TRAVEL-202609-uswest/vegas_stay_options.md

Las Vegas — Where to Stay (booked + alternatives)

Booked: Horseshoe Las Vegas — 2 rooms, reserved by KT on Sep 13, US$1,067.70 all-in, free cancellation until Sep 28. The earlier Wyndham Desert Rose booking was cancelled free of charge on Sep 9 after the card couldn't be processed. Alternatives are retained below for reference.

Dates: Wed Sep 30 → Sat Oct 3 (3 nights) Guests: 4 adults (2 couples) → 2 hotel rooms, or one 2-bedroom suite 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. The comparison rates are Booking.com totals including taxes and resort fees for the whole group (2 rooms or 1 unit), Sep 30–Oct 3. Most comparison quotes were shown in CAD and converted at ~0.72. The booked Horseshoe total (US$1,067.70 for 2 rooms) comes from the Caesars confirmation and includes resort fees and tax.

⚠️ 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.

---

Booked choice and leading alternatives

1. ✅ Horseshoe — BOOKED. Centre Strip at the Flamingo Rd corner, next to Paris, fountains across the road. 2 × Resort King rooms, US$1,067.70 all-in (booked direct with Caesars) + paid parking. Free cancellation until Sep 28, pay at the property.

2. Flamingo — same intersection, LINQ/High Roller behind it. $1,274 all-in + paid parking. Free cancellation until Sep 28, pay at the property — but only 1 room was left at the checked rate.

3. Wyndham Desert Rose 2BR — ❌ booked Sep 1, cancelled free of charge Sep 9 after the card couldn't be processed.

The Horseshoe booking now sets the price floor. Re-checking alternatives is only useful before its Sep 28 free-cancellation deadline; after that, cancelling costs the first night's room rate plus tax.

---

Location on the Strip

Zone	Walk to	Hotels below
Center Strip	Bellagio fountains, High Roller, Caesars, Venetian	Horseshoe, Flamingo, Casino Royale, Jockey Club
South Strip	Sphere-side attractions via tram, MGM area	Excalibur, Luxor, Signature at MGM, Desert Rose, Grand Desert
North Strip	Fewer sights; longer walks or rideshare	Circus Circus, The STRAT, SAHARA

---

Option A — two hotel rooms (classic Vegas)

All-in group total for 2 rooms × 3 nights, taxes and resort fees included.

Hotel	Zone	All-in × 2 rooms	Parking	Free cancel until	Rating
Circus Circus	North	$500 (C$694)	Free (1 spot/room)	Sep 28	6.8 (16,474)
The STRAT	North (far)	$576 (C$800)	On site, fee TBC	Sep 27	7.2 (8,794)
Excalibur	South	$637 (C$885)	Paid	Sep 27	7.6 (30,951)
SAHARA Las Vegas	North	$934 (C$1,297)	Free (self & valet)	Sep 27	8.4 (11,717)
✅ Horseshoe Las Vegas — BOOKED	Center	$1,025 (C$1,424) · booked direct US$1,067.70	Paid	Sep 28 · pay at property	7.9 (8,180)
Luxor	South	$1,056 (C$1,467)	Paid	Sep 27	7.4 (22,988)
Flamingo	Center	$1,274 (C$1,770)	Paid · 1 room left	Sep 28 · pay at property	7.8 (24,171)
Best Western Plus Casino Royale	Center	$1,391 (C$1,932)	Free · no resort fee	Sep 27 · pay from Sep 25	8.0 (3,579)

Cancellation deadlines apply to the flexible rates checked Aug 31; cheaper non-refundable rates exist (e.g. The STRAT). Circus Circus and The STRAT also take refundable check-in deposits ($200/$300 per room).

With fees included the ranking changed. Horseshoe (centre Strip, walkable to nearly everything in vegas_sights.md) is now $1,025 + parking — no longer the bargain it looked. Excalibur at $637 stays the cheapest sensible hotel (South Strip, free tram to the MGM cluster, 30,951 reviews). SAHARA 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).

---

Option B — one suite / apartment for all four

Whole unit, 2 bedrooms, kitchen. All-in totals, taxes and fees included.

Property	Layout	All-in 3 nights	Rating	Note
Desert Rose Resort	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	2 bed · 2 bath · 79 m²	$630	9.0 (59)	❌ Booked, then cancelled Sep 9 — card couldn't be processed
GetAways at the Jockey Club	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	Suite + balcony	$839 (C$1,166)	8.5 (1,567)	Parking paid · non-smoking, no casino in the tower
Grand Desert Resort 2BR Villa	2 bed · 2 bath · 95 m²	—	9.6 (29)	❌ No availability Sep 30 – Oct 3

Wyndham Desert Rose was the booked choice until its cancellation on Sep 9 — two bedrooms, two bathrooms and a kitchen for less than two centre-Strip rooms. The group now stays at Horseshoe instead.

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.

---

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

---

Still to sort for this leg

• Day trips — the through-rental is available for Hoover Dam, Red Rock and Valley of Fire (see vegas_sights.md).
• Shows — Cirque residencies sell out; book before arrival.
• Oct 3–4 return drive — choose MS's overnight stop / endpoint and coordinate the Oct 4 SFO car return with the SFO → YVR flight.

---

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.