When to go to Las Vegas
The best time to go to Las Vegas is when you are in the mood to go to Las Vegas. If you're coming during a holiday or convention period, book 3 months
in advance. Don't dwell—Las Vegas is a commodity—as demand increases, so do the prices. Therefore, all things "Vegas" are commodities,
including hotel rooms, nightclubs, shows, restaurants, tours and everything else. Good deals can be had anytime, it's just that there are better times for better
deals than others. The strategy is to plan in advance, understand how conventions and events can influence prices, decide the level of quality and comfort you
want, and then go for it!
Las Vegas seasons. It is a good idea to know when the high, middle and low seasons are in Las Vegas. It is also important to understand how weather,
holidays and special events influence those seasons.
- Low Season: Falls between mid June and mid September. Prices are low, temperatures are high and lines are short.
-
Middle Season: Begins mid-September and builds to a raucous crescendo December 31 (New Year's Eve). Prices are high, temperatures are mild, lines
are long, and reservations for anything "Vegas" is a must.
-
High Season: Shifts into high gear the first week of January, and runs in fits of starts and stops until falling to its knees from sheer exhaustion
about the last week of March. A short rest and it's off again with several overlapping conventions that form a convergence over the city that
finally fills out the calendar in mid-June.
Lowest rates and shortest lines happen a few days before and right after conventions and major holidays. Unforeseen special events come and go all the
time and can also affect availability and rates. Weekday rates are always lower than weekend rates. When major conventions or major holidays occur over a weekend
they are considered 'certain sell-out dates.' The basic axiom to remember during high season or certain sell-out dates is: you cannot plan too soon, but you
can wait too late. That said, below is a list of
Certain sell-out dates in Las Vegas:
- January 8-11, 2009: International Consumer Electronics Show
- January 8-11, 2009: Adult Entertainment Expo
- January 20-23, 2009: Annual International Builders Show
- February 2-6, 2009 : World of Concrete Exposition
-
February 2-3, 2009: Super Bowl Weekend
-
February 13-14, 2009: President's Day & Valentine's Day Weekend
- March 15-18, 2009: ASD/AMD Show
- April 20-23, 2009: National Association of Broadcasters
-
May 23-25, 2009: Memorial Day Weekend
-
July 4-6, 2008: Independence Day Weekend
-
August 29-31, 2008: Labor Day Weekend
-
October 10-12, 2008: Columbus Weekend
- November 4-7, 2008: Automotive Aftermarket Industry Week
-
November 27-29, 2008: Thanksgiving
-
December 31-January 1: New Year's
Hotel rates in Las Vegas almost always start out low but climb as desired dates near. This is a function of market demand that all hotels keep a close
watch on. You can wait and hope rates drop, but that strategy depends on their reality matching your wish. Las Vegas casinos get rich on
wishful thinking every day! Use the 90-10 Rule: 90% of the time rates will increase over time, only 10% of the time will they drop.
Rates during convention periods. Apart from standard tourism, which brings about 30,000,000 people to this city every year, Las Vegas is also one of
the most popular places for conventioneers (who fill up everything that remotely appears to have a bed in it.) To accommodate them adequately
Las Vegas NV hotels
provide about 144,000 rooms (and counting.) During certain large conventions, and times when there are several overlapping conventions and/or special events
and/or a major holiday, Las Vegas hotels selling-out is a foregone conclusion. So, the thing to do is to check the Las Vegas Conventions calendar for dates you
might be repelled by or attracted to. With that understood:
- Go to our
Las Vegas Conventions
pages and check the dates you have in mind. If over-lapping conventions and events anticipate bringing in more than 50,000 people, you can be certain hotel
rates will reflect a high demand. Conversely, if there isn't much planned during your period of stay, hotel rates will reflect lower demand with lower rates.
- Narrow in on two or three hotels that will work for you by using Vegasrooms to review as many hotels as you like. Start with any hotel listed and virtually
walk through every hotel in Las Vegas.
- Check rates and availability for your itinerary dates—start with Best Deals. If there isn't a special deal available
for your desired hotel and dates, then search All Hotels.
- Make your
Las Vegas hotel reservations
. If your trip will include air transportation, be sure to check for
Las Vegas Vacation Packages
which is where you may realize your greatest dollar savings.
For the most part cheap Las Vegas hotels
are going to be found off the strip. They will be one, two and three-star properties which are at least one mile off the strip. They will get cheaper the
further away from the strip they are. Hotels that fit into this category include:
Palace Station
,
Comfort Inn
, and for dirt cheap,
Wild Wild West Hotel
.
On the strip rates are always higher, but two hotel-casinos you will want to check out for great discount rates are the
Imperial Palace Las Vegas
and the
Riviera Las Vegas
. They are both full service 3-star hotels in the heart of the strip. These hotels do deliver a quality product, they just don't have the four or five star ratings.
They have good sized rooms and large swimming pools.
Hooters Las Vegas
which is off-strip, right behind the Tropicana, is also a good choice for discount rates, and is a favorite of Sun-Gods and Goddesses, not to mention the Hooters
Girls.
Weather. If you love soaring 3-digit temperatures, come between June and mid-September. Otherwise you'll find mild-cool temperatures in spring and
fall, and cool-cold weather in winter, with perhaps a few sprinkles of snowflakes, if you're lucky.
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