. Stay away from TI, etc. There's a great Tik Tok, Vegasstarfish. She has lots of good advice.