Las Vegas is no longer the bastion of cheap hotel stays as it was years ago. Long gone are the Vegas beliefs that offering travelers an inexpensive hotel room will also get them into gambling the night away. Hotel prices today are comparable to many other major cities in the U.S., but there are still opportunities to get your room either discounted or for free.
Gambling losses are not an equal trade-off for a free or discounted room; however, if playing the games is why you came to Vegas in the first place, then join a rewards program. They are all free to join and earning points is one way to get that room cheaper. One of the best ones in town belongs to the Harrah's Group. Depending on your status you may be entitled to at least two free nights per month. The nice part about this program is that you get points for everything you do, and not just gambling. So even if you are eating, seeing shows and shopping in any of their many properties you are gaining points. Points equal rewards and other offers, but stick to one program to consolidate your point earnings and earn maximum credit. Harrahs's properties include Caesar's Palace, the Flamingo, the Rio, Bally's, the Paris and many others.
Go off-season. While there really is not a true off-season in Las Vegas anymore, there are better times than others to hit the strip. One of the best times to get less expensive rooms is in the few days just after Christmas. New Year's Eve is of course a premium, but surprisingly enough the hotels struggle to fill the rooms in the days before. Whatever you do avoid weekends. They are not cheap, no matter what the quality of hotel.
There are a lot of good websites. Some better than others. When there are extra rooms available the hotels will often dump the rooms to websites offering deep discounts. This is done for a very specific reason. The hotels themselves do not always feel right offering the deeply discounted rooms during times when they have been selling them at much higher rates so brokering them out becomes a win-win situation. Comparison shop at all of the major sites, but make sure to read the fine print on cancellations.
When all else fails call the hotel directly and ask. You might be surprised at the answer, especially in Las Vegas. While this may not work at the top strip hotels it often does at those less popular. Smaller, off strip hotels sometimes run unadvertised specials that could be yours just for the asking.
