Las Vegas Vacation Blog Blog

Las Vegas offers a lot of bang for your vacation dollar, especially when you find a package deal that combines airfare and hotel.

There’s lots of competition among airlines for Vegas, which keeps fares low. When those fares are bundled with hotel rates, you can save even more.

Along with bundling, the days of the week you travel can make a big difference in price.

The best days to depart are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday or Friday departures with Sunday returns will bring the highest fares, and hotel prices are highest Friday and Saturday nights.

If you want to spend the weekend in Las Vegas, depart early on Saturday and come back on Monday or Tuesday; you can save about $100 per person on your vacation.

Check airline websites for air/hotel/car packages (Alaska, United and Southwest are among those offering vacation packages from Seattle) or use a travel company.

Here are some other ways to save in Vegas:
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If you’re looking for the cheapest place in the U.S. to get a cheese pizza and a dry martini and then jump into a taxi ride to a four-star hotel for the night, Las Vegas is your destination. The Sin City topped the list of value vacations Americans can find this summer among 15 hot U.S. tourist spots tracked by TripAdvisor’s inaugural TripIndex, a cost-comparison of key tourist cities throughout the world. The most expensive? New York City, of course. At $367, a similar pizza, drink and cab ride will set you back more than double the $164 it would cost you in Vegas. The cost comparison, however, doesn’t tally in what you might lose gambling in Vegas.

Read the other 4.

Despite rising gasoline, airfare and hotel prices, more Americans are expected to travel for Memorial Day weekend this year, and Las Vegas is the No. 1 destination, according to some travel experts.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is predicting a 2 percent increase in visitors this year. Those 311,000 people will fill 96 percent of Las Vegas’ hotel rooms and bring a nongaming revenue of $186.2 million, the authority said.

VEGAS.com, a travel website and sister company to the Las Vegas Sun, said the average daily room rate is up 15 percent for the weekend compared with last year, to $148 a night instead of $129 a night, suggesting greater demand for rooms this year.

But the price increase doesn’t seem to be scaring people away or making them spend less on entertainment.

The travel website said visitors have been planning their weekend trips earlier this year, with the booking window, or length of time someone books a trip before arriving, up 6 percent.

And visitors have purchased 20 percent more entertainment packages this year, VEGAS.com said, indicating people are purchasing tickets before arrival instead of at the door.

The expected increase in visitors appears to outpace national trends.
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With a world full of travel options, a generous handful stand out as the most popular destinations in the world. For most vacationers, the appeal of these destinations is a no-brainer: Because they’re designed to accommodate tourism and cater to travelers’ every wish, they make for virtually foolproof vacations. Since stress is the last thing you want on vacation, going to a popular destination makes for even smoother sailing.

But because travelers are so drawn to popular places like Las Vegas, Hawaii and Mexico, prices can often skyrocket. It’s a simple matter of supply and demand, but it can put a dent in your pocket book. However, if you’re craving a getaway in one of those destinations, you can still beat the inflated prices and find a vacation that fits your budget.

Vegas - There are few travel destinations where your hotel has so much effect on your stay as in Vegas. You can choose to stay at a casino hotel or something less large-scale, depending on the experience you’re seeking. By searching for Las Vegas packages on travel sites like Travelocity.com, you can find the best deals on hotels, and at the same time add on car rental and tickets to shows like Disney’s The Lion King. Bundling items together in a package can help cut costs all around.
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Even though the New Year has barely started, it’s never too early to start planning your 2011 vacations. How often has your destination been determined by who you are vacationing with?

Are you planning a family vacation, romantic getaway, weekend away with the guys or a girls-only adventure? No matter what you are looking for, one place offers something for everyone, regardless of age or interests: Las Vegas.

If you plan a family trip you may wonder what to do in Las Vegas when you have children. Many people don’t realize that Las Vegas has much more to offer than just gambling.

If you need Las Vegas travel tips, the thing to remember is that Las Vegas means entertainment, offering more and bigger options for all ages than almost anywhere in the world. One of America’s sunniest resort cities, it’s the perfect place to practice your swing at the many championship golf courses and tennis facilities. Enjoy the warm Nevada sun while sightseeing at nearby Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, or Red Rock Canyon.

Before you plan your trip, the best place to start is to look for Las Vegas travel deals - and you’ll need them to help navigate some of the big happenings in Las Vegas. City Center is an absolute must-see development, with the Aria and Vdara hotels taking center stage. The City Center complex has shops, shows, spas and some of the terrific dining you’ve become accustomed to in Las Vegas. If you’ve seen the fountains at Bellagio, the mall at Caesars Palace or the gondola ride at the Venetian, then this is the next big thing to see.

The newest hotel in Las Vegas is the Cosmopolitan, which just opened in the middle of December, in the heart of the Strip. The Cosmopolitan offers three distinct outdoor pools with views of the Strip, and nine retail brand shops from the most stylish shopping districts on the planet.

One of the best ways to see Las Vegas is to visit a travel-planning site like deltavacations.com, which can provide you with great hotel offers and airfare deals as they become available. All travelers look to find added value in their trip, and vacations to Las Vegas often offers it with perks like room upgrades, free night offers, credit vouchers and gambling money.

