As I am flying to las vegas I was just thinking today I have probably been to vegas 30 times in the last 5 years and stayed at many different hotels
There are basically 4 ways I roll in Vegas.
When I go with my wife:
My wife works super hard and gets very little vacation. When we goto Vegas I spare no expense. I usually use American Express Platinum travel services to hook up the best suite available in the city. This is also the only time I fly first class. In November I am taking my wife to see Madonna at the MGM Grand and was able to purchase 2nd row seats from the stage on eBay for 1300 bucks for both. Should be a great show.
When I With friends just for fun:
Once a year I meet up in Vegas with child hood friends. Our goal is to drink as much alcohol and play as much poker as possible. We always stay downtown at Binions and rarely leave the poker room except to eat. We generally do a package deal with Aligent Air where its like 250$ per person for hotel + air TOTAL.
Times when the hotel is paid for by someone other then me:
At the higher end conferences or when you plan ahead when you are a featured speaker not only do you get paid to speak but they also cover your hotel expenses. Every time this has happened with me I have stayed at the Renaissance. Its a very nice hotel adjacent to the convention center and also has a great bar (and the best calamari in the world). Usually the bar at the Renaissance is the “conference bar” for shows in Vegas anyway so its very convenient to stay there. Its very expensive though usually 250-300 per night.
At conference where I am paying:
When I am by myself on business and paying the bill I love to stay at the stratosphere. Reasons are many (which I will write about soon). Its amazingly cheap.. 60$ to 80$ per night. Compare this to the Bellagio or the Wynn and your talking about atleast 1,000.00 saving you can spend on other things… Like strip clubs. And to be honest I feel much better about contributing to the college fund of a hard working young lady from the Spearmint Rhino then sleeping on 20000 count sheets.
About the author...
Jeremy Schoemaker – who has written 2415 posts on ShoeMoney.com.
Hi I am Jeremy Schoemaker and ShoeMoney.com is my blog. 99% of the post here are done by me but you will see others occasionally make guest posts. This blog is fun to write but for my day job I run several online companies.
Images provided by ShutterStock
How 2 Split Tests Made Me Over $93,000 
Are You Scared Shitless? 
Seven Deadly Sins For People Trying to Make Money Online 
{ 123 comments… read them below or add one }
RolL man, RolL
. Seriously though, would love to go to Vegas one day, thanks for sharing your experiences
Yeh you do roll like a star. $1,300!!
That is ridiculous. I wish I had that sort of money.
I have never flown first class anything… like Bill Gates says, its not like first class arrives any faster!
Yes it may not get there any faster but the comfort is a whole lot better. In fact, I have determined that I am going to make enough money to fly first class just about everywhere I go. I found myself sitting next to a couple with two kids sitting in their laps. Now they had to move because there are only four air masks.
However, first class gives you more space if you want to sleep and extra “things” that make it nice.
For those who may say i may be a little “snobish” or something else related, I ask you why don’t you find a home in the poorest part of town because a home is a home no matter where you are.
Let me say this though. Two thumbs up for Shoe for staying at the places that he likes and not the places that make him “feel” a certain way.
Ryan McLean would have that kind of money if he didn’t waste all his time trying to be the first comment on ShoeMoney and John Chow. lol
Haha lol….. He Ryan, what did John Chow have for dinner?
@Ryan McLean
You always comment first on the posts on major blogs. For that you reply under first commentator, even if its not related. I don’t think thats nice
its what works… might help to be relevant though.
Ryan you think a lot
Stop thinking and start doing
hey ryan,
way to be the first to post. if people hate on you for it, good indiciation that you’re doing something right. and you are dude. so keep it up
Still madano though any way you look at it… Hopefully it is a good show for you though shoe.
$1300 for the second row seats for Madonna’s gig. I would say that’s pretty cheap.
Wow,
Some people seem angry that I am a keen commentor. And I don’t actually know what John Chow ate for dinner tonight sorry. But if he post about it I will be sure to make a comment.
