Daily Getaways For May 26th & 27th: A Breakdown Of Caesars Las Vegas Offers And a Reminder For the IHG Rewards Offer Today
Since I’m posting twice a day on Daily Getaways, I’m going to change the format up a bit. Tomorrow’s deal will be on top with a reminder for today’s offer.
So, you’re reminder is to purchase IHG Rewards points today if you’re interested. I’ve included that breakdown at the bottom of this post.
In case you’re not familiar, Daily Getaways are daily deals sponsored by the US Travel Association. Some are better than others, so you need to think about whether you can take full advantage of the offer before buying.
For the more popular offers, they will sell out quickly, which means being around right when they go on sale each day at 1:00 pm EDT. Some offers will sell out in hours, some in minutes. It’s also important to be patient. If you click shortly after an offer becomes available and it shows sold out, keep trying. Someone may have an offer in their shopping cart but change their mind or have their computer crash. When that happens, their bad luck or change of heart can be your good fortune.
Finally, make sure you pay with an American Express card to save an additional 10%. Any AMEX card will do.
Since my new daily newsletter format has my notification coming to subscribers between 7 and 10pm EDT, I’ll summarize today’s and tomorrow’s offer so you can plan ahead if reading in the evening. Feel free to e-mail me or post questions in the comments section. Good luck chasing the deals you’re looking for!
Tuesday, May 27th: Caesars Las Vegas
Be a Harrah’s Las Vegas VIP for $269.10 (with 10$ discount for paying with an AMEX card): 2 nights in a mini-suite at Harrahs, two Buffet-of-Buffets passes, daily fitness center access, complimentary internet and limo transportation between hotel and airport.
Caesars Palace Luxury Getaway For Two for $1,386 (with 10$ discount for paying with an AMEX card): 3 nights in a suite at Caesars Palace, 2 tickets to the show of your choice, a $200 dining credit, fitness center and internet access, limo transportation between hotel and airport.
Caesars Palace VIP Getaway for $418.50 (with 10$ discount for paying with an AMEX card): 2 nights at Caesars Palace, two daily Buffet-of-Buffets passes, fitness center and internet access and airport transportation.
Experience Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace for $531 (with 10$ discount for paying with an AMEX card): 2 nights at Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace, diner for 2 at Nobu for up to $300, in-room tea service, fitness center and internet access and airport transportation.
Parisian Escape in Las Vegas for $315 (with 10$ discount for paying with an AMEX card): 2 nights in a Red Room Premier, dinner for 2 up to $150, $150 in spa credits, in-room champagne and airport transportation.
All travel on these packages needs to be completed by July 1, 2015 and must be booked no later than 30 days in advance of your arrival date.
First, since most of the packages included a buffet pass I’d never heard of, I did some quick research. Here’s some information on the Buffet-of-Buffets pass. Essentially, it covers buffets at Planet Hollywood, Paris, Flamingo, Rio and Harrah’s (you can add on Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars for an extra fee). They’re good for 24 hours each, so all of your meals, and normally retail for $65 if you’re a Total Rewards member ($70 if not, though it’s free to join).
I’m not a buffet guy, so I’m not sure how folks would value these passes. I think it’s safe to say they’re a good value if you like buffets. To be safe, I think we can assume $100 in value out of the buffets per day ($50 per buffet pass) assuming you ate all 3 meals at a buffet. With that information in hand, let’s try to value the packages:
Be a Harrah’s Las Vegas VIP for $269.10: I found nightly rates for Harrah’s from just under $100 to $150 a night for a regular room. I couldn’t find a category called “mini suite” but I did find a petite suite which went for $350 a night in most cases. If you value a suite in Vegas and don’t have another way to get it, then the room might pay for the whole package here. You get 2 buffet passes which I’d value around $100. Fitness center access is normally $15 a day at Vegas Strip casinos, internet access between $5 and $10. Roundtrip cab from the airport to Harrah’s is probably $30. Limo service probably double that. Harrah’s is an older casino though I’ve heard they have some rooms renovated more recently. If you would enjoy being at Harrah’s, this is likely a good value for you.
Caesars Palace Luxury Getaway For Two for $1,386: It’s pretty hard to value a suite at Caesars because they have so many different types. The cheapest one I could find was $500 a night, with prices going up to $2,000 a night. As in the Harrah’s package above, if you value suites and are willing to pay for them, then this is an easy package to get value out of.
Caesars has shows like Shania Twain and Absinthe, varying in price from $55 a ticket up to $100. But, the package will allow you to select show tickets from any Caesar property in Vegas. Since a lot of these tickets can be purchased elsewhere more cheaply, I think it’s fair to include a value of 75% of the price of the ticket here. Call in $40-75 per ticket in value.
A $200 dining credit is pretty straight forward. Fitness center access is probably about $15 a person and a cab to and from the airport is likely about $30. If you value a suite, this is likely a pretty solid deal.
