Introduction:

A few months before a trip I’m usually become pretty active on this sub, spending a decent amount of time helping people plan out trips. I figured for once I’d share one of my planned itineraries, what actually happened on the trip, how much I expected it to cost, how much it actually cost, changes since my last trip, and any highlights.

Demo:

Married couple, late 20s, 17th trip to Vegas.

Planned Itinerary:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vTwil88ghO5M8CLdwNaXSg8eOo5fqZwhXSZpv20K2TlYJEPzBdUqBvC8Dq7jmSfZ5uB6UE-SMu0zZ6n/pubhtml

Actual Itinerary:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSuckh6hJ-L7xM3wLBLgViIaMy1nUSQev53vIDN9N0F5rpynwDb_ziJfyraBYik2eu9EwpAVSaJ18Gd/pubhtml

Things to get out of the way:

Immediately people are going to jump at the fact that I have things planned down to the 5 minute mark. These are rough estimates, usually made in an attempt to make sure that we get to everything we are wanting to do in a day, or so that some deadline is reached on time, such as a restaurant closing or a club entrance cutoff. Typically we are somewhere between on time and an hour late depending on whether or not a deadline is involved. I didn’t change every single time to the actual time on the “Actual Itinerary” since that would have been way too much work, but if something got skipped, added, or things went drastically off the rails it was noted.
With regard to the cost predictions going down to the penny, before we go to a restaurant we typically look at the menu online and then we know what we’re ordering beforehand. It isn’t particularly hard to add tax and tip and then know the exact amount. We typically change things up a few times and that’s why I included the actual costs on the Actual Itinerary. Some of the predicted values are closer to guesses, but I typically added tax and tip to those to help keep it accurate as I could.
The next thing that people are going to question is the fact that we switch hotels 4 times in 7 days. I would never argue that it’s particularly convenient to do that but with the comped room I had at Bellagio, the comped/reduced rate I had at Wynn, and then the comped room my wife had at Wynn, along with our varied itinerary, it was worthwhile to hop around a bit. Bellhops are your friends, always tip them and they’ll treat you right, that is if they decide to help at all (looking at you MGM and Planet Hollywood). The reason for the Gold Coast was we were planning on checking out KAOS, but due to lineup changes we ended up changing our plans. We got a great price for the night, so we just kept it.
The final thing that I know people are going to jump at is the fact that we eat at McDonald’s 4 times during the trip. After 3am, when the clubs are starting to wind down, there are very few food options open in Vegas. Most are overpriced for what you get, or in inconvenient locations. Usually we are drunk, and dead tired, so spending lots of time or money to get food is just a waste. 3 out of the 4 times were at 3:45am because their dinner menu cutoff is 4am, and why go to McDonald’s when you can’t get chicken nuggets. The last one is because it’s literally right across the street at Palms. For the past few years we’d get delivery Thai Pepper, which was absolutely fantastic drunk food that was surprisingly cheap and available even later in the night, but they’ve closed, and I haven’t seen any particularly appealing alternatives.

Changes to Vegas since early September 2018

- Thai Pepper closed - Encore Beach Club’s poles were removed from the center island + Block 16 Urban Food Hall opened + Urth Caffé opened = KAOS opened

Stats:

Predicted units of alcohol to be consumed: 136.5 Actual units of alcohol consumed: Somehow more

Hotels:

Bellagio: Always thought of Bellagio as probably impressive until Wynn, CityCenter, and Cosmopolitan were built. Still think this. Room was fine, but not worth anywhere near the price point if it wasn’t comped. Maybe if you spring for a view of the fountains it’d be different, but at the price I’d still think Cosmo is a better option.
Wynn: Having stayed at Encore multiple times, and loving it every time, Wynn was actually really disappointing. I thought I’d just be complaining about the white and cream color scheme and the open layout with the weird TV placement, but the real problems were the room fragrance and lack of power outlets.
My wife didn’t find the odor particularly unpleasant but to me it had an uncanny similarity to cowshit. Almost decided to switch rooms, but was too tired and busy, and it turned out our later stay at another Wynn room on a different floor, facing a different side, had the same smell, so it seems to be property-wide. Looking online they seem to have a room fragrance that just isn’t compatible with me somehow.
The lack of power outlets made charging our phones, my watch, and her laptop practically impossible and was just something I hadn’t even considered could be a problem in a high-end hotel. The lack of power outlets anywhere even remotely close to the TV meant I couldn’t connect her laptop to the TV and power at the same time, even with a 10 ft. HDMI cable.
Having become used to Google Home at home, traveling is always a bit disappointing when you can’t just ask for the lights to turn off or an alarm to be set. This should be standard in all hotels, with very clear ways to disable it for the privacy conscious. Sadly Wynn’s implementation of Alexa is absolutely terrible. One room it worked about half the time, with me often resorting to their perfectly usable touch panel. The other room it never worked.
Gold Coast: Wish I had time to take advantage of the cheap bowling. Perfectly serviceable basecamp if you wanting to spend time at Palms or are using Uber to get around, although we could never get it quite to the right temperature. An absolute steal at $71.25 before taxes and resort fee on a Saturday of a summer holiday weekend.
Planet Hollywood: I’ve always been pretty harsh to Planet Hollywood, arguing why would you stay there when you can spend a reasonable amount more to stay at Cosmo or spend drastically less money and stay at either Harrah’s, Linq, or the Flamingo? For me the answer was when Cosmo is having some sort of event that causes the price to be 2-3x normal, and you were planning on hitting up Cosmo’s food options and Marquee Monday.
Our Ultra Resort Room was actually quite nice with a large layout, plenty of power outlets, and a bathroom with 2 completely separate mirror and sink areas. The only real problem was the cleanliness was the worst I’ve seen in Vegas since the Linq was the Imperial Palace. Every glass or mirrored surface had smudges, the carpet had a large stain in the middle, and the stack of ads and magazines was sticky. You’ll see one of those problems at almost any hotel room in Vegas that isn’t a luxury property, but it’s been years since I’ve stayed in a room that felt this unclean.
Ultimately it’s convenient access to Cosmo makes it occasionally a good option, but from what I’ve seen only if you have time to potentially request they deep clean your room. Had Cosmo had a more average price I’d still think the upgrade to there is worth it.

