Las Vegas - 3 Nights from Philly

[369]

Hi guys,

This will be my first trip to vegas and I don't know much so I need the experts. I found a deal on Bookit.com from Philly to Lasvegas Flight+Hotel from $259 ( MGM). I think this is a very good deal, but am not sure. What do you guys think?

[kjegbert]

Could you provide more details?

[369]

I don't know what other details I could provide. basically I need a good deal for flight+hotel from philadelphia to Las vegas for 3 nights from Nov 22nd returning Nov 25th.

MGM Grand, Flamingo is what I looked for. I need a package for 2 people under $700.

[Talyssa]

other hotels you'd like to stay in would be a good start -- I'd suggest Planet Hollywood, maybe harrahs, NYNY on the lower priced side, stay away from Bally's, excalibur, the stratosphere. I do like the MGM for food though, its probably got the highest concentration of really fantastic restuarants -- but its easy to just go there to eat afterall. I like Planethollywood for convenience and atmosphere and because there's lots of attached shopping, food, drinking, etc. Caesers has that too but its more expensive.

[Trangee_x3]

Look into hotels.com. I mainly use that site to help me choose hotels and find good deals there. =]

[mike93704]

I don't know what other details I could provide. basically I need a good deal for flight+hotel from philadelphia to Las vegas for 3 nights from Nov 22nd returning Nov 25th.

MGM Grand, Flamingo is what I looked for. I need a package for 2 people under $700.
Did you check the total cost of this package? There might be an additional $140 in taxes and fees added to that.

If you can stay 5 nights, Friday, Nov. 20-Nov 25, you can take advantage of the ORBITZOT150 $150 off a hotel/flight package. That returns with some cheaper or similar packages compared to the 3-day Bookit, if Bookit adds the $140 extra taxes and fees -- depending on hotel selected.

[369]

thanks for the orbitz coupon code. MGM is expensive, I could however find from Nov 21 - Nov 26 at the flamingos and after discount its coming to $670 which is great but I don't know how the Flamingo hotel is. Any ideas. I wish I got MGM or planet hollywood for that price, My dates are flexible but have to be there on the 22nd as its our anniversary.

[Talyssa]

flamingo is an older hotel and their older rooms are supposedly not very nice, but their new Go rooms are great we stayed in one and were quite happy. actually I think we got upgraded to a suite.

If you can get a Go room the level of luxury for hte price will be higher than at the MGM or PH.That may not matter to you though.

one benefit of the flamingo over the MGM is that it is a LOT more centralized on the strip and surrounded by a lot of the cheap eats/bargain hotels/cheap table hotels. Its really not a bad choice at all. We woudl stay there again.

[mike93704]

If you do a search on Orbitz for flight+hotel for Nov. 21-26 and apply the $150 orbitz coupon, the Tuscany Suites and Casino pops up for $281 per person for flight + hotel after the $150 is applied. There is an additional $50 resort fee you must pay at the end of the stay, but that should only make your total cost $612 for flight and 5 days hotel TOTAL for 2 people (not per person).

I haven't stayed there so I have no idea what it is like. You can check the reviews on the site -- it seems to have good reviews.

When you check out, there are optional upgrades for car rental (doesn't look like a good deal), tour packages (don;t know if they are that great), shows (not bad, they are discounted off the regular tickets, but you may be able to get better), etc. This is for an anniversary, right? So, maybe Zumanity by Cirque du Soleil? Locals can offer other suggestions.

You may want to be careful when you do your selection. When I did the search, I was getting back different hotels than what I clicked on. I suspect the page was messed up after refreshing the search results, so make sure you are actually booking the hotel you originally clicked on.

Only the hotels that have the 'Orbitz Special Coupon $150 off' banner on the search results page will get you the $150 discount.

Check restaurant.com for restaurant discounts -- but read the rules thoroughly and read the discussion thread descriptions about the terms. If you are unclear about them, ask a question on the forum thread.

I think I mentioned the $20 trick in your previous post when you check-in. Don't forget to mention to the desk clerk taht it is your anniversary.

Attached is what the booking would look like for those dates at that hotel.

Good luck and happy anniversary. Do a search on SD for other Las Vegas deals -- set "vegas" as one of your deal alerts.