Caesars Palace VIP Getaway for $418.50: 2 nights at Caesars are anywhere from $200 to $450 a night. Though New Year’s and Super Bowl are blocked out, it’s likely you can get more than $400 in value out of two room nights. The buffet passes are likely worth about $100. $15 a day per person for fitness center access, $10 for internet and $30 for a cab to and from the airport.
Experience Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace for $531: I think this package offers the greatest “value” of all, but it’s close when compared with the Paris package below. The Nobu rooms are priced as low as $350 here and there, but I saw plenty of nights where the rate is $500. The package does say “based on availability”, words I always hate to see. Dinner for 2 at Nobu is worth $300. If you like sushi, teppanyaki or wine, for that matter, spending $300 for two at Nobu is not hard to do. They have teppan options for one person that cost that much. I have no idea how to value in-room tea service. Fitness center access is $15 per person per day, internet access $10 and a cab to and from the airport is $30.
If I were bidding on a package, this would be the one. My wife and I love sushi and neither of us have been to Nobu. I just might bid on one of these, not sure yet.
**It’s important to note they only have 5 of these packages available. If you want this offer, be ready right at 1:00 pm ET.
Parisian Escape in Las Vegas for $315: Red Rooms are a separate upgraded room that’s located at the top of the hotel tower overlooking the Eiffel Tower replica. All of the furnishings are upgraded, though the size is the same as their standard rooms (about 400sf). On most nights I found, the Red Room Premier rate was $300 or higher. With 2 nights included in this package it’s a slam dunk to get $315 value out of this package. Add in a $150 dinner credit and $150 to use at the spa, and the value here is easily double what you’re paying. I’m not a big fan of Paris as a hotel and I don’t need a lip-shaped sofa in my room. But, I think plenty of people would find value here.
Bottom Line It For Me, Ed
When I started looking at the Daily Getaways previews, I looked right past these offers. I’m not a big package guy so I studiously ignored them. But, for Vegas travelers these can represent a great deal. My friend Mommy Points took a chance on one of these packages last year and managed to squeeze a ton of value out of it. Plan carefully because these aren’t deals you can bank forever. You only have a year to use them and there are some restrictions. Some of the more appetizing deals have a very limited number of packages, so you’ll need to act quickly when they go on sale.
And, a reminder on today’s deal if you missed it.
Monday, May 26th: IHG Rewards Club
100,000 points for $567 (with 10% discount for paying with AMEX card) or .567 cents a piece.
15,000 points for $90 (with 10% discount for paying with AMEX card) or .6 cents a piece.
25,000 points for $150.30 (with 10% discount for paying with AMEX card) or .6 cents a piece.
50,000 points for $292.50 (with 10% discount for paying with AMEX card) or.59 cents a piece.
If you have a specific redemption in mind, you can really pile on the points with this offer. The T&C allow you to buy 3 of each offering and a total of 16 packages across the 8 total deals IHG is featuring for Daily Getaways.
If you don’t have a specific redemption in mind, I wouldn’t be stockpiling IHG Rewards Club points, as you can effectively “buy” them directly from IHG at .7 cents a piece by booking Points & Cash reservations and canceling them.
Finding good value for room redemptions can take a bit of work, though there are properties out there. I did a search on an upcoming trip and found them to be an especially bad value:
$116 nightly rate and it would cost me ~$170 to buy 30,000 points. However, I did find the following solid values:
Intercontinental Times Square is advertised at $400 and above most nights I found, and it would cost $283 to buy points through this offer.
Intercontinental Paris-Le Grand offers a great value with rates that are generally North of $500. It will cost you $283 to buy points for this property and I saw reward availability for nights when the rate was as high as $700. You’ll find a lot of solid values in Europe, especially with the conversion rate on the Euro.
Airline transfers don’t offer quite as much value. American, Delta, US Airways and United all convert at a rate of 10,000 IHG points to 2,000 airline miles. Based on the price of this offer, that’s about 2.8 cents a mile. United generally sells miles at or above 3 cents, but American and US Airways are down around 2 cents. And, unless you have a very specific use in mind, paying almost 3 cents for a mile speculatively is a bad idea.
Bottom Line It For Me, Ed
As with many of the Daily Getaways deals this year, value is in the eye of the beholder. If you have a stay planned at a specific property, there’s a good chance you can save a few bucks buying points. But, don’t buy points if you don’t have an immediate plan.
Tuesday, May 27th: Caesars Las Vegas
Be a Harrah’s Las Vegas VIP for $269.10 (with 10$ discount for paying with an AMEX card): 2 nights in a mini-suite at Harrahs, two Buffet-of-Buffets passes, daily fitness center access, complimentary internet and limo transportation between hotel and airport.
Caesars Palace Luxury Getaway For Two for $1,386 (with 10$ discount for paying with an AMEX card): 3 nights in a suite at Caesars Palace, 2 tickets to the show of your choice, a $200 dining credit, fitness center and internet access, limo transportation between hotel and airport.
Caesars Palace VIP Getaway for $418.50 (with 10$ discount for paying with an AMEX card): 2 nights at Caesars Palace, two daily Buffet-of-Buffets passes, fitness center and internet access and airport transportation.