Highlights

Exodus Pass Usually we do guest list or presale tickets to pool parties and nightclubs depending on various factors. This year we were planning on July 4th weekend to take advantage of the day off work, and that happened to coincide with one of the Exodus Festival weekends. We bought tickets early, and it came to only $147.55 after taxes and fees and a promo code. With the later guaranteed entry and the quickness of entry, this was an absolute steal. 10/10, would do again. My biggest complaint is their wristband booth in MGM Grand is not the most convenient and quick location to pick up your wristbands. They should probably setup one at the hotel hosting their first event, and not just their first nighttime event.
Twilight Zone Mini Golf was fun and inexpensive, a growing rarity in Vegas.
Urth Caffe is now my northend recommendation for breakfast in Vegas. Great food, and generous size of their drinks.
While Caesars’ 4th of July fireworks show was great, the impressive thing was the sheer amount of illegal fireworks going off all over town. I know some of you have strong negative opinions about them, but having never seen anything like it, it was impressive.
Marquee had silent disco in the Library which is always a fun experience.
Block 16 has some fantastic food at great prices. Special shoutout to Hattie B’s seasoned fries, the perfect drunk food.
First time at an airport lounge. Free drinks after security, but before you fly is an absolute gamechanger.

Room for Improvement

LAS Uber Pickup The 2M Uber pickup floor at LAS is completely fucked. There’s just no other way to put it. It’s always been bad, but now there are concrete barriers that make it where far too many people are trying to move through the unblocked areas. Plenty of airports do this better, hopefully someone with some power thinks about the fact that this hard to find, hot, dark, congested place isn’t the best way to start off people’s trips. If I had time to go to Total Wine and Reef I definitely would have taken Presidential Limo, which picks up in a tolerable place.
Apex While Ghostbar always had a view going for it, Ghostbar Dayclub was well liked due to it’s personality. Apex still has the view, but the vibe was just completely non-existent. Hopefully now that Apex is under control by Stations/KAOS they can make it not just a generic bar with a great view, but from what I can tell it’s still being neglected.
Reef Weed Tender Don’t get all offended that I’m not wanting to chitchat. I called in the order, and am trying to make this transaction quickly, since I have an Uber waiting outside and don’t want to waste his time.
Drai’s Guest List We ended up skipping Drai’s on the 4th of July. $75/$50 for guest list for Big Sean seemed worth it to a lot of people who weren’t us. Got in line, found the price, got out of line. I had heard from a friend that Drai’s promoters have lately been advertising free entry and yet were charging even groups of all girls, so I wasn’t expecting free, but $125 for a couple was too steep for a week filled with as many pool parties as we had. Felt sorry for anyone expecting to get in for free and finding that mess, especially if they were on a shorter trip. Promoters should stop promising free if it’s only going to be reduced, accurate communication is key.
Masala 24/7 Indian food is a great idea in Vegas, and a location near Tacos El Gordo is even better. That said, I don’t find anything too oily, imagine the most deep fried thing you can and it’s soaking through 10 napkins and a paper bag and I’d be like “This tastes great,” and yet Masala was somehow too oily, Their naan also wasn’t crispy and had a doughy texture. My wife also found their food too salty. Overall not worth trying out, even if it should be good in theory.

Future

Originally when I was writing this I talked about not coming again for awhile, but somehow ended up with a trip August 22nd-27th.

I'm going in July and have done some research.
Plenty of this is from the sidebar, but other notes are from many of other sources.
The Vegas Degenerate Tour ( . ) ( . )
Things to do:

• Drugs
• Hookers
• Bellagio Fountains (free)
• Mirage Volcano Show (free)
• The lounge at the top of the Mandarin Oriental - Super Classy with amazing night time views, sexy patrons and great cocktails
• Wet Republic - Rent cabana 2 months in advance
• Las Vegas Helicopter Night Flight with VIP Transportation £65pp
• Grand Canyon Skywalk - Apparently Expensive and not that good - you have to take a bus to get there and it is $30 each. Go to Grand Canyon south instead.
• The Strip Gun Club Range
• Sapphires pool party - strippers pool party!!!
• Fremont Street Experience at night.
• Container Park, which is a few blocks east of the Freemont St. Experience, a 2 foot recycled steel praying mantis (acquired from Burning Man) spits giant fireballs to the beat of music A LOT. Lots of half naked men and women. LOTS (free)
• Ghost Bar at the Palms has amazing views. Check Groupon for deals. Happy hour 8-10pm
• Stratosphere rides
• Stratosphere bar at the top. Happy hour 2 hours after open
• High Roller observation wheel. Get a car with the open bar.
• Monte Carlo minus 5 Ice bar. Everything is made out of ice! Bar, glasses, seating - everything
• RiRa Irish bar with live music and good Guinness after 9pm
• The Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay, live music and amazing strip views
• Strip clubs: Spearmint Rhino, Hustler Club and Crazy Horse--those are our top 3 Rhino and Horse are high end and classy
• Top Golf location, just behind MGM. 5 levels of golf driving range, mixed with music, food and drinks. There are also 2 pools, free to use.#
• Dig This drive diggers and bulldozers.
• Spa in the ARIA is amazing with good treatments.
• Alibi show http://alibitheshow.com/ This experience throws the audience into an exciting adventure around the streets, restaurants, bars and other real-life locations on the Las Vegas Strip.
• BARE POOL AT MIRAGE: Go on Monday. At Bare, experience palm tree-enclosed seclusion as you relax and enjoy European-style sunbathing at Bare Pool at The Mirage. Read more https://jackcolton.com/las-vegas-dayclubs/bare-pool-mirage/
• Ride in a stuntplane! Actual vomiting everywhere http://www.skycombatace.com/
• Best price supercar rentals https://www.vegasluxuryrides.com
• Lake Mead boat rental boatbound.com
• Absinthe at Ceaser’s Palace amazing offensive comedy show http://www.ticketmaster.com/Absinthe-tickets/artist/802082
• There is so much free stuff going on up and down the strip though that you can just do all the free stuff and not spend a dime. From street dancers, people singing, or pictures with a grown dude wearing a diaper.
• Eclipse cinemas downtown for an over 21s only luxury cinema experience with cocktails and good food.
• The Linq promenade is a very nice area
• Treasures strip club: have a nice buffet and steak to go with your titty show http://www.treasureslasvegas.com/
• VooDoo Zipline at Rio Groupon $44 for two
• REAL BODIES at Ballys Groupon $35.50 for two