60% of my traffic comes from comments and people are pretty happy with my site and my comments…so Iwill keep doing it even though you bag me out…I’m holding strong to my method
I love shoemoney….it’s an awesome blog
That’s more than I have.
it was actually a play on words… maybe not a very good one
Me too. I will definitely visit it one day. For now, I dont even have a passport haha
LOL… thanks for sharing shoemoney
Thanks for sharing.
I just stopped by your blog and thought I would say hello. I like your site design. Looking forward to reading more down the road.
I dunno.. this was probably one of my least favorite posts on here.. seems more like bragging and boasting than a blog post
Well it gives you a goal to work towards!
My man, he is just telling you what he is doing. what is the problem with that. Where in the world do you get that a man who made some good decisions finacially is bragging when he tells you what he just did. Maybe he is bragging to make the point of saying that he doesn’t have to stay at the highest rate hotels to make him feel like a rockstar.
It all depends on your perspective. If you talked to a butler for the Uber Rich they’d probably tell you which Benz, Bently, or Royce they take for groceries, which they take to pick up the dry cleaning, and why. Sounds like bragging but it’s just a day at work for them.
This is great info, Jeremy. As someone that sells travel, this is exactly the type of feedback we love to hear from guests. This answers a lot of questions that future guests want to know before booking a trip.
It also illuminates the fact that everyone prefers different styles of flights, rooms, etc. for many different reasons. There is no one way to “roll.”
This is good when people sincerely share their impressions. Peace!
Stayed at the Rennaisance this time for Blogworld as I did last year. Great hotel and so convenient as it is adjacent to conference center. If you book in advance, there are deals, A month or 2 before the conference, I got an email from Marriott rewards to stay at certain Rennaisance hotels for 3 nights and the 4th is free. Club level is good at this hotel since open all weekend (some close in other cities). Non-smoking smaller hotel. Very nice.
Ha ha, great 4th one..
Yehh and also i am a fan of your honesty shoe…
“Like strip clubs. And to be honest I feel much better about contributing to the college fund of a hard working young lady from the Spearmint Rhino.”
Oh the memories.
The strip club thing, it was a joke..right?
No, I don’t think he was joking…lol.
His wife must be very understanding and generally awesome though.
nope he isn’t joking….he mentioned this in on his talk at IZEA fest
Yahoo…nice on your trip..
I’d like to hear your reasons for staying at the Stratosphere.
I was staying now the past few times at the Sahara, except when I was spoiling myself, then is the Wynn very nice and if it is off season and during the week, then is $150/night for a resort room not that much anymore. The Sahara is in the same price class as Stratosphere. I paid for the weekday nights about $60 and $120 for the Fri and Sat nights.
I always request a room at the Tangiers Tower at a lower floor, which is located south east, right next to the back door where you can grab a cab or you use the Monorail, where the entrance is right before you enter the Casino floor jungle itself. The hotel is clean, I get around the slot machine jungle and also the in-room dining is not that expensive. I found that out by accident. You can get a full fletched breakfast, eggs, hashed browns, sausages/bacon, o-juice, cofee etc. for far less than $30 (including tax and tip). That’s twice the price of the breakfast buffet and far less than double of the brunch buffet, which is offered on weekends so that you can have breakfast for lunch hehe.
The in-room dining comes in handy, because you can use the time that you save (walking across the whole casino to the buffet, wait in line a bit, fill your plate and walking back = 30 min or more), which you can use to check and answer emails, read blogs etc.
Internet access is $12 for 24 hours and its not only Wireless. They have network cable in the room, so no surprises there (something that I could not say from the Circus Circus or Excalibur, which are plain and simple crap).
So what does Stratosphere have that makes it special? … except from the Big Shot and the roller coaster at the top of the tower, which are no reason to stay over night there hehe.
p.s. Roboform fills the website URL into the EMail field and leaves the Website field empty. It usually does not do that. I have not checked your HTML code, but I bet that the name of the text input tags was choosen poorly that Roboform is unable to identify which field is for what.
Hello grammar… tsts… well, its early in the morning …
It’s not its…;)
Darn Grammar Nazis.
