Vegas at Thanksgiving

July 28, 2023 11:18 AM

I need a room in Vegas on the Saturday night each side of Thanksgiving, as we come and go through town on a weeklong camping trip. Everything I've read online suggests rooms should be cheap, as it's not a convention week. Rooms are not cheap. Do I just need to wait and worry about a room closer to the trip, trusting that rates will fall? Or do I need to add about $500 to the trip budget for 2 nights in Vegas?
posted by COD to Travel & Transportation around Las Vegas, NV (11 answers total)

It's not a convention week because it's a holiday week, rates won't fall. Thanksgiving is huge for "meet in the middle" families, as school is out the whole week in a lot of places, the weather is good, and no worries getting fed.

Does it need to be Vegas-Vegas or can you do something out in the suburbs? You might do better away from the Strip/Fremont.
posted by Lyn Never at 11:29 AM on July 28, 2023 [4 favorites]

Thanksgiving is the busiest holiday in Vegas with perhaps the exception of New Years. Look for one of the off-strip places like the Station casinos.
posted by Back At It Again At Krispy Kreme at 11:33 AM on July 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

Also, I'm sure this doesn't help prices — especially for the Saturday before Thanksgiving. It may not be a convention week, but it's the first-ever F1 race in Vegas.
posted by jdroth at 11:36 AM on July 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

I Googled "vegas thanksgiving expensive?" and the results suggest that yes (as others have said), Thanksgiving (and Christmas) are two popular times for a trip to Vegas.

Have you bought your plane tickets yet? At least from my airport, flights typically arrive at night and leave at night, so on my recent hiking trip via Vegas, we only stayed the night we arrived (which was extremely cheap).

At least in March, traffic was very light once you got outside of Vegas, so you might consider spending your first night in whatever town is en route to your hiking destination.
posted by coffeecat at 11:36 AM on July 28, 2023

You can book Tuesday at the Excalibur and Friday at the Horseshoe (formerly Bally's) for under $200 (not including taxes). You can also stay at the Best Western in Henderson for about just a little more both nights.
posted by Xurando at 11:40 AM on July 28, 2023

That's a busy week, Saturday is one of the biggest nights, and hotels in general right now are BANANAS expensive; I think yes it is wiser to either expand your range of locations or increase your budget.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 11:42 AM on July 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Seconding Krispy Kreme on Palace Station. MUCH easier to get in and out from the highway.

Weekend prices will bite you on Friday night but right now Wednesday night the 22nd is $48.99.
posted by JoeZydeco at 11:55 AM on July 28, 2023

Ah, forgot the F1 race was the weekend before. I'll amend my previous statement to say that Saturday-to-Saturday could possibility the busiest in Vegas history. Besides the Thanksgiving people on your second Saturday, the city is guessing 170k extra people are going show up just for the race the first Saturday. I'm not sure I'd want to be in the State of Nevada that week, honestly, it's going to be a mess.
posted by Back At It Again At Krispy Kreme at 12:07 PM on July 28, 2023

I don't think OP can make "Saturday night each side of Thanksgiving, as we come and go through town on a weeklong camping trip" turn into two weeknights.
posted by Lyn Never at 12:09 PM on July 28, 2023 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: I clearly miscalculated, badly. On well. We pick up the Campervan on Sun the 19th and return it on the following Saturday. It did not occur to me that an F1 race would blow up Vegas like that. Oh well, $500 mistake I guess.
posted by COD at 12:26 PM on July 28, 2023

into two weeknights.

Yes, my mistake, I missed the "Saturday" element of the question. Apologies.
posted by JoeZydeco at 12:53 PM on July 28, 2023