Tips:

• Hotel picker https://farm1.staticflickr.com/770/21800142824_6dddea1786_k.jpg
• $50 a night dining credit at ARIA somehow - research
• Do the $20 checking tip trick. Slip a $20 in between card and ID and ask to see if an upgrade is possible.
• Get player’s cards - sign up for the Player's Club (free) in each casino, they will usually give you some sort of incentive
• Buy water at a supermarket and keep at hotel
• Taxi from Airport request avoid the I-215 Airport Tunnel and go via Strip
• http://www.tix4tonight.com for tickets on the night
• Drinks are ALWAYS cheaper inside the casinos on Fremont than outside
• Harrah's has a "Million Dollar Pull" where you just go up and play a slot machine for free with the chance to win $1 million. Even if you don't win a million, you will always win something.
• If you want to go to top of the Stratosphere go to the desk to the right of the entrance and say you want to go to the bar. You won't have to pay the $15 to go to the top.
• Marketing manager for the Aria https://www.reddit.com/usetedistkrieg
• Have the clubs pick you up in their limos because all the cab/ubelyft/limo drivers get a kick back on anyone they drop off to the clubs and same with the VIP card guys! So if you don't use the free limo ... THE CLUB HAS TO CHARGE YOU A COVER!!! If you use the clubs FREE limo service they can sometimes wave that cover charge!! (that's like $20 a person!)
• Check for Groupon deals.
• Make sure you all download the Uber and Lyft app. Both offer new user signup credits. Free rides.
• A $400 Pre-Authorisation charge for resort fees and ‘amenities’ was taken as expected upon check in. I would recommend UK visitors to take a Cash Passport MasterCard (available in Thomas Cook and other travel agents)

Clubs

• Hosts contacts list for all major clubs: https://jackcolton.com/
• You can view hotel discounts at up to 30% as well as VIP table service for nightclubs at: www.VegasJames.com for strip clubs at: www.StripperKing.com
• XS Encore
• Hakkasan MGM
• Light inside the Mandalay Bay
• Tryst Wynn
• Vegas local youtuber and bouncehost Jacob Orth to hook us up with limo service to the Hustler club
• Places we personally recommend from experience:
• Hakkasan
• Omnia
• The Light
• XS
• XS does a nightitme pool party
• Gold Spike nightclub / hotel in Downtown is a bit more ‘Hipster’
• This list offers plenty more clubs to check out (many of which don’t require a cover).
• http://www.vegasvip.com/nightclubs.html

Food

• Alizé Tasting Menu - get groupon for discount £350 > $200
• Sage in the Aria has a highly rated tasting menu
• Aria buffet one of the best
• Joël Robuchon in MGM is crazy silly expensive but amazing food 16 course taster $425 each without drinks https://www.mgmgrand.com/en/restaurants/joel-robuchon-french-restaurant.html
• Guy Savoy at Caesars Palace a little cheaper 9 course tasting for $260/person or a $350/person 14 course tasting https://www.caesars.com/caesars-palace/restaurants/guy-savoy#.WI8vkRuLTIU
• é by Jose Andres inside Jaleo inside Cosmo. Only 8 seats, reservations by email only ([email protected]) starting 3 months prior to the res date, 23 courses. $190/person(?) without alcohol pairing
• Raku in Chinatown does amazing 8/12 course tastings for $70/100 a person
• The tasting, or "seasonal discover menu" at L'Atelier is up to $165 per person
• Eiffel Tower restaurant is a Must for dinner!!!!!!!! Fantastic view of the strip
• Good steakhouses serve food at the restaurant bar and the bartender has seen some shit. So much more fun for a party up to three and the service is over the top.
• Delmonico's in Venetian at the bar. The cocktails and food were amazing.
• Mushashi's dirty show (Japanese steak with a naughty show for the girls.) Midnight to 4am happy hour.
• Secret Pizza. A secret pizza place. Needs research! Inside the Cosmopolitan
• Bachi Burger – also to reunite with a previous memory. I still think this is one of the top 3 burgers I’ve ever had. The oxtail chili cheese fries are recommended by others to be a “must”, but I personally prefer the truffle fries.
• Monta Ramen – I’m a huge ramen fan and I understood this was the –best- ramen place in Vegas.
• Sweets Raku – in the same complex as Monta Ramen. They have some neat desserts that they make right in front of you, lovely experience.
• Wicked Spoon Buffet at the Cosmo. Everything was really good and the deserts were awesome.
• Brunch @ Bacchanal Buffet, Caesar’s Palace – This was awesome! We had the groupon deal and it was impressively cheap. Midway through our meal they switched to their lunch menu so we got the best of both worlds there.
• Gordon Ramsey’s Burgr – onion rings were incredible. The burger was pretty good as well.
• Earl of Sandwich - I could seriously eat these every day.
• Studio B Buffet @ M Resort
• The "Heart Attack Grill" lets you eat free if you weigh over 350 pounds.
• Marriage Can Be Murder - This is a dinner / theater / murder mystery / whodunit show at the D downtown. Includes tasty food, extreme audience participation and likely embarrassment. You may be called upon to dance, or play a character in the murder mystery. Comes with tasty food, cocktails available.
• For dinner, I highly recommend BLT Steak House in Ballys Hotel and Red8 in The Wynn - if you are a food lover, BLT’s is particularly worth the extra!

Sex/Swingers Clubs (Or; no, you filthy pervert - what's wrong with you?)

• The Red Rooster http://www.yelp.com/biz/las-vegas-red-rooster-las-vegas
• The Green Door http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-green-door-las-vegas
• Couple's Oasis http://www.couplesoasis.com/main/

Drive:
Drive along east CA down US-395 and crossing over to Nevada after Death Valley is one of the greatest drives I have ever done.
Guides:

• https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/welcome-to-las-vegas-travel-guide-cityguides
• https://www.vegas.com/traveltips/
• http://www.wikihow.com/Get-a-Free-Room-in-Las-Vegas
• http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/tipping.cfm

Edited to include corrections.

