Casinos Cut Costs for Hotel Reservations

Try to imagine a bunch of elderly, gray-haired hotel owners doing the limbo. Now picture yourself in the room, eagerly and excitedly goading them on: “How loooow can you go?”

Scary image? Perhaps.

But you might feel better if you were planning on booking a room on the Las Vegas Strip in the next couple of months.

With the economy sputtering and Las Vegas tourism in decline, casinos are getting both creative and affordable in an effort to fill up their rooms. The vast majority of hotels are offering lower prices than usual this December and January, and some have even offered a free night’s stay if you book at least two nights minimum.

MGM Grand, Bellagio, the Rio, and Imperial Palace are four of the hotels that are offering a free room if you book at least two nights, though the latter two require that the free day be a Tuesday, and they technically charge $0.02 to fulfill and publicize their “Two-cent Tuesdays” promotion.

Other casinos feature a wide range of promotions that include golf outings, spa treatments, show tickets, and dinner reservations.

Mandalay Bay has an “Exotic Escape” promotion that lasts until Jan. 6, where guests get a guaranteed mid-week suite upgrade, two-for-one admission to the musical Mamma Mia, two-for-one to the House of Blues for either breakfast or lunch, as well as hotel credit for $99 a night.

Treasure Island has a “Winter Solstice Offer,” which gets you free admission to its night club and spa and salon. Rooms can be booked for as little as $79 on weekdays and $109 on select weekends.

Planet Hollywood gives special discounts to members of the armed forces, and low rates for everyone else — starting at $69 on weekdays and $119 on weekends.

Room rates vary depending on the date and availability. For instance, prices tend to be low for most casinos on the days leading up to Christmas but then skyrocket back up to their top asking price for New Year’s Eve. Sin City might have trouble attracting jolly people to spend Christmas, but it has no problem getting in those with reckless abandonment on Dec. 31.

Check casino Web sites for the most current rates. Remember, if you are a card member of select casinos or if you qualify for a friends-and-family discount, you can get even lower rates. Some casinos, like MGM Grand, even cut off 30 percent with the use of a MasterCard.

A quick scan of casino Web sites reveal some December/January prices to be as low as $45 for Harrah’s ($65 on weekends), $100 for Caesars ($140 on weekends), $79 for the Mirage ($109), $43 for the Orleans ($57), $65 for the Flamingo ($100), $119 for the Venetian ($159), $36 for Excalibur ($71), $75 for MGM ($100), $129 at Bellagio ($169), $90 for Red Rock ($100), $39 for Binion’s ($59), $32 for Imperial Palace ($49), and $59 for Hard Rock ($119). All prices are subject to change.

Most Viewed Articles