If you DON'T stay at the Riv, where DO you stay?

[hydruh]

Since I am not a Vegas regular, I thought for 17 I would stay at a different hotel during DefCon just to try something new. Being a little older than most of you, I don't go in for the late night partying so it shouldn't be too much of a bother travel-wise.

For those if you who don't stay at the Riv, where do you stay? Any recommendations? Or thoughts from regulars in Vegas or locals? We had a good time at the Riv, and it is pretty cheap, but if anyone has a recommendation I would love to hear it.

S

[Deviant Ollam]

Re: If you DON'T stay at the Riv, where DO you stay?

For those if you who don't stay at the Riv, where do you stay? Any recommendations? Or thoughts from regulars in Vegas or locals? We had a good time at the Riv, and it is pretty cheap, but if anyone has a recommendation I would love to hear it.

i know some folk who arrive in town for Black Hat and just keep their room at the Ceasar's the whole time, through DEFCON.

That place is pretty goddamn beautiful, i must say. But up by the Riv? The North end of Vegas is pretty bare and dismal... you've got the Hilton (off-strip but close) and Circus Circus (what the whole hip world would be like if the Nazis had won the war, in the words of Gonzo) but you really have to go down south of Desert Inn road to find "real" places on the strip like the Trump, the Wynn, the Venetian, etc.

Honestly, i really do like the Riv for its price and centrality to the con. Other than its overall shortcomings (which have been discussed in other threads about the location of DEFCON in general) it's a fine enough place to stay as long as the conference is there.

(however... AP/ST for the win in 2010, i'd say)

[signcarver]

Re: If you DON'T stay at the Riv, where DO you stay?

Last year I stayed at the Marriott Suites which is across the parking lot from the conference center's south exit. But the main reason I stayed there was that I got it for free as I used a relatives points.

I enjoyed the breakfast buffet and how quiet it was being a business travelers atmosphere rather than a casino. However, it is higher priced that most other places nearby (though I guess its not that bad being a suite). What I didn't like was their $9.95 internet rate (now 12.95/day).

[someguy]

Re: If you DON'T stay at the Riv, where DO you stay?

I've stayed at the Sahara just north of the Riv.

The rates can be REALLY cheap. The rooms are no more dumpy than the older Riv rooms. The parking structure is easy to get in and out of, etc.

Grab a few other people and share a cab to the Riv in the morning and bum a ride back in the evening (if you need a ride, or can tell it's evening).

someguy

[sintax_error]

Re: If you DON'T stay at the Riv, where DO you stay?

I refuse to stay at the Riv due to past experiences, missed DC14 and 15, but last year I ended up at the Saharh. Room was cheap, I'll give it that, but to stay on topic, I won't go into the whole story of why I'll never stay there again... as for hotels in the area, the Hilton is great if you don't mind a walk, and the Trump is an awesome stay if you don't mind a few blocks in a cab. Nearly the same distance is the Wynn and Encore, both a fantastic experience. You can usually get a great deal at any of those hotels with some persistence on certain travel sites.

[Club81]

Re: If you DON'T stay at the Riv, where DO you stay?

I stay at the Monte Carlo and ride the Deuce every morning. My wife comes along to Vegas (not the CON) and we always stay at the Monte Carlo. So about 8 PM every night, I leave my CON world behind and play the role of Vegas tourist with my wife until 9AM the next day. It's about a 30 minute Deuce ride each way. Just enough time to have breakfast in the AM and sober up a bit in the PM.

[Melesse]

Re: If you DON'T stay at the Riv, where DO you stay?

Last year I was unemployed in the time frame of DC, so I stayed at the cheapest hotel I could find, about midway between the Riv and Downtown. That was a mistake, my legs were so sore from walking... The Deuce was never on time because of traffic. It was just bad.

This year I have a job, but am still poor, so I think I'm going to stay at Circus Circus. Frightening clowns, I know, but right across the street and weekday rooms were going fro 31$ a night when I checked last week. I haven't made reservations yet, going to keep checking rates for a couple weeks, but cheap is mostly my priority. Haven't seen any Riv room deals, and their website had prices at 100 bucks a room last I checked for weeknights, and 140 a night for the weekend nights.

M.

[hydruh]

Re: If you DON'T stay at the Riv, where DO you stay?

Hmm, thanks for the feedback everyone. I might just suck it up and try the Riv one more time. It is convenient because you can walk down to that liquor store and get a few six packs of beer, keep them in your room and just carry them down to the con.

Is there a special discount for DEFCON people like there was for 15? Or is that $100 a night the best we are gonna do?

S

[Club81]

Re: If you DON'T stay at the Riv, where DO you stay?

I may be wrong, but I think $99 per night WAS the DEFCON deal last year.

[phreakmonkey]

Re: If you DON'T stay at the Riv, where DO you stay?

The last few years I've stayed at the Imperial Palace (across from Caesar's) for BH and then moved up to the Riv for DEFCON.

I've liked the Imperial Palace in the past, the rooms are cheap and it's central to the strip. The Deluxe Rooms facing the strip are noisy at night due to the live rock cover band playing in the gazebo below, but I always dug the small balconies and the party atmosphere it had to it. And that little cluster of low-key casinos there (The I.P., O'Sheas, Bill's, &etc) are among the only ones on the strip that still have cheap drinks and $5 table minimums.

This year my company isn't footing the bill, so I'm staying around the corner at Bill's (by Bally's / Across from Caesar's) the entire time... For DC I'll either hoof it or ride the Duce the 1 1/2 miles up to the Riv each day. I decided that the post-con "community experience" that we all remember from the Alexis Park is really not translating to staying at the Riv well enough to justify the room price difference. So I'll hang out around the con area to socialize and finally meander back down to my hotel when I'm tired.

Just my $.02 The rooms at both IP and Bill's were pretty cheap when I booked my room.

[Shox]

Re: If you DON'T stay at the Riv, where DO you stay?

Circus Circus. Rooms are cheep, right across the street from the con and they pay chicks to fuck polar bears.

[Melesse]

Re: If you DON'T stay at the Riv, where DO you stay?

Circus Circus. Rooms are cheep, right across the street from the con and they pay chicks to fuck polar bears.

Reeeally? I'm gonna have to catch this...

[diabolik]

Re: If you DON'T stay at the Riv, where DO you stay?

Last year I stayed at Caesar's for BH and DC, got the discounted rate of course and they offered to upgrade me to some suite for $40 more a day. I didn't take it just because I'd be only using the room as a base to sleep for 3 hours, when I managed to get back that is. It's really not that bad of a haul and you can cab it easily enough. That's all I did and even managed to share some cabs back from the Con with some interesting people. Even walked it a few times.

This year I'll be at treasure island as there's about 8 other friends of mine coming to do some serious binge drinking and they booked there, so a little closer.

Circus Circus. Rooms are cheep, right across the street from the con and they pay chicks to fuck polar bears.

What is it like a plastic polar bear or something?

-J

[Melesse]

Re: If you DON'T stay at the Riv, where DO you stay?

I just checked Orbitz, and they have Riv rooms for $34 for Wed night, but it goes up to $120 for Thurs, Fri, and Sat, and back to $34 for Sunday night.

M.

[Club81]

Re: If you DON'T stay at the Riv, where DO you stay?

Yep, $102 at the Riv this year.