Vegas deals for the spontaneous??

[wjogert]

Years ago I worked with a few people who did Vegas at least one weekend every couple of months. They also did random trips of varying lengths of stay at odd times of the week.

They rarely ever planned a trip. They would get amazing offers on hotel/airfare mere days before the promo date.
I know two of them were high-rollers and got comp'd rooms and discount airfare frequently. But other "budget spenders" still got offers for discounted rooms and airfare deals. My understanding is that the deals were targeted to those who could spontaneously drop everything and come gamble... most likely to compensate for an under-booked period?

Do these offers still exist? If so, how does one get "into the loop"?
I don't know if these deals came directly from casinos / hotels, or if they were through travel agents.

[MikeG3714]

Honestly the 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% (off season) deals from your players cards can really make a difference, just have to pay attention. There are so many emails people pass up from loyalty programs. Use your players card. Gamble some. When you think of it is paying $140-$300 a night for 2 nights of amazing fun that much where it will ruin someone's savings? So you have a $140 meal, it's once this month (I always make sure one of my meals in Vegas is a good one and the other a cheap one (Lobster Me, $20 holy hell my mouth is watering). Drinks? $200. Buffet, oh hey that is probably going to be $30-$40 max at the nicer ones with your players club if it's not comped for your $500 in gambling. Tip around town and cabs, $120. Bring a tee shirt home for the girlfriend, $60.

If you add this up you are at $1680 on the very high end. Of course some of these things could be adjusted to your benefit and who says you don't win money? It's Vegas after all...Do this 2-3 times a year and you will figure out how to make it better and better every single time like I do with my friends. That $1680 goes further or diminishes over time.

Life is short, don't think about it. Just do it! You'll thank me later.

Oh ya and don't forget your players card.

[MikeG3714]

I also just realized I am estimating that hotel also on a very high end. Use your $20 sandwich to get your one bedroom terrace upgraded to a wraparound terrace, I'd go $30-$40 sandwich just to be safe on a weekend...

[wjogert]

Honestly the 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% (off season) deals from your players cards can really make a difference, just have to pay attention. There are so many emails people pass up from loyalty programs. Use your players card. Gamble some. When you think of it is paying $140-$300 a night for 2 nights of amazing fun that much where it will ruin someone's savings? So you have a $140 meal, it's once this month (I always make sure one of my meals in Vegas is a good one and the other a cheap one (Lobster Me, $20 holy hell my mouth is watering). Drinks? $200. Buffet, oh hey that is probably going to be $30-$40 max at the nicer ones with your players club if it's not comped for your $500 in gambling. Tip around town and cabs, $120. Bring a tee shirt home for the girlfriend, $60.

If you add this up you are at $1680 on the very high end. Of course some of these things could be adjusted to your benefit and who says you don't win money? It's Vegas after all...Do this 2-3 times a year and you will figure out how to make it better and better every single time like I do with my friends. That $1680 goes further or diminishes over time.

Life is short, don't think about it. Just do it! You'll thank me later.

Oh ya and don't forget your players card.

--I don't visit Vegas often enough to accumulate any substantial points
--GF would be with me, so I can save the t-shirt expense. But it does raise the cost of the trip significantly. But, definitely worth it for the added mischief that she finds for us (wink, wink)
--Your figures don't factor in airfare, which is usually the killer. Round trip for 2 is usually 50% or more of the figure you quoted.
--I'm not in the 6 figure salary bracket, so $2000+ for fun is not a 2-3 times a year occurrence for me, lol.
--AGREE!! LIFE IS SHORT!! Which is why I need all the help (aka promos and discounts) that I can find to help me find my way to Vegas as soon as possible! HA!

[kp3205]

Sign up on their websites for offers. Sign up for their players cards online if you haven't to receive offers. Wife got our room comped July 2013 5 of the 7 days we were there by doing this. Me the gambler, only 30% off all rooms. It was with Total Rewards but hey you want to offer a free room on the strip so we can sleep while running around, we'll take it. Took Harrahs with options for Quad and Flamingo also.

We've used Southwest's vacation section to do the combo air/hotel and have beaten the individual air and biil directly online 4 times. Best grab was Aria MDW 2011 $960 all in Thurs-Mon with 2 r/t tix non stop and the room. Definitely use Priceline, etc for cheap rates. Only go Sun-Thurs possibly. Fri/Sat most expensive part of each week in LV. Want to do the weekend? Instead of Wynn, Cosmo and the "it" locations look at Hard Rock, Monte Carlo, Bally's, MGM, Vdara instead. For us it's 3 things when we go: convenience (strip location), comfort and cost.

You can get there on a lower/manageable budget if you are flexible or willing to do the research.

Hope this helps.

[Jhaulotte]

The hotel's facebook pages put up nice deals on an regular basis too

[artedm]

It really depends on your location-
For example- just going totally low end from Los Angeles- you could take a megabus for like $5 each way and say in a hotel for $25 a night all in Sunday- Thursday Night. You could even get free entry to some night clubs. Free entry/ limo strip clubs.

Just keep in mind friday and saturday are most expensive days and also major events NYE, MDW, LDW.
Lowest end hotel rooms in vegas are $25 a night with no resort fee Sunday- Thursday. Probably $50 Friday/ Saturday.

In terms of flights its really about checking airline websites so see various sales.

Have Fun!

[TomG]

If you really want to do vegas on the cheap, here are some tips for you:

- Choose your trip around your flight. If you get a rockin flight price, take it. Chances are, flight will be cheapest mid week, which is a good thing. Of course, it doesn't hurt to start accumulating mile points. Many credit cards will give you a signup bonus equivalent to the price of a flight to Vegas.

- Book your hotel on Hotwire or Priceline. Midweek prices for under $40 per night are very much possible. I got the Flamingo for $28 per night in 2012. Upgraded to one of their newer rooms with the $20 sandwich.

- Look for $5 tables. They're hard to find, but I think some casinos still exist.. Harrah's mid-week, and maybe Fremont Street.

- I'm not a nightclub guy, but I've never paid to get into night clubs. My friends have gotten us on the guest list somehow. Not sure how but it's possible. Better yet, avoid the nightclubs and hang out at the duelling piano bar at NYNY which I think has a $5 cover.

- Have a couple of drinks in your room before you head out, and stuff your pockets with a couple extra 'road pops'. If you're walking around the strip, you can pick up singles from pretty much any store.

- Half price tickets at the ticket booth in the Fashion Show mall.

- Pick up snacks etc. at CVS and stock them in your room.

Honestly, Vegas doesn't have to be super expensive.