what is the "sweet spot" for reserving a room in vegas?

Hi, what's the "sweet spot" for reserving a room in Vegas? Right after my trip to Vegas last year I checked the reservation calendar for Aria and a basic room was at least $259/night for 10/31/2015. I went to hotels.com about a week ago and rooms at Aria were $179/night for 10/31/2015. I went to hotels.com 2 days ago and rooms at Aria were $205/night.

So it looks like I would have overpaid by booking 1 year in advance but I overpaid by $20/night by waiting 2 extra days. Is there some type of hotels web service API I can subscribe to in order to enable alerts? Do you have a strategy to optimize the timing of your hotel purchase?

 

When it shows it's free, I book it.

 

That is correct. If you don't get COMP rooms you have to have an idea of what a "good" price is. When you see a good deal book and lock it in. You can always cancel and book again if it drops. Usually more than 90 days out is the best pricing, but I have seen Caesars drop their pants if occupancy is not where they would like it right up to the week before.

 

I like to look at smartervegas.com----you are booking through the hotel website (cancel without penalty). I look at their "unlisted" deals. I get better rates there than my pearl status through MLife. I found a great deal at Aria last December for $50/day dining credit and free upgrade. Ended up in 920 sq/ft corner suite for less than $100 per night plus resort fee.

 

thanks coach - that is great info!

 

Nothing set in stone. Before a trip, I'll check a few times everyday to get an idea of prices, then when I see a good price I book.

 

I check the CET total rewards site, both logged in and not logged in, then the "usual suspect" travel sites, and then I'll check with our in-house TA at work, who we can use for personal travel as well. Sometimes I find a great (or even comp) rate via TR. Sometimes they are actually higher than Travelocity and such. The TAs can get "corporate rates" with are sometimes lower but sometimes higher than "civilian" rates. They're usually aware of trends, such as right now they are expecting room rates to drop in many leisure markets over the next several months.

I haven't yet found a "one size fits all" answer on when to book, through whom, etc. and I've been doing this since the 1970s!

 

You didn't say whether you were intent on staying at the Aria or not. If you don't mind which top-notch hotel you stay at, one strategy is to book a price that can be cancelled with no penalty. Then, a day or two before your trip (make sure you still have time to cancel without penalty), bid for the same class of hotel on Priceline at a much reduced rate from the rate you have booked.

For example, if you are booked at $205, you might bid in the $139-$149 range for a 5-star property and see if your bid is accepted. If it is, then cancel your original booking. If it's not, you still have your original booking to fall back on.

 

I don't normally get comp rooms, so I'm always looking for the best price. I've found that booking about 90 days out gives me the best price. This year I booked w/a CET hotel during the annual sale and was also able to use a combination of other discounts I found. Other years I've used smartervegas.com as others mentioned or checked MLife and found better offers. It all depends, really.

 

If you don't have comps and you won't miss the deposit, lock in a refundable reservation as soon as you are reasonably confident in your dates. Check in for big rate swings every couple of weeks, and then a bit more frequently in the last couple weeks for a last minute deal.

Vegas rates can swing wildly with occupancy. If you hold off and a convention or big event comes in, things could get expensive. If you lock in to a rate you can't cancel, you may see a really cheap last minute rate you can't take advantage of.

 

Exactly. And to that I'd add that (1) the vast, vast majority of Vegas room reservations are refundable, I've only seen a few exceptions, and (2) unless you're getting a deal that includes airfare or is otherwise heavily discounted for some specific reason, you'll almost always do better booking directly through the hotel rather than a third party.

 

Room rates move all over the place. Before we even set a date, we look a the MONTHLY rate calendar. Even at a given moment in time, the rates for the month vary widely. Then they move around even more based on events in Vegas. Then if the hotel books a large event, the rates can change again. Or if the event cancels, it goes down. Add in the current mood of hotel management and rates move up and down. Rates can move weekly, daily or even momentarily. Trying to figure it out is almost impossible.

Top suggestion? NEVER book a non refundable rate.

 

Based on my experience, I think I'll check 2 months out. If it's < $200/nite for a top flight hotel then I'll book it. Considering that you can't generally book a top flight hotel for much less than that in any other major city this seems like reasonable due diligence with minimal effort.

 

Check the MONTHLY RATE CALENDAR. You can get great rooms for less than $200 a night often. Weekends of course are more difficult.

 

Also remember most hotels have a "best rate guarantee" so you can book, use a 3rd party site like Trivago and if you find a lower rate, call the hotel and they will match it.

 

I usually book during Black Friday or Cyber Monday for the following year. Just pick some dates and book. I've always found some great deals, plus I can always cancel the reservation if I need to. I booked our Golden Nugget room next week and it was about $300 cheaper than it shows now. We are low rollers so don't get comp'd rooms very often.

 

Just get on the email list for any casino you like to stay at. GN always has deals for 20-30% off their posted rates.