Only the light sucks in the room, but most of the hotels have that problem. I think the Wynn was the only one that had decent lighting. Okay, I only stayed at the Excalibur, Circus Circus, Luxor, Sahara, Flamingo and Wynn so far (and a Super 8 for one night, right behind the Bally’s, during one ASW, because every other hotel was booked out)
The lighting might not be great, but manageble. I shot some video with my Flip camera. See http://www.youtube.com/user/cumbrowskicom
Wow, that’s some serious cash to see Madonna! Have a blast!
But i guess no harm when you have tonnes of it …
Tickets cost of $ 1300 this is cool.
Thanks for sharing that with us. I am impressed that you take a less luxury trip for yourself and that you are not afraid of any expenses for your wife´s trip with you. Wonderfull and a great example for a lot of people out there. Respect, Jeremy.!
That’s the difference between people who made their fortune themselves through hard work and folks who inherited it or were just lucky. If you worked hard for your money, you don’t devalue it and don’t waste it on unnecessary crap or because you want to show off.
Having the money, if you need to or want to and wasting it all the time are two different things. If you overspend all the time, two things could happen… you get totally out of touch and your spending will might exceed what you made and make, driving you out of business.. and two.. If you don’t go bankrupt, then it will corrupt you and you will become an unreasonable, overly spoiled asshole that nobody wants to hang out with, because your unreasonable needs and demands all the time.
I can only speak for myself, but I guess that I got it about right for Shoe as well, correct?
Well side, Carsten.
I agree, when you earn money through hard work you realize how much you had to “sweat” in order to earn it and thus you spend less.
The monorail really shortens up the strip so that you could stay almost anywhere and access any of the strip casinos pretty easily. I thought that was a brilliant infrastructure decision. If you try to take a cab from one end to the other, you’d be slower than walking it sometimes!
The cab lines are getting unreal sometimes.. When I was really tired once and also didn’t feel too well in general, I wasted my money on a Limo, because there was no line… but you pay 3-4 times the price of a cab ride. That night I didn’t care and paid, but last time (last weekend) I did use either the monorail or walked (which is supposed to be healthy to do sometimes as well hehe)
Haha, you think?
I love walking.
$60 to $80 is really damn so cheap…
I agree, we can’t get a decent hotel in our small town for that much, let alone Vegas.
Tushar hotels in India are actually expensive than the US
I don’t understand??
Do you mean Hotels in India are more expensive than the US?
Either way, I live in Canada.
Yes they are.. a 5 star hotel here costs around 300-500 US per night
Even a decent 3 star hotel is around 200 USD per night
If I didn’t live in Australia then i would probably head to vegas also. I plan that when I am a full time entrepreneur that me and my wife (soon to be) will have holidays once every 4 weeks. How awesome would that be.
Glad you love Vegas
You look 14 yrs old?
yea he looks like a kid but i seen hes probably 21 or so. lol
Ryan you are becoming a star now! lol
How old are you man? You don’t look like someone who is getting married anytime soon.
I have travelled a lot around the U.S., but never to Vegas. If it’s anything like Reno (casino wise), I’d love to go though. My brother used to live in Reno, so I went there when I was 7. I can only imagine that Vegas is ten times better.
I had always planned to stay at the Venetian when I went to Vegas, but I’ll have to look into the other places, including the Stratosphere. Anyway, thanks for sharing this info!
The Hilton is right next to the convention center. and I got them to pay for all of my room stays for 5 nights… pretty sweet! Of course if you lose, you end up paying… but this time I won and still got the rooms free. Always see if you can squeeze out a few free rooms if you are going to play, even if it’s just a litle!
How much do you have to gamble to get that deal?
I’ve heard that sometimes if you’re winning a lot they’ll come over and ask you to stay at their hotel if you don’t have arrangements elsewhere. Don’t see the logic behind it though, maybe it gets people to go to sleep instead of gambling.
I play a decent amount in atlantic city, so I have a somewhat established relationship with Hilton/Resorts and a higher end player card. Just get a players card at any casino and then talk to a casino host on your last day and see what they can do about removing charges from your bill. Usually they will always remove something, especially if you lost a bit.
