How to Compare Hotel Rates in Las Vegas

According to a March 5, 2009 story in USA Today, Las Vegas is the second most popular tourist destination in the United States--after Times Square in New York--and offers a variety of hotel options. Prices vary in accordance with proximity to the Strip and the quality of the hotel. Many people may want to stay in the famous resort hotels--some of which are actually quite reasonable--but cheaper, standard chain hotels are also an option.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Computer with Internet connection
Computer with Internet connection

Internet

Step 1

Type Vegas.com into the web browser. Because Las Vegas is a city built on tourism, it has its own accommodations booking website. Here you will be able to browse hotels on or near the Strip.

Step 2

Type the check-in and check-out dates into the date range fields.

Step 3

Select the number of occupants who will be staying in the room. Many hotels charge a premium for extra guests, and some hotels cap the number of guests allowed per room.

Step 4

Press the "Search Hotels" button. This will pull up a list of all the hotels available for the dates you selected.

Step 5

Sort the hotels by price by selecting the "Price" option from the "Sort By" menu at the top.

Step 6

Fill out any other important parameters. For instance, if you want a certain caliber of hotel, the "Search" bar has a "Select Star Rating" menu that you can pull down and choose the minimum star rating that you are willing to tolerate.

Step 7

Sort by using other considerations. Once you have found a number of hotels that are in the right price range, choose "Area" from the "Sort By" menu. This will help you figure out which hotels are near the Strip if location is important to you.

By Phone

Step 1

Sort the hotels by Vegas.com picks. This will bring up the most famous hotels on the Strip. This can be a starting point for the calling campaign.

Step 2

Call the major hotels directly. All of the major hotels have their own websites, which will list contact information. Sites like Vegas.com or Expedia will not list the numbers, as they don't want you to book directly through the hotel, but there are toll-free number sites such as AllVegasGuide.com, that do list the numbers of most of the major hotels.

Step 3

Ask what their rates are for the time you are planning to visit. Inquire about possible specials.

Step 4

Keep a list of the various rates. You will be using this as a reference in your search.

Step 5

Find coupons. Several sites, such as EarlyVegas.com, post coupons and discounts for Vegas hotels. If you are lucky, you will find one that applies to the date you want, but even if not, you could use it as a negotiating tool in the next step.

Step 6

Negotiate over the phone with hotel representatives. When you have compiled rate information for a few of the competing hotels, mention the lower prices down the street and you might be able to get the representative to beat, or at least match, that rate. Or, they might offer extra services to draw you.

Tips & Warnings

You can accomplish a similar comparison through other travel sites such as Expedia or Orbitz that you do through Vegas.com.

Resources

Article Written By Ray Dallas

Ray Dallas graduated with majors in journalism and English. While in Florida, he wrote freelance articles for "The Alligator" and was the copy editor and a writer for "Orange & Blue." Since moving to California, Dallas has worked as a script reader and for a talent manager, as well as taking numerous industry odd jobs.

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