**Car available** — the group drives in from LA on Sep 30. KT & VT fly from LAS on Oct 3, while MS starts the drive back to San Francisco and returns the car at SFO on Oct 4. **Position on the Strip still matters, but hotel parking must now be included in every comparison.**
> **Prices below are all-in** — Booking.com totals including taxes and resort fees, for the whole group (2 rooms or 1 unit), Sep 30 – Oct 3. Booking quotes in CAD; USD converted at ~0.72.
> ⚠️ **Parking** still varies: free where marked; MGM/Caesars properties (Excalibur, Luxor, Horseshoe, Flamingo, Signature) charge extra per night with the fee set at the property.
**With fees included the ranking changed.** [Horseshoe](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/bally-s-las-vegas-casino.html) (centre Strip, walkable to nearly everything in [`vegas_sights.md`](vegas_sights.md)) is now **$1,025 + parking** — no longer the bargain it looked. [Excalibur](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/excalibur.html) at **$637** stays the cheapest sensible hotel (South Strip, free tram to the MGM cluster, 30,951 reviews). [SAHARA](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/sahara-lasvegas-hotel-casino.html) at **$934** has the best rating (8.4) and free self + valet parking, but sits north.
**Skip Circus Circus and The STRAT** despite the price — both sit at the far north end, where every evening ends in a rideshare. Note MGM/Caesars hotels also take a refundable deposit at check-in (e.g. Circus $200/room, STRAT $300/room).
| **[Desert Rose Resort](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/desert-rose-resort.html)** | 1 bed + living room | **$598** (C$831) | **9.0 (4,724)** | **NO RESORT FEE** · free parking · by far the most reviewed |
| [Wyndham Desert Rose 2BR Apartment](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/wyndham-desert-rose-resort-2br-apartment-with-resort-access.html) | 2 bed · 2 bath · 79 m² | **$630** (C$875) | 9.0 (59) | Free parking |
| [GetAways at the Jockey Club](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/getaways-at-the-jockey-club.html) | 1 bed + living room | **$775** (C$1,076) | 9.1 (2,859) | **NO RESORT FEE** · free parking · centre Strip, next to Cosmopolitan |
| [The Signature at MGM Grand — All Suites](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/the-signature-at-mgm.html) | Suite + balcony | **$839** (C$1,166) | 8.5 (1,567) | Parking paid · non-smoking, no casino in the tower |
| ~~[Grand Desert Resort 2BR Villa](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/grand-desert-resort-2br-villa.html)~~ | 2 bed · 2 bath · 95 m² | — | 9.6 (29) | ❌ **No availability Sep 30 – Oct 3** |
**If the group would rather share one place** — the way they have all trip — [Wyndham Desert Rose 2BR](https://www.booking.com/hotel/us/wyndham-desert-rose-resort-2br-apartment-with-resort-access.html) at **$630 all-in** gives two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a kitchen for less than two rooms at any centre-Strip hotel. Desert Rose sits on Harmon Ave, a short walk east of the Strip. The Grand Desert villa dropped off — no availability for these dates any more.
The two 1-bedroom options (Desert Rose, Jockey Club) only work if one couple takes the living room — fine for three nights, worth agreeing in advance.
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## Not on Booking for these dates
Bellagio, Caesars Palace, The Venetian, MGM Grand, New York-New York, Paris, Planet Hollywood, Park MGM and The LINQ did not return availability on Booking.com for Sep 30 – Oct 3. Other MGM/Caesars properties did (Excalibur, Luxor, Flamingo, Horseshoe), so this is an inventory quirk rather than a sold-out Strip — **price those directly on mgmresorts.com and caesars.com** before deciding.
**Own search:** [Booking, Las Vegas Strip, 2 rooms, Sep 30 – Oct 3](https://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?ss=Las+Vegas+Strip%2C+Las+Vegas&checkin=2026-09-30&checkout=2026-10-03&group_adults=4&no_rooms=2&group_children=0&order=price)
*All-in prices (taxes + resort fees) re-checked Aug 31, 2026 on Booking.com for Sep 30 – Oct 3 — parking fees at MGM/Caesars properties still excluded.*
