What happened to inexpensive rooms?

It's been a few years since I was last in Vegas. I was looking at going back in April but how found nothing but high priced rooms on the strip.
We have always stayed at Circus Circus and never paid over $45/night in the tower rooms. (mostly $30 to $35 a night)
With the resort fees everyone charges now, the price really jumps.
Anybody have any suggestions for a reasonably priced room on the strip?

 

There are still cheap rooms to be had at hooters, cc and others. However you may also be trying to go during nab in April or another convention driving up prices

 

The Vegas economy has improved.

 

There are still several economic options, especially if you have a player's card:

Luxor, Excalibur, Circus Circus, Quad, Bally's, Harrah's, Rio, Hooters.

Even if you haven't gambled on your card (or if its new), you can get reduced or casino rates at most properties.

I've probably gambled all of $200 at CET properties over the past several years and I still had comp nights during the week and cheap ($30-$50) weekend nights for their low end properties (Rio, Quad, Bally's, Harrah's).

 

Prepare for everything to be higher. Circus Circus had reasonable rates but you're right, the resort fee makes everything seem more expensive.

I'd check the Riveria across the street from Circus Circus. You're probably not going to find anything on the strip for under $50 a night anymore (without some kind of comp offer).

If you don't have to stay on the strip, look at downtown. You should be able to get really close to the $50 mark and probably under it if you're not going during a busy time.

 

+1, (and adding at least 8 characters to make the post legal)

 

Riviera, Circus Circus and The STRAT are the cheapest Strip options. But you get what you pay for lol

If you want cheaper rates, go Sunday-Thursday

 

It's not just rooms but airfare, meals, transportation, snacks etc; The economy is improving but also costs to hotels, restaurants etc which of course has to be passed on to the end users. This year my airfare was about the same as last year but Ihad to work much harder for it. I had to look earlier, more often, compare dates, times, and so on and had to go on odd days and evening flights.

I found the price of meals increased exp for buffets. With fewer coupons and more work if you can find a coupon for a single person, it seems cheaper to opt for a sit down dinner. I often liked the buffets for its limitless salad and milk, but prices make it less attractive now versus a hot sit down dinner with quality componants which are hot, even if you have to pay more for an additional salad and/or glass of milk.

Snack food has gone out of sight. Big chains seem to dominate with a Walgreens or CVS on every corner. My can of peanuts I bought here to take to LV was 2.99 ; same brand and size at Walgreens was 8.99. Are they taking advantage of tourists? I think that is ridiculous.

Show prices I think are about the same but hotel rooms have stayed higher than the last several years. Deals are harder to come by.

That being said, LV, save the gampling, is still a bargain for the traveler in both variety and cost.

Jimbo338

 

Well, when are you going? Are you going on a weekend? Rates are never reasonable on the weekend You can't really get in on the Strip, at a decent 3.5 or 4 star hotel for under $100 before resort fee.

It still seems pretty reasonable to me. I've been 7 times in the past year, I didn't pay over maybe $150 a night (with resort fee).

As much as we love the rock bottom rates, they places need to make money! Vegas is all about throwing money around...

 

If Circus Circus is your benchmark then you might as well check out downtown. They are practically giving away brand new remodeled rooms at the Downtown Grand last time I checked.

 

This is a misconception. The problem is your money is worth less (soon worthless). Gold and silver backed coins and dollars were replaced with rags and metal slugs. Prices have gone up in terms of raw dollars, but prices have decreased in terms of inflation adjusted dollars.



Airfare, hotels (in Vegas and elsewhere) and other leasure expenses have decreased over the last 30 years in inflation adjusted dollars. The problem is wages and income for a large portion of the population hasn't kept pace with the loss in dollar purchasing power over the same period (and taxes have increased - mainly state and local).

Also, the quality of the Vegas rooms and resorts are far superior than 20-30 years ago, in terms of furnishings, television, amenities, washrooms, etc.

Many Strip hotels offered rooms in the $25-$35 night range in the 1980s. Even with the resort fee, you can find rooms in the $50-$60 range (far cheaper adjusted for inflation), and these base rooms are better than the standard low/mid range room thirty years ago. Downtown rooms during the week are at the same dollar level as thirty years ago, meaning they are 1/3 the price (and most are upgraded, very nice.

$30 in 1980 = $85 today.

 

Yes the dollar has dropped drastically in value the last 6 years meaning virtually anything you buy like gasoline, plane tickets, groceries has gone thru the roof.

 

Two words: Casino Royale

Those rooms are dirt cheap and they're really not bad at all.

 

play myvegas, use hotwire and priceline, check trivago.

 

Basically market demand happened. You can still get $40/night on weeknights at multiple places. Even much cheaper. On weekends though, there are enough people coming into town where they simply are allowed to charge regular hotel rates and they fill up.

 

If only the economy would tank so we could have cheaper trips to Vegas!

Let's cross our fingers for a war in the Crimea.

 

These are the room rates from 1975:
http://gaming.unlv.edu/Xanadu/h3.jpg

Last year i paid zero dollars for Rio, Caesars, and Bally's. I am staying at Bally's again the May for 7 nights, 5 nights free, and 2 nights for $35 per night. I will be at Bally's starting May 9th which is a weekend......for free.

Vegas is dirt cheap for me.

I love dirt.

I'm just sayin'

 

My first trip to LV was in 1997 and my flight was $217 plus the $75 fee for changing flights, and I think the most expensive flight was about $370; THis year I paid $273.00.

My first hotel was $39/night and I am still in that area, this year $34/night with tax. Some years were a bit more; some a bit less. Inflation has hit but what has become better is my skill at checking prices, using sites like Kayak, tips from board members here and diligence. It is time spent......I think time well spent!

Jimbo338

 

Hello, exactly!

Inflation calculator
$1 in 1975 = $4.35 in 2014

Hotels which remain open from 1975:

1975 minimum rates in 2014 dollars
$35 LVH (Hilton) = $152
$33 Caesars Palace = $143
$29 Bally's (MGM Grand) = $126
$28 Flamingo, Riviera & Tropicana = $122
$27 Harrah's (Holiday Inn Center Strip)= $117
$24 Circus Circus = $104

2014 in 2014 dollars (including resort fees)
Hotels.com search 5/12-5/13

Caesars Palace $273 + $25 RF = $298 or $155 more (though min rates can be found at $90 or $100 at other times of the year).
LVH $50 + $18 RF = $68 or $84 cheaper.
Bally's $79 + $20 RF = $99 or $27 cheaper.
Flamingo $90 + $20 RF = $110 or $12 cheaper.
Riviera $24 + $15 RF = $39 or $83 cheaper.
Tropicana $95 + $20 RF = $7 cheaper. (I stayed weekend for $39/ weekend night 2012).
Harrah's $62 + $18 RF = $80 or $37 cheaper.
Circus Circus $26 + $13 RF = $39 or $65 cheaper.

I picked a random weekday, though you can likely find cheaper rates during other times of the year.

 

That comparison is not a completely fair representation however as the hot hotels in town are not represented (Cosmo, Bellagio, Wynncore).