Experience Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace for $531 (with 10$ discount for paying with an AMEX card): 2 nights at Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace, diner for 2 at Nobu for up to $300, in-room tea service, fitness center and internet access and airport transportation.
Parisian Escape in Las Vegas for $315 (with 10$ discount for paying with an AMEX card): 2 nights in a Red Room Premier, dinner for 2 up to $150, $150 in spa credits, in-room champagne and airport transportation.
All travel on these packages needs to be completed by July 1, 2015 and must be booked no later than 30 days in advance of your arrival date.
First, since most of the packages included a buffet pass I’d never heard of, I did some quick research. Here’s some information on the Buffet-of-Buffets pass. Essentially, it covers buffets at Planet Hollywood, Paris, Flamingo, Rio and Harrah’s (you can add on Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars for an extra fee). They’re good for 24 hours each, so all of your meals, and normally retail for $65 if you’re a Total Rewards member ($70 if not, though it’s free to join).
I’m not a buffet guy, so I’m not sure how folks would value these passes. I think it’s safe to say they’re a good value if you like buffets. To be safe, I think we can assume $100 in value out of the buffets per day ($50 per buffet pass) assuming you ate all 3 meals at a buffet. With that information in hand, let’s try to value the packages:
Be a Harrah’s Las Vegas VIP for $269.10: I found nightly rates for Harrah’s from just under $100 to $150 a night for a regular room. I couldn’t find a category called “mini suite” but I did find a petite suite which went for $350 a night in most cases. If you value a suite in Vegas and don’t have another way to get it, then the room might pay for the whole package here. You get 2 buffet passes which I’d value around $100. Fitness center access is normally $15 a day at Vegas Strip casinos, internet access between $5 and $10. Roundtrip cab from the airport to Harrah’s is probably $30. Limo service probably double that. Harrah’s is an older casino though I’ve heard they have some rooms renovated more recently. If you would enjoy being at Harrah’s, this is likely a good value for you.
Caesars Palace Luxury Getaway For Two for $1,386: It’s pretty hard to value a suite at Caesars because they have so many different types. The cheapest one I could find was $500 a night, with prices going up to $2,000 a night. As in the Harrah’s package above, if you value suites and are willing to pay for them, then this is an easy package to get value out of.
Caesars has shows like Shania Twain and Absinthe, varying in price from $55 a ticket up to $100. But, the package will allow you to select show tickets from any Caesar property in Vegas. Since a lot of these tickets can be purchased elsewhere more cheaply, I think it’s fair to include a value of 75% of the price of the ticket here. Call in $40-75 per ticket in value.
A $200 dining credit is pretty straight forward. Fitness center access is probably about $15 a person and a cab to and from the airport is likely about $30. If you value a suite, this is likely a pretty solid deal.
Caesars Palace VIP Getaway for $418.50: 2 nights at Caesars are anywhere from $200 to $450 a night. Though New Year’s and Super Bowl are blocked out, it’s likely you can get more than $400 in value out of two room nights. The buffet passes are likely worth about $100. $15 a day per person for fitness center access, $10 for internet and $30 for a cab to and from the airport.
Experience Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace for $531: I think this package offers the greatest “value” of all, but it’s close when compared with the Paris package below. The Nobu rooms are priced as low as $350 here and there, but I saw plenty of nights where the rate is $500. The package does say “based on availability”, words I always hate to see. Dinner for 2 at Nobu is worth $300. If you like sushi, teppanyaki or wine, for that matter, spending $300 for two at Nobu is not hard to do. They have teppan options for one person that cost that much. I have no idea how to value in-room tea service. Fitness center access is $15 per person per day, internet access $10 and a cab to and from the airport is $30.
If I were bidding on a package, this would be the one. My wife and I love sushi and neither of us have been to Nobu. I just might bid on one of these, not sure yet.
**It’s important to note they only have 5 of these packages available. If you want this offer, be ready right at 1:00 pm ET.
Parisian Escape in Las Vegas for $315: Red Rooms are a separate upgraded room that’s located at the top of the hotel tower overlooking the Eiffel Tower replica. All of the furnishings are upgraded, though the size is the same as their standard rooms (about 400sf). On most nights I found, the Red Room Premier rate was $300 or higher. With 2 nights included in this package it’s a slam dunk to get $315 value out of this package. Add in a $150 dinner credit and $150 to use at the spa, and the value here is easily double what you’re paying. I’m not a big fan of Paris as a hotel and I don’t need a lip-shaped sofa in my room. But, I think plenty of people would find value here.
Bottom Line It For Me, Ed
When I started looking at the Daily Getaways previews, I looked right past these offers. I’m not a big package guy so I studiously ignored them. But, for Vegas travelers these can represent a great deal. My friend Mommy Points took a chance on one of these packages last year and managed to squeeze a ton of value out of it. Plan carefully because these aren’t deals you can bank forever. You only have a year to use them and there are some restrictions. Some of the more appetizing deals have a very limited number of packages, so you’ll need to act quickly when they go on sale.