So tonight it was all pool with multiple added riders every time!
(What's so great about that?)
I'm glad you asked.
First pick up... Venetian to Golden nugget. A fifteen minute ride at most....girl and her German boyfriend. Headed to I 15 on Sands... (added rider), we now have to pull a u-turn in front of Sands Convention center. Back to 7-11 at Twain and Paradise. Pick up one... Drive back towards freeway on Sands... (rider added)... Another u turn, same exact spot as the first u turn. Back to Corporate Drive and Paradise... Pick up another rider... Back to Venetian to drop him.... (rider added). Go to TI and pick up rider... Drop (7-11 guy) at Spearmint rhino....everyone gets to wait while I get my $20. Off we go (rider added, Trump International) pick up Trump. Drop TI guy at Peppermill... Drop Trump guy at Stratosphere...off we go, get to St Louis and Las Vegas Blvd (rider added) round the block, and back to Allure.
Original Pax girl is now on the phone crying "Sorry we are SO late... Took a pool to save money " (lol)
Pick up at Allure takes 12 minutes (and I wait) .... Drop at the D.
One hour and 18 minutes later I drop off OP (original pax) at GN.
I know two tourists who will never use pool again!
Best part was the way TI guy smelled!
I had no clue pool would add like that. I thought it was 2 stops max on a pool... So delighted it went so wrong for them!
Funny, as I was pulling the first u turn on Sands I muttered "oh here we go" girl asked what I meant and I explained how awful pool was on the way to pick up pax #2
She believed me by the end of the ride!
Uber x from GN to TI full car... Ping to Mirage (pool) as I drop. Three drunk girls show up (I say nothing and start trip (Mandalay Bay) (rider added) go to Caesars...two big guys show up (no room) They go off about the lack of space... ("nothing I can do, cancel if you want") they did at 7 minutes (fee for me) (rider added) go to Cosmo...two pax again ("no room, cancel if you can't fit") they did, another fee.
(rider added) at Monte Carlo... Single rider with suitcases. Drop at Mandalay Bay... Single guy is pissed I didn't go directly to airport and is whining about how he will be late... Go up Koval, turn on to Trop (rider added) Pirhanna at Naples... Two drunk guys added.... Off to airport. Drop at Terminal 3, one of the drunk guys starts complaining he has to pee (rider added) ha-ha! Off to the car rental center. Pick up 2 and head to Henderson.... Get to Green Valley Ranch (casino) drop car rental people, back to freeway. Pax starts do the "pee pee dance" (I can feel him fidgeting as I drive...there is actually a footprint in my back floor carpet from him pressing down on the floor so hard with his foot)
(Rider added) now it's off to Sam's Town.... (pee pee boys are going to Wagon wheel drive) "dude, you gotta stop, I can't hold it anymore" he gets out and pisses right there beside the car in a Dotty's parking lot....i can tell it is upsetting Sam's town couple. I don't care. Drop them.... Drop pee pee boys.
Head back to resort corridor.... Ping to Sunset Station... Pick up two drunk girls (21 if a day) (rider added) pick up Mr smooth at an apartment complex. He starts speed dating them. All the way to UNLV he hit on them.
Drop the poor girls at apartments near UNLV... (rider added) back to the Fruit loop.... Mr smooth smoothie is joined by two screaming queens.... Tables turn and they try speed dating him.
Drop smoothie off in Chinatown... (rider added) pick up a very straight southern couple at golden Tiki.... Uncomfortable silence to palace station, drop off queens at Palace Station (rider added)
Straight couple talk about how violated they feel all the way to pickup at SLS.... Pick up an obvious prostitute... More uncomfortable silence. Drop straight couple off at Circus circus manor.... Drop hooker off in the Alphabet streets.
(another tourist who will never use pool)
Third pool trip.
4 Queens to airport... Pick up two older women with luggage (rider added).. .off to Artesian. Pick up two guys, drop them at Linq... (rider added) go to Caesars....wait 15 minutes for 2 drunk girls.... Off to Mirage (you mean it's next door) (and the opposite direction from airport) ...drop off (rider added) at Mirage, going to Harrahs (across street) drop.... Head towards airport (rider added) pick up drunk at Tuscany suites (rider added) pick up another at Hard Rock....go to Twain and Swenson, drop off Tuscany drunk.... Go to IHOP on Maryland parkway and drop off second drunk (rider added).
Off to pick up at apartments at swenson and Flamingo.... Going to Trop and Wilber. (women are complaining they have 15 minutes to get to airport)
Drop at Liberace Mansion....back to Trop.... (rider added)...back north to Harmon and Paradise ...pick up.... Drop at MGM signature tower 2....off to airport again.
As we approach terminal 3 pax announced they are too late.. Blames me.... Books a room real quick and has me take them to Hooters....announces she is going to sue me as I drop them ("give me your full name! " No you stupid twat, you booked pool, it's YOUR FAULT.)
Whatever... Fuck pool fuckers, they got exactly what they deserved tonight!

Just returned from the most epic week in Las Vegas with my husband! We budgeted about $1000 per person for the week, all expenses included. We went over by a couple hundred in the end. We planned a lot of activities and sightseeing in advance to avoid gambling too much out of boredom. We weren't very lucky at anything except blackjack, but we were able to leave Vegas at only $40 in the hole between the two us, which I consider a moderate success! And we weren't bored for a minute!
Day 1 (Wed 10/19)

• I flew from NC to Vegas on Frontier at $191 roundtrip after taxes and fees. It wasn't a luxurious experience, but I wasn't expecting it to be. I packed a medium-sized backpack within the "personal item" dimensions so I wouldn't have to pay a $35 carry-on fee. No employee measured (or even glanced at) my bag either way. My husband had a work conference in Vegas the following week and was allowed to bump his flight up a week, so his flight (Southwest) was already covered.
  
• Rented a car from Enterprise via a third-party site called carrentals.com. We got a new Toyota Corolla for the week at $151 after tax (just under $22/day). Used a Lyft credit to pick the car up at the location off Las Vegas Blvd, since it was about 5 times more expensive to rent from the airport location. All totally worth it! We used the car a lot each day. I would definitely rent a car again if I returned to Vegas. Next time I would probably take more advantage of free valet parking on the strip.
  
• Stopped by In-N-Out Burger for lunch. So good.
  
