How to Get the Best Deals on a Las Vegas Vacation

Over the years, Las Vegas, NV has been on the top of my list as the city I go to get away and escape from reality. Those of you that have been to Las Vegas know it is not a cheap place to visit.

A year ago, I started “shopping” online for vacation deals. What I found are some great resources, enabling me to book flights, in addition to 4 and 5-star hotels, all while saving a ton of money. Who likes to save money? I DO! And I am sure many of you do as well! The savings have been so great, this year alone, I have taken four trips to Las Vegas and have another trip booked for New Year's Eve.

You may be asking how anyone can afford to go to Las Vegas five times in one year, while staying at great hotels. I have the secret, and I want to share it with all of you!

I often see commercials for Hotwire.com. This company is a travel website that offers low prices on flights, hotels, rental cars, and vacation packages. The reason why Hotwire offers low prices is because they sell off unsold inventory. How is it possible to get a low price on a flight, hotel, rental car, or vacation package? If you thought there’s a catch, you’re right! Basically, when you’re searching for a hotel through Hotwire, you indicate the city you’re traveling to, when you’re going, how many rooms are needed, and how many people are going. Once Hotwire completes its search, a long list of hotels appear, their star level, price per room, per night, the area of the city the hotel is located, and its amenities. If there is a specific area in the city you prefer to stay, there is the option of narrowing down the hotels to only that area. I prefer to stay either on the Strip, or around the Strip (West of the Strip or East of the Strip).

You must be wondering what’s the catch that I mentioned above. The catch is: Hotwire does not tell you the name of the hotel; you will find out the hotel you’ll be staying at once you make the purchase. If you’re flexible on the hotel you’ll be assigned to, then this is a great way to save hundreds of dollars. There is an online forum I came across, specifically for the hotels on Hotwire and Priceline. If you know how to use the forum, you will know the hotel you’ll be assigned to, before the purchase button is hit. I have used this method many times, knowing the exact hotel I was purchasing, even though the name of the hotel was not displayed until after the order was processed.

I will dedicate my next Hub on how to use Hotwire with the forum.

As I have mentioned above, I use Hotwire quite frequently. Below, I will give two examples of the rooms that were booked through their website.

In March, I went on a Spring Break trip to Las Vegas, for four nights. Using Hotwire, Vdara (a 5-star hotel) was the hotel that was booked, saving around $200.00 total.

As you can see, this is a beautiful room, and I was pleased. But, I decided to try something that I've heard works in Las Vegas. What is it? Ask for a room upgrade! I called the front desk, and asked for an upgrade. What happened? I was given an upgrade to a room that had two TVs, and a great view of the Bellagio Fountains! Don't be afraid to ask for a room upgrade!

In July, I used Hotwire again. Palms Place (a 4.5-star hotel) was the room that was booked, for two nights, saving another $200.00.

Groupon and LivingSocial are the websites I know of that list daily deals. Of these two websites, I have used Groupon. After I signed up for a Groupon account, I began getting daily emails with amazing deals listed! Just last week, Groupon was having a great deal for Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas (a 4-star hotel). The deal was for two nights, in a Paradise Tower-Pool View room. The price was only $138 total, for both nights! The promotion also included a $50 dining credit, $50 gaming credit, and four drink tickets, valued at $40. Adding these amounts together equals $140. Basically, the room pays for itself with all the extra promotions given! Also, if the room would have been booked directly through Hard Rock's website, the rate would have been $338 for two nights, a difference of $200! Thanks to Groupon, Hard Rock Hotel is where my cousin and I will be staying at for New Year's Eve weekend.

I recently came across Las Vegas Promo Codes. This websites lists Las Vegas hotel specials. If you want hotel promotions not advertised online, provide your email address, and you'll get monthly email deals. The emails are filled with promotion codes to get discounts on hotels, along with extra promotions that will come with booking a particular hotel, such as complimentary meals, complimentary shows, and complimentary admission into pool parties.

Believe it or not, even 5-star hotels offer special promotions when you book directly with them. For example, go to Vdara. On the top left hand corner, click on the Suites link, scroll down to Special Promotions, and you’ll get a list of the current promotions the hotel is having. If you explore the hotel’s website, you’ll be surprised the kind of deals you’ll come across.

Towards the end of the summer, I booked an amazing room, for three nights, directly with Vdara. And yes, I used the Special Promotions link. I ended up saving around $400.00 on the room! The room was a Panoramic Suite, yet was the price of Vdara’s basic room, the Deluxe Suite.

I have traveled many times, using various airlines. Southwest Airlines is the company I prefer for one reasons: no baggage fees. Because of this, I have signed up for Southwest’s Click ‘N Save Email Updates. A get a few emails per week, listing promotions that Southwest is having. A few weeks ago, Southwest was having a promotion to Las Vegas, NV. Flights were on sale for $59 one-way, a total, after taxes, of $130 roundtrip! This sale was the deciding factor in planning a New Year's Eve trip to Las Vegas. On average, a roundtrip flight to Las Vegas costs $290; that is if the fight is booked ahead of time. As you can see, I saved quite a bit of money with Southwest’s sale!

Happy savings and travels!