Loved the line about Spearmint Rhinos. The girls there are always so friendly
Way to role in Vegas. I did the same thing twice for my wife and I am ready to do it again.
have fun at Madonna’s show!
You roll like how I WANT to roll.
Is it just me who feels $250 for Hotel+Air is really cheap? I don’t know about American fares, but in Canada that’s a huge bargain.
Well no matter who you go with, seems like you roll (role) pretty well
I’m surprised you don’t roll around in a Ferrari and stay at the penthouse suites.
He earned it the hard way… so throwing it away hurts at times ..
Psh, everyone knows that the true ballers roll at Circus Circus.
Spearmint Rhinos is nice place to get a break from All
Blogging People. I think is very cheap hotel $80 per night
for You. Did you try Hilton hotel next to the convention center.
I’ve traveled to Vegas many times and usually play a ton of poker at the Mirage and Bellagio. Usually for proximity and price I stay at the Mirage. If I want to save a few bucks I use my corporate rate at the Westin. It’s just off the street, but you can get a great deal and it’s within walking distance of the middle of the strip and the main casinos. Plus the beds rock!
I want to go to Las Vegas. I was not there at any time.
I used to goto Vegas 4 times a year, my sister lived there and it made the trips rather cheap! Now that she has moved I only go about once a year!
TIP: If you are checking into a hotel and your girlfriend/wife is with you, tell the clerk it is your honeymoon and you will often get upgraded to the suite!
the shoe supports stripper shoes!
Vegas = Chilled out life
Las Vegas is cool, but I always found Las Vegas to have the eerie factor..can’t really explain it..I would never live there. i always wanted to go gamble, though I am not a big gambler at all, but I am very good at Blackjack.
I forgot to add.. Vegas rocks
Vegas near and dear to my heart…..Poker near and dear to my heart..I could play morning noon and nite…If Icould afford…I have sworn off low limit time and again..People wait with nothing to the river..and I have lost more times than I care to remember…Sounds like your trips are fun…and goingto Vegas or any gambling is so mind boggling and forgetting all your troubles. carol author of FOr Kids 59.99 & Over
Most people go to the same place over and over again no matter what they’re going for. This method is much cooler, and interesting.
I have been many times, and have never stayed at the same place twice… I love the many places to stay there! It is awsome!
Sounds awesome. I’m yet to go there.
I like the Stratosphere as well, after all it’s vegas and the only reason you are in your room is to pass out after a long night at the tables and the rippers…
Stratosphere is awesome for their craps tables… you can play the 2, 3, 11, 12 instead of just the normal numbers… so much more fun! I played there for a few hours last night!
I’ve been to Vegas but I’m not 21 so I can’t get the full experience yet. Only one more year and I’ll get back to you
lol
My favorite hotels are the Wynn and the Bellagio. I always like getting my room comped because it leaves me all my money for other fun things to do.
I love the Vegas Gun Store where you can fire fully automatic machine guns!
A lady who loves dangerous guns
I thought ‘role’ was a pretty clever play on words. You shoulda left it that way!
great time.
I don’t get time to travel coz of offline business
Never been to Vegas. Will be going in the future–For Sure! I will probably spend a nice blogroll. Oops I mean bankroll! Ha ha ha . . . da dot dot chish!
This is a “too short” comment but defiantly needs to be said… You’re a pimp!
For sure the worst hotel in Vegas is Circus Circus- kids running wild all over the place!
Riviera definitely ranks up there in the “worst casinos on the strip” list as well…
Circus Circus is worse, trust me.. playing “Find our room” might be fun at first with the kids, but that ends when you finally found the elevators to your tower and now start a new game that tests your patience. It takes for ever to get an elevator, even off peak. During checkout time around 11:00 am, be either already out for a long time or wait another hour, because the whole system collapses around that time.
Add to that only unreliable wireless access to the internet (no direct network cable) and remember not to make the same mistake again and get a room there…. with or without kids.
Gambling is dangerous!!!