• Grabbed a some shelf-stable groceries to keep in our room. We made sandwiches here and there for odd meals and when we were driving or doing outdoorsy things. Saved us some money on drinks, snacks, and breakfast as well.
  
• Took a lap around Miracle Mile Shops to kill some time before check-in at 3. Pretty nice mall. Wanted to see the indoor rainstorm on the hour but never did locate it.
  
• I had booked a room at Mandalay Bay for 2 nights at $77/night with a $75 dining credit on the hotel's website using a promo code I found on smartervegas.com. At check-in I asked if there were any upgrades available, and we were offered to upgrade to the Delano for an additional $30 a night. We went ahead and did it, because why not?
  
• Before dinner, we grabbed drinks at Skyfall Lounge at the top of the Delano. We went during their happy hour, called "Sunset Hour," and watched a beautiful sunset over Vegas. Even the toilets had a view. I would recommend reservations--we had reservations and were allowed to sit at much better tables (on the balcony) than those without.
  
• For dinner, we went to Wolfgang Puck's LUPO Restaurant to use the rest of our dining credit. I also had a credit for a free bottle of wine from the MyVegas app. This meal wasn't bad, but I didn't think it was delicious enough to justify how much it cost. I had a steak that I didn't think was a great cut, and my vegetables were over-seasoned and over-salted. The atmosphere was nice but somewhat boring. I probably wouldn't bother dining here again, personally. We had a reservation but didn't need it. The place was mostly empty.
  
• After dinner, we saw Penn and Teller at the Rio. We got discounted tickets through Travelzoo at $46/person. Very good show. Penn and Teller came out front for pictures afterward. Teller talked to us!
  

Day 2 (Thurs 10/20)

• Woke up to a window washer hanging outside the window.
  
• Had a late brunch/early lunch at Ellis Island. No frills, good value and large portions.
  
• Went on a free tour of a light art installation called Akhob by James Turrell hidden in a secret floor in the Louis Vuitton Store at the Shops at Crystals. This was such an awesomely strange experience! We had fun feeling like we were "in" on a secret, and the installation itself was also very cool. Reservations are definitely required for this one. They said they were booked out about a month.
  
• Walked around CityCenter. The Shops at Crystals and Aria were beautiful and had many sights to see (water features, art exhibits, etc.). We wandered into Vdara as well, which looked very nice, but was not much to look at in terms of sightseeing.
  
• Visited Bellagio. A definite must-see in Vegas. We watched our first fountain show (our first dose of "Uptown Funk"), walked through the garden conservatory, admired the Chihuly glass in the lobby, took a look at the chocolate fountain, and shared a cup of gelato.
  
• Took a 30-minute ride on the High Roller Observation Wheel. I was lucky enough to nab a voucher for $25 for 2 for a daytime ride with open bar a couple months ago on Travelzoo (prices have gone way up since). We went right as the sun was setting and it was wonderful. The bartender was great and churned out drinks like a boss. She gave us shots to do together as a group at the top, and even made everyone drinks "to go" at the end. If you go, be sure to grab a spot on the side facing the strip (the close side when you walk in).
  
• Had dinner at Gyu Kaku using a Livingsocial voucher I had gotten with a promo code. We had never been to a grill-your-own-meat place before. We got some kind of meat sampler. Everything was delicious. My husband was obsessed. Weirdly, the place was nearly empty, even around 7pm.
  
• Wandered around Caesar's Palace and the Forum Shops. Worth a visit. Watched the fish in the big tank for a few minutes, then caught the 8pm Fall of Atlantis animatronic show. We had a good laugh at the plot of the show and lost it at the king's broken hand dangling and flopping around during his grand gestures. There must have been a screw loose. We thought it was totally hilarious, and it became a running joke of our trip.
  
• Caught the 9pm Fire show at the Mirage. Very cool free attraction to see up close...you can hear the fire whirring and feel the heat whack you in the face.
  
• Saw Cirque du Soleil Beatles LOVE show at the Mirage at 9:30. Yeah, okay, we overdid it. We were really tired at this point. I had gotten one free ticket through MyVegas so it was basically half price. We were too tired to really enjoy the show. It looked really cool, the costumes and props were spectacular, and the performers were talented, but we just never really got "into" it. We were jet-lagged and had trouble staying awake after our long day. We were in the back row of section 201, and while we could see pretty well, I think being just 3 or 4 rows closer (with a cup of coffee in my hand) would have been an improvement.
  

Day 3 (Fri 10/21)

• Decided to head out of town for Fri-Sat to see Zion and Grand Canyon, to avoid the crowds and higher weekend hotel prices.
  
• Stopped by Donut Bar in downtown on our way out toward Zion. These donuts in there were completely bonkers and we had trouble deciding which ones to get. They were very good. We got a couple extra for the next morning, but they were no good by the second day.
  
• Drove to Zion National Park, parked on the side of the road in a stretch where there were some other cars already parked, and rode the bus to the last stop to hike the Narrows. We both felt this was one of the major highlights of the trip. The hike was exhilarating and a bit challenging without being too frustrating. We had the. best. time. We didn't bother renting any gear and we were totally fine. We wore $8 neoprene fin socks for scuba diving I bought on Amazon with some old beat-up sneakers. This worked great because our feet were warm, and we didn't get blisters because our shoes were already comfortably molded to our feet. A lot of other hikers seemed to be stopping for breaks because they were having trouble with blisters and/or cold feet. We scavenged for walking sticks down at the entrance to the narrows. I had read there were usually some left there from previous hikers. My husband found a scrap of 1x2 and I found a pool cue. They looked a bit silly, but you really just need them for feeling around in the water. I doubt the sticks they had for rent would really be a vast improvement.
  
• Waited on a long line to get a bus back to the front of the park. A lady mentioned something about some kind of school holiday in the area, so maybe that's why there were so many people there.
  
• Went back to our car to find a $50 parking ticket. Damn!
  
• Drove up the scenic drive overlooking the park on the way out. It was a bit too dark to see very well at that point, but we got a bit of the view.
  
• Drove to Page, AZ for the night. Stayed at Best Western - View of Lake Powell at $94/night. I don't stay at Best Western a lot, so I don't know what they are usually like, but this was much nicer than I expected for the price! It was situated atop a hill overlooking Lake Powell.
  

