I wrote this to a Vegas newbie on Blonde's discussion board and since it is so detailed, I thought that I'd save it here as boiler plate
Hi Wendy,
Welcome to the board.
We all have our favorite ways to find and book rooms. Be certain that the discount sites like this one have a clean cancellation policy so that if you change your mind, you don't have to pay a penalty. In most cases if you catch a deal early on and then want to just change one day, you have to cancel the entire booking and rebook for higher rates.
Also, many of them take all the money upfront, so you might be stuck waiting for a refund.
I like this search mechanism for bringing up three places and comparing.
http://www.bookingadvisor.com/http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?p=441981
When I can, I book with booking.com because they just take one night to hold the room.
http://www.booking.com/
I have not used the one you mention.
For many reasons it is better if you book directly with the hotel. The cancellation policies are usually very good. You can drop just one night. And if you gamble a bit, they might comp your stay.
We can help you here if you read around a bit and decide on an area where you would like to stay. Be sure to check the section where videos of rooms are collected. Knowing whether you want to stay upscale or get by on the cheap is a huge decision. Most newbies want to be on or near the strip their first visit. Strip properties are pricier, but sometimes worth it. Are you coming for a long time? Where are you from overseas? Here is a great trip report from folks from Germany
http://blonde4ever.yuku.com/topic/28163/Eva-Wolfgang-in-Las-Vegas-October-2013
These folks rent a car.
Here is one from folks in Scotland.
These folks take the bus
http://blonde4ever.yuku.com/topic/28276/24-nights25-days-in-Las-Vegas
Short trips booked on or near the strip will be filled just with walking. If you want a bit of luxury, book right on the strip. If you want access but want to save money, try looking at the Orleans. Nice rooms, plenty to do, and a free shuttle or cheap city bus gets you to the strip, or a $10 cab gets you to the back door of Aria.
Once you have your air, have done your homework, know your exact dates and can answer the question of where you want to stay, come back here we can be of more help.
Also, be sure you know the resort fees that can easily be as much as $28 and not very clear in the offers but in fine print. Here is a good list of those
http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?p=441981
that is updated regularly as these things change.
One common pitfall is people give Priceline a certain price and they search out an unknown hotel and they have to book blind without cancelation. Well, if you wanted to pay $50 a night and Priceline assigned you to a nameless deal that charges that but adds $28 in resort fees, you got caught. The resort fee is not reported in the charge or figured in the mathematics. Because they call it a different fee, it is to some extent invisible and ignored.
Also, be careful of phone conversations with people who don't speak much English hired on the cheap by these discount places. I once booked 5 nights and when I got the confirmation she had booked me in the wrong month. I had a good bit of money wrapped up in that booking for almost two months and had to shell out again for my actual month.
Hi Wendy,
Welcome to the board.
We all have our favorite ways to find and book rooms. Be certain that the discount sites like this one have a clean cancellation policy so that if you change your mind, you don't have to pay a penalty. In most cases if you catch a deal early on and then want to just change one day, you have to cancel the entire booking and rebook for higher rates.
Also, many of them take all the money upfront, so you might be stuck waiting for a refund.
I like this search mechanism for bringing up three places and comparing.
http://www.bookingadvisor.com/http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?p=441981
When I can, I book with booking.com because they just take one night to hold the room.
http://www.booking.com/
I have not used the one you mention.
For many reasons it is better if you book directly with the hotel. The cancellation policies are usually very good. You can drop just one night. And if you gamble a bit, they might comp your stay.
We can help you here if you read around a bit and decide on an area where you would like to stay. Be sure to check the section where videos of rooms are collected. Knowing whether you want to stay upscale or get by on the cheap is a huge decision. Most newbies want to be on or near the strip their first visit. Strip properties are pricier, but sometimes worth it. Are you coming for a long time? Where are you from overseas? Here is a great trip report from folks from Germany
http://blonde4ever.yuku.com/topic/28163/Eva-Wolfgang-in-Las-Vegas-October-2013
These folks rent a car.
Here is one from folks in Scotland.
These folks take the bus
http://blonde4ever.yuku.com/topic/28276/24-nights25-days-in-Las-Vegas
Short trips booked on or near the strip will be filled just with walking. If you want a bit of luxury, book right on the strip. If you want access but want to save money, try looking at the Orleans. Nice rooms, plenty to do, and a free shuttle or cheap city bus gets you to the strip, or a $10 cab gets you to the back door of Aria.
Once you have your air, have done your homework, know your exact dates and can answer the question of where you want to stay, come back here we can be of more help.
Also, be sure you know the resort fees that can easily be as much as $28 and not very clear in the offers but in fine print. Here is a good list of those
http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?p=441981
that is updated regularly as these things change.
One common pitfall is people give Priceline a certain price and they search out an unknown hotel and they have to book blind without cancelation. Well, if you wanted to pay $50 a night and Priceline assigned you to a nameless deal that charges that but adds $28 in resort fees, you got caught. The resort fee is not reported in the charge or figured in the mathematics. Because they call it a different fee, it is to some extent invisible and ignored.
Also, be careful of phone conversations with people who don't speak much English hired on the cheap by these discount places. I once booked 5 nights and when I got the confirmation she had booked me in the wrong month. I had a good bit of money wrapped up in that booking for almost two months and had to shell out again for my actual month.
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