Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

THREE QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE YOU BOOK A ROOM 69
2 Three Questions to Ask Before You Book a Room
WHERE SHOULD I STAY?
Your two main choices for location are the Strip and Downtown. The Strip,
home to many of the most dazzling hotels and casinos in Vegas, is undeniably
the winner, especially for first-timers, if only because of the sheer, overwhelming
force of its “Vegas-ness.” On the other hand, it is crowded, confining, and
strangely claustrophobic. We say “strangely claustrophobic” because the hotels
only look close together: In reality, they are situated on large properties, and it’s
a long (and often very hot or very cold) walk from one place to the next.
Contrast that with Downtown, which is nowhere near as striking, but more
easily navigated on foot. Within 5 minutes you can reach about 17 different
casinos. The Fremont Street upgrade and the brand-new Neonopolis entertainment-and-shopping
complex have turned a rapidly declining area into a very
pleasant place to be, and the crowds reflect that: They seem nicer and more
relaxed, and a calmer atmosphere pervades. Since it’s only a 5-minute ride by car
between Downtown and Strip hotels (the Convention Center is more or less in
between), there’s no such thing as a bad location if you have access to a car. If
money is no object, a $10 cab ride separates the Strip from Downtown.
For those of you depending on public transportation: While the bus ride
between Downtown and the Strip is short in distance, it can be long in time if
you get stuck in traffic. You should also be aware that the buses become quite
crowded once they reach the Strip and may bypass a bus stop if no one signals
to get out and the driver does not wish to take on more passengers. Without a
car, your ease of movement between different areas of town is limited.
Reservations Services
If you get harried when you have to haggle, use a free service offered
by Reservations Plus, 2275 A Renaissance Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89119
(& 800/805-9528; fax 702/795-3999; www.reservationsplus.com).
They’ll find you a hotel room in your price range that meets your specific
requirements. Because they book rooms in volume, they are able
to get discounted rates. Not only can they book rooms, but they can
arrange packages (including meals, transportation, tours, show tickets,
car rentals, and other features) and group rates.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority also runs a roomreservations
hot line (& 877/VISIT-LV) that can be helpful. They can
apprise you of room availability, quote rates, contact a hotel for you,
and tell you when major conventions will be in town.
Other reputable online reservation services that book rooms in Las
Vegas are listed in “Planning Your Trip Online” in chapter 2.
A couple words of warning: Make sure they don’t try to book you
into a hotel you’ve never heard of. Try to stick with the hotels listed in
this book. Always get your information in writing and then make some
phone calls just to confirm that you really have the reservations that
they say they’ve made for you.