Day 4 (10/22)

• Stopped by Wahweap Marina on Lake Powell to check out the views of the lake. It was very beautiful and serene here. Not too many people, either. Would be great if you have a boat.
  
• Stopped for pictures of Glen Canyon Dam, the dam that forms the lake. Cool dam.
  
• Drove to Horseshoe bend and hiked the short hike to the edge. Definitely worth a stop. Lots of photo ops. There were more people here than I expected, but plenty of rocks to climb on for everyone.
  
• Had reserved a spot on a tour of Antelope Canyon, but skipped it because we had decided to sleep in somewhat late that morning. Maybe next time. Heard good things from other travelers.
  
• Drove to Grand Canyon National Park and followed the route along the south rim, stopping at the various viewpoints (Desert View Watchtower, Navajo Point, Lipan Point, Grandview Point). It was a beautiful day to see the Grand Canyon. Ate a bag lunch at one of the overlooks. I was a bit sick with a cold and unable to hike long, but enjoyed some light walking along the Rim Trail starting at South Kaibab. If I come back in the future and I'm not sick, I'd like to do some more rigorous hiking. For our purposes on this trip, one day at the Grand Canyon was sufficient.
  
• Rode a bus to one last viewpoint for sunset. I believe it was called Hopi Point. It was a bit crowded, but a very nice view.
  
• Had some mediocre pizza at a place called We Cook Pizza and Pasta. I can't say I recommend it. It tasted a lot like frozen pizza. There really wasn't any restaurant in town we could find with decent reviews online except RP's Stage Stop, but that one closed at 5pm, so we had to settle.
  
• Stayed at Best Western again-- Best Western Primier Grand Canyon Squire Inn, in Tusayan, at $106/night. We were able to upgrade to the newest building for free by signing up for Best Western Rewards. This was another pleasant surprise! Our room was very nice, and everything was brand new. The main building had a little bowling alley and arcade, where we ran into a couple from Ireland we had encountered already at Penn and Teller and Caesar's Palace in Vegas. What are the chances of that?
  

Day 5 (Sun 10/23)

• Drove from Tusayan toward the Hoover Dam and pulled off at Williams, AZ for breakfast. This was an unplanned stop that we really enjoyed. Williams really plays up the Route 66 and "small town USA" nostalgia. We ate at Pine Country Restaurant simply because it looked popular. Our meal was very good. We enjoyed strolling down the main street for a little bit and popped in a few kitschy little gift shops.
  
• Visited the Hoover Dam. We looked at the dam from the bridge, then looked at the bridge from the dam. It is a very impressive sight, and definitely worth pulling off the highway to see it. We impulsively decided to go on the dam tour after we chatted with some people finishing up the tour who gave it glowing reviews. It was a decent dam tour, but we probably could have done without the dam tour. It was interesting, but crowded and a bit anticlimactic, in my opinion.
  
• Drove back to Las Vegas and checked into Excalibur. Definitely a step down from where we were, but not too terrible. The location was good, and the price was right. I booked two nights at $44/night with a $30 dining credit using a promo code from smartervegas.com, and the third night was free via MyVegas points. My research had indicated that the "Royal Tower" was newly renovated, so we requested a room in that tower at check-in. The lobby and hallways looked like they needed an update, but our room was pretty nice once we were in there. I had no major complaints, except that the TV gave us some trouble and Robert Irvine from "Restaurant Impossible" was peering into our window at all hours. We didn't hang out in the casino much because the service wasn't great. There were a lot of glasses and ashtrays laying around, and the machines had trouble reading vouchers. We did enjoy the $5 blackjack tables, which were a little bit harder to find elsewhere.
  
• Went on a club crawl. This was unnecessary. I booked it through Groupon in advance, thinking it would save money on cover, but we were handed a lot of "free entry" passes from club promoters on the street to get into decent clubs, so we didn't really need it. It would be good to go this route if you had a group of all males, or if you were going out on a busy weekend night, or if you just wanted to meet a group of random people. In the end, we just ended up spending half the night trying to track down our group (of about 12 male accountants who already knew each other), which wasn't really worth it.
  

Day 6 (Mon 10/24)

• Went to check out the older casinos downtown this day. Downtown was a bit more rough around the edges than the strip (as expected), but still worth the visit.
  
• My schedule had an option have breakfast at The Beat, but we decided to sleep in instead.
  
• Went to lunch at Carson Kitchen. It was raining, and everyone was kind of freaking out about how it was raining. The place was mostly empty, so we got a great seat at the counter where we could watch the chef working and see all of the food coming out. Everything we had was delicious. Everything we saw coming out looked like it would be delicious, too. Our waiter was good. He insisted we get the bread pudding, because it would change our lives. It did.
  
• Walked to Fremont Street and played the vintage slots at The D. We enjoyed a bay of penny slot machines with some sort of Inferno/Devil theme and won a bit of money. We also played the vintage horse derby machine, which ate up a bunch of our money but was a fun time. There was a lot of screaming and cheering going on.
  
• Popped into Golden Nugget and watched the shark tank for a bit. We were surprised at the number of sharks they fit in there. Very interesting to watch. Also looked at the giant gold nugget on our way out (it's just a giant gold nugget).
  
• Ate dinner at Itsy Bitsy Ramen and Whiskey. We had a Groupon again. This place was virtually empty as well (maybe it was the rain?) but was also very good. My bowl of Ramen was big enough to swim in, and the broth was perfect.
  
• Walked back to Fremont Street to watch the Fremont Experience light show at 7. It was some kind of weird alien show and the graphics weren't great, but the scale was impressive. The Slotzilla zipliners were fun to watch and added to the festiveness.
  
• Went to Banger Brewing Company because I had a Groupon to use on a flight of beers and a couple pints. We had a reservation to go on their free tour earlier in the day, but missed it because we completely forgot about it. Oops. Either way, sitting at a table in the bar to drink our beer was a good little break from the sensory overload. We sat and played a couple board games while people-watching through the window.
  
• Grabbed a couple of cocktails at The Golden Tiki. Groupon again. Just a fun little tiki bar. I had something with Dole Whip which was pretty good. It was the most busy place we had seen all day, but we were still able to find an empty table.
  
