ABC News and Hotels.com list best US cities for hotel deals

On most trips, your two biggest expenses will be your transportation and your accommodation. You don’t have much control over the price of your flight, but you can balance out that cost by picking a destination where you are more likely to score a deal on your hotel. ABC News has put together a list of popular tourist destinations in the US where hotel rates are falling, including Las Vegas, Tuscon, Anchorage and Chicago.

In some cites, the savings can be as much as 30%. In New York, the average has dropped from $281 to $196 – nearly $100 per night. Stay 2-3 nights and that could cover your airfare. Miami’s average is down from $176 to $140 and the cost of a typical hotel room in San Francisco has decreased from $155 to $124. Even rates in Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, are down 18% from $191 to $157.

The stats came from Hotels.com’s list of average hotel room rates around the world. Chicago, with a drop of 22% came in third place (tied with Anchorage) among major cities for the most significant drop in rates. Juneau, Alaska, was in second place. New York and Las Vegas tied for the top spot with a drop of 30%. Every state in the US experienced a drop in the average nightly rate, except for North Dakota. Rates there remained stable.

The lowest prices in the country were found in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Boise, Idaho; and Las Vegas.

The global average for hotel price drops was 17% with Moscow experiencing the most significant decrease of 52%.

The green fairy flies Virgin America


The green fairy flies! Following the US re-legalization of absinthe (it was banned for 96 years), Le Tourment Vert has become the First Absinthe in the Sky on Virgin America.

To celebrate their collaboration, Le Tourment Vert and Virgin America have teamed up with the Palms Resort in Las Vegas to bring us the Suite Surrender Giveaway: the winner gets a round-trip flight to Vegas to kick it in the suite above (oh hey, private bowling alley).

To enter the giveaway, click here and spill the beans about your personal Sin City fantasy — be creative — and definitely check out the new “Mile High” cocktail on Virgin America (made with Le Tourment Vert and Sprite, garnished with a lemon or lime wedge). You probably won’t hallucinate like the French philosophers, but it will almost definitely give you some weird dreams.

Las Vegas restaurant week serving up the best food, for a great cause

From August 31st till September 6th 2009, many of the finest restaurants in Las Vegas will be participating in a yearly charity event to raise money for the local food bank, Three Square.

If you happen to be in Vegas, this is your chance to eat some amazing food, and support Three Square. The list of participating restaurants is impressive, and they have all put together prix fixe menus for a tremendous value.

Even the more upscale establishments are taking part, which means you’ll be able to have a three course meal at Bradley Ogden or Fleur de Lys for just $50.09.

Check the gallery below for photos of some of the participating restaurants, with links to the review of their attached hotel. Many thanks to Oyster Hotel Reviews for providing the amazing photos.

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Eight of the best value hotels in Las Vegas

If there is one thing the global economic meltdown has actually helped with, it is bringing prices of travel down to its lowest level in years.

Even some of the luxury hotels in Las Vegas have not been able to escape the clutches of the recession, which means ultra-luxury has become affordable for everyone. Here are the top 8 hotel deals in Las Vegas, as selected by Oyster Hotel Reviews. After the jump, a list of the hotels, their lowest rates and amenities on offer.

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Trump International Hotel & Tower Las Vegas

Price: From $119 for a city view studio suite
Room amenities: Stearns and Foster “sleep system”, Sub Zero appliances, entertainment center
Hotel amenities: Two restaurants, spa, Trump Kids services
Web site: trumplasvegashotel.com


Treasure Island

Price: From $67 for a strip view deluxe room
Room amenities: Floor to ceiling windows, in-room safe, recently renovated rooms (2008)
Hotel amenities: Fourteen restaurants and bars, two shows, various nightclubs and a casino
Web site: treasureisland.com


Excalibur Hotel And Casino

Price: From $40 for a standard room, additional $20 for upgraded rooms
Room amenities: Recently renovated, 42″ plasma TV’s, iPod alarm clocks, granite bathroom countertops
Hotel amenities: Seven restaurants, $25 all you can eat – all day long buffet, shopping mall, kids rides,casino
Web site: excalibur.com

Flamingo Las Vegas

Price: From $55 for a deluxe room, $85 for upgraded rooms
Room amenities: Flat panel TV, premium sound system, bathroom mirror TV
Hotel amenities: Nine restaurants, spa, pool, casino and shows
Web site: flamingolasvegas.com


The Platinum Hotel And Spa

Price: From $99 for a large 2 room balcony suite
Room amenities: Flat panel TV, whirlpool tub, kitchen
Hotel amenities: Two restaurants, bar, pool, gym, spa
Web site: theplatinumhotel.com


Luxor Hotel & Casino

Price: From $50 for a pyramid room ($70 for an upgraded tower room)
Room amenities: $210/night room offer for unlimited food, passes to most shows, spa admission, vip check-in
Hotel amenities: Ten restaurants, various shows, spa, pools, casino
Web site: luxor.com

California Hotel and Casino

Price: From $36 (standard room)
Room amenities: Flat panel TV,
Hotel amenities: Five restaurants, shows and entertainment at Fremont Street, casino
Web site: thecal.com

Wynn Las Vegas

Price: From $200
Room amenities: Panorama view, electronic drape controls, flat panel TV
Hotel amenities: Ten restaurants, various shows, art gallery, casino, amazing outdoor pool complex
Web site: wynnlasvegas.com

Guaranteed green in Las Vegas

You may hope to find a lot of green in Las Vegas, and there’s one way to ensure you can at least say your stay involved a lot of green: stay –and play — in an eco-friendly hotel and casino.

Harrah’s Entertainment (parent company to Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Bally’s, Rio), has recently upped their green cache by implementing their trademarked “CodeGreen” — which involves energy reduction efforts, community outreach, and finding new ways to conserve water, including converting turf to xeriscape (what?) and encouraging guests to reuse towels and linens. They also removed 600,000 square feet of grass from the Rio Secco golf course, which saves a lot of watering (reportedly 23 million gallons), and upgraded their laundry facility to handle more volume with less water.

They’re also filtering their own water in their restaurants, and serving it in reusable glass bottles — but only if you request it. According to the Las Vegas Sun, “The authority estimates that as much as three gallons of water is saved with every glass of water it doesn’t wastefully deliver. To serve a glass of water, whether or not it’s consumed, requires cleaning the glass, delivery of the water and the water itself.”

So, if you’re looking to feel less guilty while out there indulging your guilty pleasures, head for Harrah’s — and don’t ask for that water if you’re not gonna drink it!