Priceline has a feature called “Hotel Bidding Alert” where you can receive emails from Priceline whenever winning bids for hotels are accepted on Priceline that match your criteria. For example, you can specify the city and bidding zone, ceiling price, and hotel class (star level) and receive emails daily from Priceline for winning bids that match your criteria.
I’m a huge fan of Las Vegas, and I wanted to test out a strategy for better bidding in Las Vegas using the Hotel Bidding Alert emails to see how they compared to the winning bids reported on the Priceline Vegas Forum. I set up 3 different bidding alerts, one for each area in Las Vegas that has a 5-star hotel: Strip North, Strip Vicinity North – Condo, and Strip Vicinity South. My objective was to find out roughly how much 5-star hotels were going for in each of these zones, with the intention that this information would help people become better at bidding on Priceline.
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After several weeks of research, here are my conclusions for better bidding in Las Vegas:
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Strip Vicinity South: This is the cheapest of the 3 zones for 5-star hotels. The average price for a 5-star hotel per night was just under $100 (very cheap), with rates as low as $83 per night. This zone has three 5-star hotels, Vdara, Cosmopolitan, and Aria. Vdara is very nice, but it is actually tucked away behind the Bellagio and the Aria, and does not have a casino. This is less desired of the 3 hotels with 5-star status in this zone, and odds are that you will get this hotel if bidding on 5-star hotels in this zone. If you don’t mind a bit of a walk to the Strip and a hotel without a casino, you can save a lot of money.
Strip Vicinity North – Condo: This zone only has one 5-star hotel — The Trump Hotel. It is a gorgeous hotel, but like the Vdara, it too is off the Strip and doesn’t have a casino. General concensus is that this hotel is much less preferred to some of the hotels that are immediately of the strip. If you want to avoid this hotel, you would be better bidding elsewhere in Las Vegas, not this zone. Should you choose so, the average price for this zone was around $120 per night, roughly $20 more than the Vdara in Strip Vicinity South. Given the choice between the Trump and the Vdara, I would choose Vdara. In my opinion, avoid bidding in this zone if you’re looking for a 5-star hotel in Vegas.
Strip North: This is the coveted Priceline bidding zone for 5-star hotels in Las Vegas. This area is home to the following 5-star hotels: Palazzo, Venetian, and Wynn. Each of these hotels is right on the Stirp, has a casino, and is absolutely amazing. If you can afford it, this is the zone you want to bid for a hotel on Priceline. Surprisingly, the average price for a 5-star hotel in this zone was $125/night. Not bad. In fact, I’ve seen the Venetian go for as low as $108 per night
It is worth noting that the Priceline Las Vegas hotel list changes all the time so it is always best to check the latest Priceline hotel list to see what hotel you might get. These lists are kept up to date weekly.
Overall, it is very evident that Priceline is a very, very inexpensive way to get a great Vegas hotel. You are better off bidding on a hotel in the Strip North if you want a good deal for a hotel directly on the Strip, and if budget is your concern, Strip Vicinity South is a good low cost alternative (but be prepared to get the Vdara). Happy bidding!
Additional Vegas Resources:
- Jack Colton: This website is a great resource for Vegas travelers. Although they’re mostly into the clubbing and partying scene, there’s some good help here.
- Priceline Vegas Hotels: A list of hotels known to be on Priceline in Las Vegas. My number one tip for better bidding in Las Vegas: check out the list.
- Priceline Winning Bids: A running list of Priceline wins by actual travelers. See what hotel they got, how much they paid, and their bidding strategy.
- Rebidding on Priceline: A must read for anyone who is travelling to Vegas. If you don’t know how to rebid without having to wait 24 hours, you are paying too much. Read it, learn it, and save.