• Went back to the strip to see the Cosmopolitan. This is a very impressive, glitzy hotel. If I were to describe it in one word, it would be "sparkly." We had fun looking for the Secret Pizza restaurant. We tried to not cheat too much in looking for hints online. We were on the guest list to go to Marquee, but were too tired to get dressed up and go to a club at this point.
  
• Walked the middle part of the strip on foot. Walked farther north than we planned. Stopped in the Piano Bar at Harrah's and sang along with a few oldies. The pianist was entertaining and worked his own funny/dirty lyrics into the songs. Even more fun to watch was the crowd getting really into it. People from all walks of life belting out songs in unison. We didn't stay very long because there was nowhere for us to sit.
  

Day 7 (Tues 10/25)

• Had lunch at Capo's Speakeasy. I got a voucher on Travelzoo for $30 worth of food for $15 with a sign up discount of $10 off. I figured for $5, I'd be happy with anything. You need a password to get in. Well, kind of. It's silly and fun. They were playing some hilariously over-the-top old mob movies on the TVs. The food was pretty good and portions were generous. I really, really liked the fries drizzled with sauce.
  
• Visited the Wynn. It is a very pleasant place. Saw the flower sculptures, parasols, lake, and water features. We weren't here too long. Just wanted to check it out.
  
• Visited the Grand Canal Shoppes. Watched the gondolas and some performers milling about. Got a piece of chocolate from a guy on stilts.
  
• Visited the Palazzo. Admired the waterfall in the atrium. Visited the casino and won some money on a Britney Spears slot machine. Thus began our addiction to Britney Spears slot machines.
  
• Showed up at to the Flamingo to see a show by a guy called Jeff Civillico. Turns out, his show is cancelled through the end of the year. No biggie. The tickets were cheap on Travelzoo. They said they had already sent refunds out. I must have missed the memo. Went to look at the live flamingos for a few minutes instead. This wasn't bad, but nothing spectacular. A bit smelly.
  
• Went to Paris, walked around, and did a bit of gambling. Britney was good to us again. There was a live band playing on one side of the casino and some random exotic dancers on a bar in the middle.
  
• Had dinner at Hexx with a Groupon (of course). We had a reservation and were sat out on the deck with a good view for people watching. Our food and service were very good. We had some fries that had a bunch of gravy and stuff on top that looked like a total mess but tasted really good.
  
• Went to the top of the Eiffel Tower with a Groupon (duh) for $30 for 2. There was no line. We just had to wait for the elevator to come down. We got to the top a bit before 9pm. Of all the views of the strip we saw, this was probably my favorite. You're high enough to see everything, but low enough to hear the hustle and bustle and street performers below. The view of the Bellagio fountains from above is spectacular. We caught 2 full shows. We were even able to see the Mirage fire show again at 9.
  
• Went back downstairs to the bar at Hexx for cocktails. I had a voucher for BOGO specialty cocktails from MyVegas. They were decent. We didn't really need them, though.
  
• Went into Omnia at Caesar's Palace for a little while, mostly just to see it. Very cool atmosphere. Very crowded, even early in the night. Male to female ratio was off, if that's important to you, but that didn't matter to us.
  

Day 8 (Wed 10/26)

• Had lunch at Tacos El Gordo. We had no idea how to order, but whatever tacos we ended up with were very good and authentic. The line wasn't too bad when we got there around 11:30. We ordered 6 tacos, but probably would have liked a couple more because they were small. The line was too long by the time we finished to bother getting more, though.
  
• Popped into Peppermill Fireside Lounge nearby, just for a few minutes, out of curiosity. Very cozy, retro-looking little place with little fires at the booths in the lounge. The restaurant seemed to be popular at lunchtime.
  
• Last stop was Treasure Island. There wasn't much to see here in terms of sightseeing except a pirate ship out front and few artsy pieces here and there, but we read it was one of the better casinos on the strip for low rollers like ourselves. We found a $5 blackjack table with a 3 to 2 payout. I hadn't seen many of those on the strip. I started with $20 and walked away with a little over $80. You know we hit those Britney slots one more time before we left, too.
  
• I headed back to the airport to fly back home while my husband stayed for work the next day.
  

Thanks for reading! I might try to come back and add some pictures and links here as I get the chance. Feel free to ask me about anything we did!

