MyVegas FYI: Hotel "values"

I have over 250,000 LPs now and am licking my lips a little bit about our tentative September trip. Given that I can get a free room using these LPs, I decided to see just what I was getting for my money: that is, what the value of the prize is, by dividing the LPs cost by the actual cost. Notes: we'd be staying starting the Wednesday after Labor Day before moving downtown; I excluded Luxor and Excalibur since I don't want to stay there; these are the rates posted off of their websites before tax and resort fee.

• Mirage Deluxe Room for 2 nights: 75,000 LPs or $198; value=378.79
• Mandalay Bay Great Room Suite for 2 nights: 100,000 LPs or $320; value=312.50
• NYNY Spa Suite for 2 nights: 100,000 LPs or $180; value=555.56
• Mirage Weeknight Tower Suite for 1 night (chose Wednesday): 125,000 or $239; value=523.01
• Monte Carlo Deluxe Room for 2 nights: 150,000 LPs or $100; value=1500
• Mirage Weekend Tower Suite for 1 night (chose Friday): 175,000 LPs or $549; value=318.76
• Hotel 32 Studio for 2 nights: 250,000 LPs or $400; value=625
• Bellagio Penthouse Upgrade for 2 nights: 262,500 LPs or $420 (penthouse rate of $459/night minus salone suite rate of $249/night); value=625

My initial thoughts are what a ripoff the MC prize is compared to, really, any other prize. I'm tempted at this point by the Penthouse upgrade because of the luxury of it all, Hotel 32 because I've never stayed there, and the regular Mirage prize because I've also never stayed there, and I could burn my other points on something else...like the third night at Mirage in a Tower Suite...Hmmmm.

 

The scores are the percentage of rack rate you're "paying", correct?

 

It's the LPs divided by the amount I'd be paying. I was trying to get at how much the LPs were worth in each deal. Thus, the higher the number, the worse the value. For instance, with that MC deal, $1=1500 LP credits.

 

I don't know how anyone has 250K LPs I'm level 98 and I've only earned maybe 130-140K LPs....but I also don't add strangers on my facebook for this stuff either.

 

I know you only did this for the nights you were looking at, and only compared rooms so it doesnt matter as much, but you should include the resort fees in the cost calculation, too.

 

I've stayed in several of those places and even some of those specific rooms. The MC room is definitely very low on the value scaled in comparison to the other deals, regardless of actual price. The spa suite in NYNY is cheaper in points, but it's flat out a better room in a very similar location.

And the Mirage Deluxe room is a better room than the MC Deluxe room, and it's not close.

The hotel 32 studio is what I stayed in last time I was in vegas. It was nice but it's not a 'value' by any stretch. It's a nice room with nice service, but it's small and not worth the price you have to pay in cash. So I think it's less of a value in points compared to some of the other options simply because they overcharge for it.

 

Yeah, I figured that all the fees are the same, and I was just comparing; I also didn't know whether you could get the resort fees included in the comp too (though I sort of know the answer is no).

KBT, I'm not sure how I got up so high because I too have withstood adding people I don't know, though I do troll the MyVegas Friends facebook site for links to chips when I'm bored.

Mike, thanks for the tips. I think I'll probably go for the Mirage combo (two free deluxe room nights + weekend tower suite) and blow my points. The Hotel 32 deal sounded like fun only because of the extras, but I don't really like MC to gamble in, so I don't think it's a great match. I'm not much of a South Strip guy, so NYNY is sort of out.

 

Hotel 32 was nice for exactly the reasons you said. The Limo from the airport, the free food in the morning and the evening, and the free waters and sodas pretty much all the time. But it was also a little offputting for a regular guy like me. You can't get up to check-in without a bellman, for instance. He meets you at the limo and takes you up to the 32nd floor. It's cool, because they check you in actually in your room, but now you've got a bellman with your bags, a limo driver, and a check in person who you have to tip (or at least I felt like I did.) So I'm out $40 before I start my trip.

 

You do not have to pay resort fees on the free room rewards. The resort fees will only be collected for the upgrade rewards.

http://support.myvegas.com/entries/21430017-how-do-rewards-work

 

I have been eyeing the the Mandalay Bay suite for awhile now since my g/f also wants a good pool while in Vegas. We won't be objecting to a whirlpool tub in the room either. We've always stayed at CET in the past (I'm Cheap/Race To Rewards comps)...so forget the pool. Best pool during our previous stays was Flamingo, and that's nothing to talk about. We have enough points for 2 nights each (I have 193k; she has 105k). I just hope it's still there when we finalize a trip!

 

Yeah, sorry if I wasn't clear.

You DON'T have to pay resort fees on the award rooms ( I assume you would have to on the room upgrades).

I was saying they should be in the cost calculation, because they affect the value of the cheaper rooms.

For example, you had:

• Mirage Deluxe Room for 2 nights: 75,000 LPs or $198; value=378.79
• Mirage Weekend Tower Suite for 1 night (chose Friday): 175,000 LPs or $549; value=318.76

But either of those rooms has a $25/night resort fee if you pay instead.

So really it is

• Mirage Deluxe Room for 2 nights: 75,000 LPs or $248; value=302.42
• Mirage Weekend Tower Suite for 1 night (chose Friday): 175,000 LPs or $574; value=304.88

The cheaper a room is normally, the bigger the comped resort fee will factor into the reward you get. For one night in a really pricey room its near irrelevant. For something like a circus circus room it could be a third of your value.

 

The Mirage pool isn't bad at all either.

 

Good catch! As I said, I wasn't sure what the resort fee rules were with the prizes, but you're right that it definitely makes a difference.

 

They friend strangers lol, and play all day.

Also you have to factor in, if it's really expensive, they likely wont have any availability for you (like I redeemed Mirage 2 nights, they had no availability for the next 2 months on any weekday). Those rates seem pretty high too, in general. For a weeknight it's rarely over $100 a night for any of these places (minus Aria and Bellagio).

 

As I said, I don't do the former, and I have a job, so I don't do the latter.

Good point, which is why I'm planning six months in advance.

If you'll note, the two regular rooms quoted were below $100/night; all of the others were suites.

 

Agreed

I'm in the same boat. I only have close personal friends and family on my Facebook so I only have a couple of contacts who are playing the game as well. I've been playing for about a month and a half now and have just under 35,000 LP.