Vegas Trip Information for anyone looking to go this year.

[Chompy]

I know this is the Vegas thread but out of interest, does anyone go or has anyone been to any of the other alternative gambling destinations such as Reno, Tahoe, Atlantic City?

Done Biloxi and Tunica. Not much at either outside the casinos, which are well spread out in Tunica. Much preferred Biloxi of the two; it's like poker was ten years ago.

[tikay]

Monitoring room prices for the summer now, prices definitely jumping around (in both directions) by up to 25% so defo don't jump in to the first price you see.  Has anyone found a great new source for room bookings this year?  I'm using a mixture of voucher codes direct with thehotels + trivago + lowcostusa and it seems like lowcostusa is winning most times.

If you book through those sort of sites, can you book longer than 11 days at a time, which usually sems to be the case, certainly if I book direct with any Harrahs property?

[Simon Galloway]

Harrahs online seems to like to keep you to 10-11 max but I think they will take a bit longer over the phone, although apparently there is a surcharge for booking on the phone!  Most places seem to be 14 on their website, some 21.  What the 5-6 week wsop guys do I'm not sure, perhaps one of them can chip in.  I know places like Vdara will quote you for a long stay, (and I highly recommend staying there) but it isn't the norm.

Edit - lowcostusa offer some properties for 28days by the look of it.

[tikay]

Harrahs online seems to like to keep you to 10-11 max but I think they will take a bit longer over the phone, although apparently there is a surcharge for booking on the phone!  Most places seem to be 14 on their website, some 21.  What the 5-6 week wsop guys do I'm not sure, perhaps one of them can chip in.  I know places like Vdara will quote you for a long stay, (and I highly recommend staying there) but it isn't the norm.

Edit - lowcostusa offer some properties for 28days by the look of it.

Thanks Simon.

Usually, I am restricted to an 11 day Booking.

Then, when I book in, I ask to extend, & they readily do that straight away, whilst I wait.

The problem, because I am so unreasonably impatient, is that it generally takes about 30 minutes of keyboard clicking & phone calls, whilst I'm stood at the desk, gagging to get to my room & go play poker.

They did it for me last year, as they always do, but 3 different Supervisors & Managers had to be consulted first. I read 7 chapters of my book whilst waiting.  It was like I was asking for the earth.

[vegaslover]

Monitoring room prices for the summer now, prices definitely jumping around (in both directions) by up to 25% so defo don't jump in to the first price you see.  Has anyone found a great new source for room bookings this year?  I'm using a mixture of voucher codes direct with thehotels + trivago + lowcostusa and it seems like lowcostusa is winning most times.

Defo hold for now imo, prices are very high atm, do not know why really as they are usually cheap this time of year. Virgin have no sale flights to vegas and are bloody expensive atm. Ditto with hotels. I was looking before xmas and prices were way cheaper.
I tried a couple of voucher codes from smarter vegas and they were coming out more than hotel direct.

[Simon Galloway]

Already got a flight locked up with air miles.  My Vegas dates are after EDC has been and gone, I'm not expecting them to go down much, based on historical observation, but they could well go up. Rooms are certainly fluctating within day though, I did a search earlier yesterday that was coming back at £1500 and then a couple of hours later it was £1100, only to bounce back to £1500 by the close.  Worst feeling in the world for a nit is to walk into a room knowing you could have paid less to stay in a suite in the same hotel if you'd caught it right.  Just like sitting in economy having paid more for the 'privilege' than you could have paid for Upper.

@ Tony the other option might be to book 2 consecutive stays and then just ask them to put them together at check in?  Not sure if that's allowed or not to circumvent their policy, I know I've done it in response to changing flight dates or claiming a comp'd night or whatever, but not such that it exceeded their permitted stay in the first place.