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Date: 2015-11-22
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Questions	Answers
Is timing ever important when booking rooms? I know the day before a flight takes off, rates sometimes drop dramatically so that all seats are sold.	Timing is hard!
	If a convention drops out last minute, we have to drop the rates to fill the rooms they had blocked off.
	A prime example is the Mayweather vs Pacquiao fight weekend.
	The fight was announced and we sold out all of our hotels because reservations were coming in like crazy. We couldn't control it. So we opened up one room type at a stupid rate, $1,600 per night. Reservations were still coming in. HOWEVER, no tickets for the fight had been released or even available to the public. People were booking without tickets (a stupid decision if you ask me). Once tickets were released to the public, a few days before the fight, everyone cancelled their rooms. Rates were $1,000 one minute then down to $100 the next. We knew that is was going to happen, but we didn't know how many tickets would be released etc. It was a clusterfuck of a weekend for sure.
	This is the best representation of that from the fight weekend: Link to i.imgur.com
Did you ever make mistakes the other way, like posting rooms for $1.07, and if so did the property honor those rates? On average, what percentage of room inventory is usually booked vs. sitting empty?	Mistakes are made constantly! We also audit constantly to catch them.
	My worst mistake was setting a suite to $66/night for Friday and Saturday over EDC Weekend. The rate should have been $660. It wasn't caught until the next day. Because it went out to our OTA's, over 1,000 reservations came in for that suite - that hotel didn't even have 1,000 of that room type. When those guests checked in, they were most likely moved to a lower level room with inventory. However, we will try and accommodate.
	It totaled over $120,000 in lost revenue.
	Rates won't go out that low. We have some parameters in place to prevent that. For example, the hotel that I screwed up - the lowest possible rate at that hotel was $55 - so they system didn't catch a $66 rate. Anything below $55 wouldn't have gone out.
Isnt it cheapest to use priceline? Plane ticket and hotel packages always seem to be a few hundred less and you can still get FF miles.	Airlines are a bit different. They can wholesale their rates to OTAs. We give Priceline an amount, then the airline gives them an amount, then Priceline adds those values together for your "Package Deal". Our wholesale rates to OTAs are the same across the board, it's the airlines that fuck it up.
	Little do people know that the hotel chains have those Air + Hotel too!
	Link to www.mgmresortsvacations.com
	Link to totalrewardsvacations.com
	Our "Package Deal" rates are anywhere from $0 - $20/nt off what the standard rate is. I think it's always best to search around and book separate.
Have you ever accomodated a top celebrity?	Very rarely will we know when we do.
	Most celebrities stay under an alias or a managers name. Ariana Grande uses a different fake name EVERY TIME - which makes it a pain for our VIP Staff/Butlers.
	Celebrities/Presidents/Politicians do not get special room rates - but they may get a room that isn't offered. For example, Jamie Foxx was put into a suite when they were 'sold out' to the public. The booking of these high status guests are usually handled by foreign affairs or an executive VIP agent.
What software do you use to help decide prices? How much human judgement is there in the process?	There's a lot of human judgement!
	The problem with current hotel revenue management systems is that they don't recognize sister properties.
	So if we had to walk 500 people from one property to another, the system can't recognize that and adjust accordingly.
	We mainly use Excel and SAS. Analysts stay with properties for a long time then learn how a hotel books. We have a lower end hotel on the strip that will have 50% occupancy then over night be at 110%.
So if we had to walk 500 people from one property to another.	A walk is when we 'walk' someone to another property. We book our hotels OVER 100% occupancy because we expect a 10% no-show rate. However, sometimes that 10% shows up. So we have to find available rooms for them at another property. We give them their room at the other property free and offer a generous F&B credit. We pay for the taxi ride and bellmen to deliver their luggage.
What hotel would you suggest for someone who's never been to Vegas and on a budget? My friends just got back from Vegas yesterday and I always wanted to go. Also, what attractions would you suggest and see(unless its absolutely must see?)	If you're on that much of a budget, look at staying downtown! Downtown has some really awesome hotels - The D is my favorite.
	On strip, just remember, you are getting what you pay for. If you book the $20 room at Circus Circus, know you'll be in the detached motel rooms and have a terrible time. If you can pony up and stay at a place like New York-New York or Planet Hollywood, your experience will be much better.
	I highly suggest Absinthe at Caesars Palace! It's my all time favorite show. I'd see it over and over again.
What about near the strip but still near the places you wanna go?	You should check out Wyndham Grand Desert. It's off strip, no resort fee, and offers a free shuttle. Their two bedroom suites usually go for $180/nt - which on strip would be upwards of $300+.
How did you work your way into hospitality revenue management in Vegas? Kudos to you for doing so in such a competitive town in terms of that industry!	Vegas is a very competitive industry - especially Revenue Management. Revenue Analysts jump all over the city though, so it's a very small group of people who know each other.
	I was a hotel engineer before! I went to room calls and fixed things.
	RM is about problem solving really, and I learned how to trouble shoot from engineering.
	I also met a high level executive on Grindr and talked with him for months - which I believe may have helped me. I never met him until I started the job.
What is the best luxury hotel that wont make your wallet bleed in Las Vegas? Is there any Kimpton hotels in Vegas?	No Kimton's (according to their website).
	Personally, I love Mandalay Bay. The room rates are very decent. The rooms just finished a remodels and are quite big for standard hotel rooms. Plus you have the amazing beach, wave pool, lazy river, Foundation Room at the top, and concerts galore.
	Just keep in mind - you get what you pay for =]
Any notable stories of people claiming ridiculous reservations that were never actually offered? Alternatively, what is the oldest coupon you had to accept?	We have a woman that books 5 or 6 high level suites at our most luxury property. She books them on the most expensive dates a few months out, then always cancels them the week before. We've never seen her come in and she has never stayed. It's like she was trying to have us hold $20K for her, then refund her. We've reported it, but not sure what's happened.
There isn't a non-refundable deposit for that? Or is she cancelling early enough to avoid penalties?	Canceling early enough - you're reservation is refundable up to 2 to 3 days before!
In my experience, when push comes to shove, the hotel must deal with the entities that booked the room, which technically isn't you. I flew into NYC one time and had to deal with someone in Fiji to get my rental car released because I switched airports	When you book with an online travel agent (OTA), you are not a guest of the hotel - you're a guest of the OTA. The hotel really can't do anything for you - you are faced with the burden of contacting the OTA on your own.
	Rates must be the same due to contracts with OTAs. Some OTAs may experience downtime or lag which will show a different in rates between OTAs. But when you click 'Book Now', the site will re-cache and your rates will update.
Do you know if most resorts do a price watch? I.E. If we book and rates drop would they drop or do they remain the same?	Rates fluctuate quite often. If you book and prices drop, your prices will stay the same. However, if you call in, Im sure a reservations agent would adjust them down. Cause if you're outside of the cancellation window, you can just cancel your room and re-book at a lower price.
Why don't the hotels cater to locals (or do they?) in an effort to get better viral marketing? I travel quite a bit for work, and every time I get on a plane to come home, the person sitting next to me immediately start asking me for recommendations for shows to see, hotels to stay at etc.	We do market to locals, and all of our hotels have local discounts. Vegas locals get room discounts, discounts on restaurants, 50% off show tickets, and a ton more.
	Living in Vegas is great because they really do appreciate the locals. Over half of this city works in the hospitality industry, so they keep us happy!
Is there a secret handshake or sign up page? Aside from the offer that Cirque runs each year, I've never seen locals offers advertised.	Link to www.mgmresorts.com
	Link to www.caesars.com
How can I snag a deal?	See my original post.
	Sign up for the guestbook, follow the social media accounts, and Google! But remember, always book direct.
	November and December also have the best rates as it is the slower season.
Why booking direct? I haven't tried specifically in Vegas, but I have definitely seen hotels cost more on their website then on a site like hotwire/expedia/priceline.	Because Online Travel Agents (OTA's) get a commission off bookings around 15%. So for a $100 room night, we would give an OTA $15. And when you book though an OTA, you are a guest of theirs, not the hotels. Kinda strange right?
	The hotel receives NO information about you other than your name, room type, and check-in/out dates. Have a problem with your reservation? The hotel can't do anything.

Last updated: 2015-11-22 23:27 UTC | Next update: 2015-11-22 23:37 UTC
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