Inexpensive hotels in Vegas

[WillCAD]

I'm in the early planning stages of a trip to Vegas for my Big Four-Oh (40th birthday) next April.

I want to stay at the Luxor for a few days, but to stretch my budget (which is pretty tight), I thought for part of the trip I'd look for a cheaper hotel off the strip. I'll be going to Red Rock Canyon and the Valley of Fire and the Hoover Dam, so during those days it won't matter if I stay on the edge of town instead of on the strip.

But I've never been to Vegas and I know nothing about the city, the neighborhoods, or the hotels, so I haven't got a clue where I should look for a nice, cheap hotel, under $60.

 

[StageTek]

I really like the Imperial Palace.

It's old, it's not glitzy, it's a little threadbare but it
has that old Vegas feel that I kinda like. It's cheap
and it's right on the strip. Dead center. I stay there
everytime I'm in Vegas.

 

[sunshinemummy]

You are going April 2009? It's best to book a hotel for Vegas 30-60 days before you are going. If you were going this month you'd be looking at $50-$80/night for any of the big hotels (Luxor, Excalibur, Monte Carlo, MGM) so going off strip will not save you any money when you look at booking one of the deals for these hotels that usually include deals on food, gambling money, spa passes.

I was in Vegas in Jan for 6 nights, we split it up and booked two hotels for three nights each because of the deals. We got $30 dining credits, free buffet dinners, free spa admission, $10 gambling credit...etc... It made the rooms less than $50/night.

 

[sunshinemummy]

I'm actually partial to the south end of the strip myself. I've been at the MGM, Luxor, Excalibur, Monte Carlo and NYNY...all great hotels. IP is older but right in the middle which is nice if you are not renting a car. Let me know if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help.

 

[keishashadow]

use a code/pkg from

smarter vegas

broadway box

just make sure whatever you book is fully refundable jik a better deal comes along or you need to cancel for our dates best deals:

Harrah's properties (ballys, harrahs, imperial palace, flamingo via hot deals on their site)

tropicana is basically giving rooms away, new ownership - may not be around for your dates, needs a rehab from what i gather

circus-circus, sahara & stratosphere cheap, yet far flung

best pkgs with food/attractions seem to be the unrennovated rooms @ Excalibur & Luxor Pyramid . We're currently booked @ Luxor with a pkg with lots of gimmies, $200 range for 2 nights including a weekend night.

FYI, if you have a local library borrow a copy of any of the following for Vegas-good primer imo:

Unoffical Guide
Frommers
Fodors

 

[ZekeKelso]

April is an expensive month in Vegas - $60 is pushing it a little. The most important thing for finding a cheap room is going on weekdays rather than weekends.

The cheapest rooms in town are going to be downtown. The Fremont, 4 Queens and Fremont all offer perfectly nice, clean (but small) rooms. Binions is also good, but I'd take the other three first. The El Cortez is a particular favorite of mine - and often very cheap - but you have to be in the right frame of mind for it. Read up on all these at www.cheapovegas.com

As others have said, get a fully refundable reservation far in advance, then keep checking rates. The best deals usually show up about a month in advance. Room prices are almost impossible to predict. You might end up in a resport on the strip for your $60 budget. But you should be able to find someplace acceptable.

 

[Husker Mickey]

I agree with the other posters, don't book too early and keep an eye out for all of the specials. We've stayed on the strip and downtown(Fitzgeralds). We have never been disappointed with Fitzgeralds. The downtown has a feel of the old Vegas, but it has been cleaned up since the mid '80s and has a lot to offer. Don't miss it even if you don't stay downtown.

 

[Caseydilla]

If you don't mind staying off the strip, sometimes you can find cheap deal at one of the many the Station hotels. I know that when I have family come to town, they have found $29 deals at the Fiesta in Henderson.

 

[BillyFan]

While I agree that the IP is cheap and a great location, I'd like to caution you. We stayed there over Pres Weekend. Our room was $59-129, over the course of three nights. Everything else I saw onling was in the $200-300 range and up. So we knew we were in for a bare bones hotel. What I didn't expect was to have to go up a floor on an elevator and then walk the length of the hotel and then go down 2 floors on another elevator to get to our room. Then when we finally found our room, the window opened up into an indoor loading dock! I'm talking forklifts and trucks beeping while backing up at all hours, piles of laundry, etc. After much complaining they finally moved us to a high floor on the second night, but that room smelled like moth balls.
So if you are just looking for someplace cheap to crash at night, IP is fine, but don't expect a very nice stay.

 

[jlima]

I'm in the early planning stages of a trip to Vegas for my Big Four-Oh (40th birthday) next April.

I want to stay at the Luxor for a few days, but to stretch my budget (which is pretty tight), I thought for part of the trip I'd look for a cheaper hotel off the strip. I'll be going to Red Rock Canyon and the Valley of Fire and the Hoover Dam, so during those days it won't matter if I stay on the edge of town instead of on the strip.

But I've never been to Vegas and I know nothing about the city, the neighborhoods, or the hotels, so I haven't got a clue where I should look for a nice, cheap hotel, under $60.