[369]

I will check the hotel that you mentioned. I would also like to know about the $20 trick. I read somewhere that I can check in right at the airport so do I give the $20 at the counter in the airport hotel check in counter. What do I say and when do I give the $20. I also have a question if they do upgrade will they bill me for the upgrade room or the room that I book through Orbitz. Also, do I get the airport to hotel shuttle when I book through orbitz or can I buy the tickets at the airport.

thanks

[mike93704]

You would tip at the hotel's front desk. There is some useful info here:

http://www.frontdesktip.com/faq/

You can Google "$20 sandwich trick" for additional tips.
I doubt tipping at the airport check-in locations would work. A lot depends on how many people are waiting to check-in, time of day you are checking in, vacancies at the hotel, age/sex of the hotel clerk, mood of hotel clerk, how you present yourself, etc.

[Talyssa]

some friends of mine stayed at the Tuscany and we went to visit them (while we were staying at the flamingo -- its acutally right down the street from the flamingo, behind bally's. Its walkable to and from the strip but its as far off as the rio or further, and without the Rio's shuttle. It seemed like a nice enough hotel and you didn't have to walk through hte casino to get to your room because its not like a high rise hotel - its more like a regular.

Its still offstrip though, so if that matters to you don't do it.

[369]

Ok, this is the updated results from orbitz. Kindly suggest the best value, location, comfort, service.

5 Nights+ flight

Mirage - $637 Total

Paris - $629 Total

Planet Hollywood - $621 Total

MGM - $573 Total

Flamingo - $507 Total

Also, will the pools be open in November.

[Talyssa]

wait are you doing 5 nights now isntead of 3? what level of room did you choose for each of those comparisons? Also pools will depend on the hotel. It varies massively. If thats important to you i woudl check the hotel websites for pool ours and which ones will be open.

[mike93704]

I would call your finalists to find out the pool situation -- especially if they don't have an indoor pool.

Also look at the fine print. You may still see an additional "resort fee" of $25-$100 or thereabouts. It's not that much, but you shouldn't be surprised by it if they have it. It'll be posted by an asterisk.

Deals look pretty good. I'll leave it up to the local experts to recommend the best hotel of that group. You may also want to check which of those hotels has a better reputation for giving you an upgrade with a $20 sandwich tip.
You're probably arriving late so that might give you a better chance at not being in a long check-in line, and therefore, possibly a better chance at a complimentary upgrade -- which would make the most difference among all the hotel choices.

[369]

Thanks guys, I decide to go with Flamingos and will try the $20 trick.

[YellowStarS2k]

Sorry for the thread revival, but I'm also in a very similar situation. I'm looking for 5 nights in Vegas for our anniversary as well, but with the orbitz coupon, the cheapest air and hotel I can find is ~$900 from the 10th til the 15th. I don't understand, as my date isn't close to Thanksgiving. I'm coming from Dallas.

edit: I was looking at other deals and found a deal for 4 nights for $169, but when I look for flights only, it's ~$800 for flights for 2 people!

[anngold]

For an anniversary trip your best bet is the Paris, much more romantic and in a great location on the strip..

[zzyzzx]

You would tip at the hotel's front desk. There is some useful info here:

http://www.frontdesktip.com/faq/

You can Google "$20 sandwich trick" for additional tips.
I doubt tipping at the airport check-in locations would work. A lot depends on how many people are waiting to check-in, time of day you are checking in, vacancies at the hotel, age/sex of the hotel clerk, mood of hotel clerk, how you present yourself, etc.


Seems to work in Atlantic City also:
http://www.frontdesktip.com/las-vegas/tropicana/review/2138/

[mike93704]

Flying back on the 15th costs more. It's usually cheapest to depart on a Saturday/Sunday and return on a Thursday/Friday. If you can adjust your date one day later or a few days sooner, or depart on the 14th and return on the 19th, it'll bring the price down to about $600 total for 2.

When you apply the promotion code, make sure you select only the hotels that show the "Orbitz Coupon Applied: $150 off " otherwise $150 is NOT taken off the listed price (which will show only after you go to the hotel's page.

I think the cheapest RT airfare in your time frame is about $380 RT per person. So, if you can get RT airfare plus 5 nights hotel for about $600 total, that ends up being cheaper than air alone.

Attached is a sample air/hotel for 2 with $150 coupon applied.

... I'm looking for 5 nights in Vegas for our anniversary as well, but with the orbitz coupon, the cheapest air and hotel I can find is ~$900 from the 10th til the 15th. I don't understand, as my date isn't close to Thanksgiving. I'm coming from Dallas.

edit: I was looking at other deals and found a deal for 4 nights for $169, but when I look for flights only, it's ~$800 for flights for 2 people!

[mike93704]

OP. Let us know how your trip goes (hotel, $20 trick, etc.). Check out the Cirque du Soleil shows. Since it's your anniversary, maybe check out Zumanity.