Travel prices are projected to go up, so book early. That way, travelers ensure there are the flights, times, and hotel rooms available during the time that works with their schedule. Also, many hotels will offer deals on packages the further in advance travels book.

The modern way to stay on top of the best deals is to “follow” on Twitter or Facebook the destination, hotel or vacation provider, like www.twitter.com/deltavacations or www.Facebook.com/deltavacations. They will send out deals exclusively to their followers and fans. Also, you can find out if anything new or exciting is happening in the destination before you arrive

Gaming or golfing, thrill rides or water slides, boutique shopping or hotel hopping, Las Vegas has it all for visitors of all ages.

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The chief executive of Las Vegas’ newest casino compared its ritzy opening with an airplane that lands but has to quickly take off again.

“It’s just a touch and go because we really have to … take off,” said John Unwin of the $3.9 billion Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. “It’s just the beginning.”

Unwin and other executives counted down the final seconds to the resort’s opening Wednesday night with select gamblers around a craps table. One threw a pair of dice to mark the casino’s first wager, rolling a nine.

The Cosmopolitan opens as Sin City’s last new major casino–resort for at least a few years. Owned by German lender Deutsche Bank, it was the last casino to receive full funding before loans became impossible to get for casino projects conceived years ago when money flowed here and gambling flourished.

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Buffalo Bill’s Resort and Casino in Primm, Nevada is running its second Freecation special for Las Vegas locals. The vacation package includes a two night stay at Buffalo Bill’s, two free all-day attraction passes, $50 in free slot play, two free drinks at the Tree Bar, two-for-one breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets, two-for-one golf and a complimentary appetizer at GP’s Steakhouse. The special is running until July 9th. There are a few simple requirements to get your free vacation: you must be a Nevada resident with a local ID, have a credit card to make your reservation, join the Primm Player’s Club and you must book your room in advance online or by phone.

Buffalo Bill’s is about 45 minutes outside of Nevada near the California state line. The Desperado roller coaster is located at Buffalo Bill’s and it is one of the world’s tallest roller coasters with a 225 foot drop and speeds reaching up to 80mph. The Fashion Outlets of Las Vegas mall is across the street from Buffalo Bill’s and it has 371,000 sq. ft. of shopping fun. If you are looking for an inexpensive summer getaway, this may be the right opportunity.

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Vegas gets a bad rap for its brutally hot and dry summers, but the climate here is actually pretty wonderful most of the year, with an average of 300 days of sunshine annually. Even during the warmer months (June-September), it’s entirely bearable.

The highs hover around 100°F with no humidity, and virtually every interior inch of this city is air-conditioned. Just drink lots of water, and we mean lots and lots.

The rest of the year, expect still more sun and only the occasional rainy days (the average annual rainfall is 4 inches) and wonderfully pleasant temps, with highs in the 70s and 80s in spring and fall, and in the upper 50s and 60s in winter.

Freezing temperatures are rare, but desert nights can get chilly between late fall and early spring, so bring a sweater or windbreaker for your evening strolls beneath the neon-bathed skies.

Source: When to Go to Vegas

ET has the dish on how Dennis Quaid, Greg Kinnear and “Lost”’s Matthew Fox spent their Friday night in Sin City.

The three stars were spotted enjoying the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino’s party pit.

Earlier in the evening, Quaid was also seen inside the eatery AGO, as well as dining with Kinnear at Nobu.

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Additional evidence of the tourism slump is coming from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Last year, it says the visitor count was about 37.5 million, down 4.4 percent from 2007 when an estimated 39 million people visited Las Vegas. News 3’s Steve Crupi digs deeper into how the hotels are dealing with the decline.

The Las Vegas Strip is offering some unheard of incentives. Tuesday, Harrah’s Entertainment announced that on top of cheap room rates, the company will begin giving away up to $300 in airline credits to customers who book a return visit to Las Vegas.

Normally, receiving an airline comp is a privilege reserved for a casino’s best customers. But now, just about anyone can cash in on the slow economy. The goal is to fill the gaming tables and keep the Las Vegas economy from slipping any further.

“Get Your Wings” is the name of the airfare promotion. If you say for three nights at a Harrah’s property in Las Vegas, you can get up to $300 toward your flight on a return visit.

“These rates are as low as $38,” says Suzanne Trout, Harrah’s Entertainment. “(It’s) two trips for the price of one, really.”

Every hotel in Las Vegas is feeling the pressure. Hooters Hotel’s new walking billboards are another example of the steps companies are taking to attract customers.

“How competitive is it these days? Grab for as many people as they can get,” says Matthew Desvio, Hooters Casino.

Even the newest and fanciest hotels are offering tremendous bargains. At the Trump Tower, you can find rooms for $109 that include a $50 credit for the spa.

And $6 per night isn’t even the cheapest we’ve seen; in December, the hotels in Primm were offering “free” rooms to locals willing to make the drive down I-15 to the state line.

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