[Marky147]

Harrahs online seems to like to keep you to 10-11 max but I think they will take a bit longer over the phone, although apparently there is a surcharge for booking on the phone!  Most places seem to be 14 on their website, some 21.  What the 5-6 week wsop guys do I'm not sure, perhaps one of them can chip in.  I know places like Vdara will quote you for a long stay, (and I highly recommend staying there) but it isn't the norm.

Edit - lowcostusa offer some properties for 28days by the look of it.

Thanks Simon.

Usually, I am restricted to an 11 day Booking.

Then, when I book in, I ask to extend, & they readily do that straight away, whilst I wait.

The problem, because I am so unreasonably impatient, is that it generally takes about 30 minutes of keyboard clicking & phone calls, whilst I'm stood at the desk, gagging to get to my room & go play poker.

They did it for me last year, as they always do, but 3 different Supervisors & Managers had to be consulted first. I read 7 chapters of my book whilst waiting.  It was like I was asking for the earth.

30 minutes, when you've only got 6 weeks out there!

I can see why you get so irate

[Marky147]

@ Tony the other option might be to book 2 consecutive stays and then just ask them to put them together at check in?  Not sure if that's allowed or not to circumvent their policy, I know I've done it in response to changing flight dates or claiming a comp'd night or whatever, but not such that it exceeded their permitted stay in the first place.

That's what I always do, if I'm staying longer than it's possible to book at the same hotel.

When I was still getting about reasonably well, I used to do half my trip at the Palazzo, and the other half at the Wynn, so there was no problem.

EDC is normally on during the weekend I arrive, so I try and snag those 3 nights with a third party, and then book the other 2 weeks however is cheapest (usually direct)

When I get there, they just combine them, so I don't have to change rooms etc.

[tikay]

Harrahs online seems to like to keep you to 10-11 max but I think they will take a bit longer over the phone, although apparently there is a surcharge for booking on the phone!  Most places seem to be 14 on their website, some 21.  What the 5-6 week wsop guys do I'm not sure, perhaps one of them can chip in.  I know places like Vdara will quote you for a long stay, (and I highly recommend staying there) but it isn't the norm.

Edit - lowcostusa offer some properties for 28days by the look of it.

Thanks Simon.

Usually, I am restricted to an 11 day Booking.

Then, when I book in, I ask to extend, & they readily do that straight away, whilst I wait.

The problem, because I am so unreasonably impatient, is that it generally takes about 30 minutes of keyboard clicking & phone calls, whilst I'm stood at the desk, gagging to get to my room & go play poker.

They did it for me last year, as they always do, but 3 different Supervisors & Managers had to be consulted first. I read 7 chapters of my book whilst waiting.  It was like I was asking for the earth.

30 minutes, when you've only got 6 weeks out there!

I can see why you get so irate

Behave.

I'm just off a 14 hour journey, & like a kid on Xmas morning, I can't wait to get started. Throw the bags on the bed, BOOM, I'm off out.

I'm unreasonably impatient, guilty M'Lord.

[Redbull]

For any Virgin flyer guru's, what's the minimum number of air miles needed to get some kind of discount? Can miles still be used during a sale? TIA!

[Simon Galloway]

I think it starts form 1k miles (each leg) - I'm not sure if you buy a "miles+money" fare whether or not you earn any miles on the flight, so you'd have to factor that in to things to see if it was even worthwhile.

[tonytats]

For 21250 miles each way I got a flight for £226
What the minimum is I don't know
You can swap them to friends as well

[Redbull]

Cool thanks, just looked and have 20296 miles so should be able to do something if I buy a few more I guess...

[duncthehat]

Certainly struggling to find anything reasonable over the EDC weekend.  Dont really like moving hotels during the stay (17 nights)  but might have to

As for question of booking long periods.   Found very little problem booking for up to 21 days in the past if you go off strip.    Like to escape the strip for the long stay trips personally.  Downtown being my preference

[scotty77]

During EDC a couple of years ago I called down reception for an extra bed for a mate and we chopped the room cost.  Just a few bucks to the guy who brings it up.