April is usually a very busy convention month. If you are looking for under $60, try downtown, the manor rooms at Circus Circus, or possibly the Motel 6 on Tropicana across from the MGM Grand. There are other off strip places like Ellis Island on Koval; and Terrible's on Tropicana that would possibly be as cheap as you are looking for.

You need to understand that you will get what you pay for. If you stay off strip, you will have to walk or rent a car to get anywhere. You won't have the amenities that a strip property has like a nice pool, access to a spa and being in a property that has nice restaurants and entertainment. If you are celebrating a special occasion, just suck it up and pay a few extra $ to stay at somewhere like Luxor or Excalibur. Look at Luxor's website right now; there are some dates that are $80 and $90 dollars per night in April. I would expect these kinds of rates over the same time period a year from now.

 

[WillCAD]

April is usually a very busy convention month. If you are looking for under $60, try downtown, the manor rooms at Circus Circus, or possibly the Motel 6 on Tropicana across from the MGM Grand. There are other off strip places like Ellis Island on Koval; and Terrible's on Tropicana that would possibly be as cheap as you are looking for.

You need to understand that you will get what you pay for. If you stay off strip, you will have to walk or rent a car to get anywhere. You won't have the amenities that a strip property has like a nice pool, access to a spa and being in a property that has nice restaurants and entertainment. If you are celebrating a special occasion, just suck it up and pay a few extra $ to stay at somewhere like Luxor or Excalibur. Look at Luxor's website right now; there are some dates that are $80 and $90 dollars per night in April. I would expect these kinds of rates over the same time period a year from now.

Not a problem for me:

I always rent a car on vacation and definitely plan on having one in Vegas.

I don't swim on vacation, don't use spas, and don't care if the hotel has nice restaurants or entertainment.

I do plan on staying at the Luxor for a few days while exploring the hotels, casinos, and shows on the strip, but I wanted to move to a cheaper place for the remainder of the trip when I'll be visiting Hoover Sam, Red Rock Canyon, and the Valley of Fire, because during those days I'll just need a place to shower and sleep. I don't care if it has a pool, a spa, nice restaurants, shows, or a casino; all I want from it is a clean, well-maintained room with a bed, a TV, and a bathroom.

 

[StageTek]

nt.
I don't care if it has a pool, a spa, nice restaurants, shows, or a casino; all I want from it is a clean, well-maintained room with a bed, a TV, and a bathroom.

In that case the Motel 6 on either Tropicana Avenue
or Dean Martin Drive might suit your needs.

 

[WillCAD]

In that case the Motel 6 on either Tropicana Avenue
or Dean Martin Drive might suit your needs.

Well, I've never stayed at a Motel 6, but if they're good enough for Tom Bodett, I'm willing to give them a shot.

Location of both of those Motel 6s are pretty close to the middle of the strip. Anybody have any experience with either place?

 

[mshrm]

When it gets closer to time you might also try Priceline. Each time I go to Vegas I use it and pay about 50 for something on the strip. This time I paid 45 and its Planet Hollywood(for a July 08 stay).

 

[VegasMike21]

Good cheaper off strip hotels are gonna be at The Orleans, South Pointe (which is actually on the strip but a few miles south of mandalay bay), and Palace Station. All of these are decent with South Pointe the nicest out of the the three.

 

[StageTek]

Anybody have any experience with either place?

I've never stayed at the Motel 6 in Las Vegas, but a good friend
of mine will only stay there. When I travel for business or go
on a road trip, I always stay at Motel 6. They are clean, well-
maintained with a bed, a TV, and a bathroom.

Perfect for stopping in to take a shower, watch a little TV, fall
asleep and get out again.

 

[WillCAD]

I've never stayed at the Motel 6 in Las Vegas, but a good friend
of mine will only stay there. When I travel for business or go
on a road trip, I always stay at Motel 6. They are clean, well-
maintained with a bed, a TV, and a bathroom.

Perfect for stopping in to take a shower, watch a little TV, fall
asleep and get out again.

That's pretty much what I'm after.

Of course, my trip is still a year away, so things I learn now are not necessarily going to apply, but I figure that it can't hurt to look around a little and get familiar with Vegas. By the time I actually need to make my reservations, hopefully I'll know enough about where to look and what to look for that I'll be able to get myself a good deal.

 

[jlmarr]

Tropicana is pretty cheap - $55 for the dates I just pulled up on Expedia - and rates 3 stars. Pretty good location. Even has a street named after it.

 

[jtdl]

Good cheaper off strip hotels are gonna be at The Orleans, South Pointe (which is actually on the strip but a few miles south of mandalay bay), and Palace Station. All of these are decent with South Pointe the nicest out of the the three.

I've been looking at The Orleans for our trip next spring. Is it within walking distance of the strip? It doesn't look too far away on the map, but I know how deceiving maps can be

 

[jlima]

I've been looking at The Orleans for our trip next spring. Is it within walking distance of the strip? It doesn't look too far away on the map, but I know how deceiving maps can be

No, not walking distance . . . but it does have a shuttle service. I would just call their main number and ask where on the Strip it drops you off, so you can plan.