Not at all if you stay in limits and don’t risk your house and all your bank balance over it. If your lucky, you become rich
Viva Las Vegas, When I heard the word Las Vegas … A lot of crazy things came up to my mind !
your rolling with the wrong people.
this how I Roll , I get free comps from the Wynn Casino to stay at the Parlor Towers suites for free, these are amazing , check out the video I did , I recorded the room I stayed in. fast forward to 3:40
http://blog.myboxingfans.com/2008/07/27/there-are-fights-and-then-there-are-wars.aspx
Shoe for the amount of poker you play I have two words for you: poker host. I play mostly at the bellagio (best poker room in vegas IMHO) and the wynn, and have played in big tournaments at both places. I can call day of, talk to a poker host, and get a suite at either for around $130.. give it a try.
Are those floor seats? I’m an affiliate for a pretty large ticket broker, and good front floor seats for the Madonna MGM shows are going for WAAAY more than $1300/pair.
Never been to Vegas before. If I do go one day I’m sure. I will be paying my own way lol…
You need to post some strip club videos ok
I wish I could go to Vegas one day. I bet it would be fun. Ill visit the casinos there if I ever went.
Thats the most important thing to do if your going to Vegas. Casino Gamblinggggg! haha :p
That’s funny as well. You should at least add an affiliate link to the credit card you are using. You might sell some and earn some extra commisions.
Doesn’t your wife get on your case for going to strip clubs and always posing with hot chicks?
Shoe that is soo gangster. Especially number 4. Haaaaaaaaaa. Your real cool man. I’m sure your cooler in person. One question though. How do you go from $250-$300/per night rooms to $60-$80 per night rooms. That’s a huge difference. I would think you would get spoiled from staying in the higher end hotels in Vegas. You know, better room service, meals al la carte, etc, etc.
wow what a comment read…just read through the whole comments…fun time. lol
It’s interesting and funny how the same location can change its colors each time you visit depending on the intent of travel. Nice to get an “inside look” on what the Shoe does in Sin City!
One often wonders what Mrs. Schoemaker thinks of all these shenanigans. The Rollin’ Shoegerdaddy. The Shoemoney Annual Scholarship Fund for Exotic Dancers. You know, that might be a nice affiliate program to start.
20k Thread Count sheets sound nice :-0
I know… don’t feed the trolls and all, but this is a funny one. So….
That’s assuming your average super-affiliate is not already running internationally (which they probably are). Their jobs are safer than most!
Interesting post, Shoe – It’s funny to think that somebody puts such time into categorizing their lodgings but then again, 30 times in 5 years would probably do that to a person! Good post though – a nice mix of business and personal opinion.
It’s better to have different places to stay for different occasions. That part about the strip club is true??!?? Or did you banned all your wife’s IPs so she can’t visit shoemoney.com ?
30 times in 5 yaers. 5 years = 60 months. So traveling once in a couple of months. I am sure you must have been to other places as well. That’s boarding a plane (to-and-fro) ONCE every MONTH.
Man how do you take time out? Don’t you feel Jet lag?
http://www.DilipShaw.com/
Thanks for sharing your views Jer!
Haven’t been to Vegas in a few years, but it’s definitely a great hang. Last time I was there, stayed at the MGM and thought it was decent. Great time and everyone was so friendly! Everywhere I went people kept wanting to give me their business cards. Strange how they all had the same girl on the front.
They do have the little flick thing down pat though, sounds like a bunch of crickets as you walk down the strip..
Boy, you really know how to spend money.
I wish I had so much money I could have also had a lot of fun. I wish I also went to Las Vegas.
You must have really enjoyed.
If you are going to spend the money.. do it in Vegas! Now i am going Hëll Yeah!
Wow you’ve been to Vegas so many times. It must be really fun. Those are great ways to “roll” when you are there
I cant go vacation because of business.
Really a nice write up. But for me, it is very hard to change my living habits according to the nature of the tour. However, I always select accomodation near to my working place and for this I don’t mind even paying little more.
I am playing on line at PokerStars.net for play money, doing good. And one day, when I ready I hope I will play for real money. hehe