Too early to book a room for August 2008?

I%26#39;m planning a trip to the West Coast in July / August next year and wanted to squeeze in a couple of nights in Las Vegas - primarily so we can take a helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon.

I%26#39;ll be travelling with my wife and 9 year old son. I%26#39;ve used up some United reward points to book flights. We won%26#39;t be gambling much , but just really wanted to see some of the sights and maybe take in a show. I have been to Las Vegas before and wanted to stay centrally on the strip - perhaps at TI?

The TI website shows ';sold out';, but I guess that may just mean not released yet.

Is it too early to book a room for August 2008?

Too early to book a room for August 2008?

It probably does mean that it is not released yet although you never know. I can%26#39;t imagine why it would be booked completely for August 08 unless there is a convention there and even then, I doubt if the whole hotel will be booked.

If you want to guarantee a room somewhere, book at whatever hotel will let you at this point. You can always cancel when TI or any other hotel becomes available. Just make sure you book directly with the hotel and not a third party or you won%26#39;t be able to cancel.

Too early to book a room for August 2008?

The website may not be showing rates (they%26#39;re certainly not sold out) but if you called them you%26#39;d be able to make a reservation. The beauty of booking direct with a hotel is that if rates come down (and in quieter times like August when there%26#39;ll almost certainly be promotions closer to the time this is very likely) then you can call the hotel and get the rates for your stay adjusted to the new lower figures. You can only do this if you%26#39;re booking directly with a hotel, not if you use a travel agent or a third party website such as Expedia.

TI markets itself more at 20 somethings these days with lots of partying going on so I wouldn%26#39;t say it%26#39;s a great choice for a family. Also (as your trip is in August) the pool there isn%26#39;t too great.

I booked my room at the mgm grand last week for mid august but i did notice that the mgm properties there was no problem but when i did look at the harrah%26#39;s properties they all said sold out.

Some additional observations after re-reading the original post.

Taking a helicopter trip to Grand Canyon should NEVER be your primary reason for visiting Vegas. Two nights in LV is nowhere near enough for a first visit (I%26#39;m guessing you%26#39;ve never been before). To take a chunk out of your valuble Vegas time going to GC doesn%26#39;t make sense. Grand Canyon is one of the earth%26#39;s great wonders and should be savored properly by staying there overnight. It%26#39;s not a ';sight'; to be checked off a list like just another Vegas hotel.

Forget Vegas and stay with your family at GC for a couple of nights. When you get the chance in the future, leave your son at home and go to Vegas as a couple to really appreciate it properly. Your son can do the same once he%26#39;s 21.

Sorry if this sounds a little harsh but I really believe it%26#39;s the best way to get the most out your trip.

It is definitely not too early to book rooms for August 2008.

I booked at the South Point Casino for our group for August 2, 2008 about 2 weeks ago. I had no problems.

A few days ago I checked the website to find that they only had suites left.

Today I checked and they are sold out completely for August 2, 2008.

They are planning on opening their new tower in July 2008, so maybe by then they will offer the new rooms.

acciesfan, You must have realised by now that to post on this site mentioning the word %26#39;family%26#39; or %26#39;kid%26#39; is bordering on a criminal offence.

Do yourself a favour to save further grief, check the guidebooks for your information. Any helpful or positive responses will be in short supply if you say the dreaded word %26#39;family%26#39;.

So many of the old-timers on this forum feel Vegas is not a place for children. You will be advised to ';leave the kids at home'; or ';go to Disney';

My children have been to Vegas many many times and

sadly what they see in our UK newspapers or regularly on prime time tv, makes Vegas look like a kindergarden!!!!

Enjoy your trip and ignore these negative remarks, which are not given as advice but as purely bigotted opinions for some reason. Your son WILL love the family friendly places that are available in Vegas.

MGM is one of the best hotels for a family holiday, We did the Maverick helicopter tour, which was awesome, our kids (11 %26amp; 9) loved it. We stayed at the Bellagio and did the meal/show package for %26#39;O%26#39;.

Hope this helps.

I have just booked my stay at The Flamingo in September, so I can%26#39;t see you having any problems for August.

Thanks everyone for your advice, especially LOVEKIDS - I did wonder if I had managed to offend some of the other posters....

I%26#39;ll get on now and book a room for me and my FAMILY!!

My goodness, aren%26#39;t we testy? Only one poster suggested that you not take your child to Vegas. You got lucky with this post. Perhaps it is because you are only going for a couple of days and mainly going for the Grand Canyon.

I%26#39;m planning a trip to the US in August next year as well and as both my wife and I are real LV fans, we%26#39;ll be visiting this city for the 3rd time. I tried to book a room at TI too but since the rates weren%26#39;t mentioned I sent them an email to get more info. They are definitely not sold out, they just don%26#39;t have the rates yet. Try again in a couple of weeks and it will work then.

Book early and when they offer special deals, which they probably will for August, just have your reservation adjusted....

Enjoy Las Vegas!