Las Vegas bargain summer rates are in full swing

Summertime in Vegas traditionally means low room rates and the summer of 2018 is no different. A recent survey by LasVegasAdvisor.com turned up 53 hotel-casinos with rates of $50 and below, an impressive 11 more than last year.

Lowest of all was downtown’s Golden Gate, with a base rate of $19.20, and casinos with hotel base rates of $30 or less included Circus Circus, El Cortez, Excalibur, Fremont, Hooters, Longhorn, Main Street Station, Rio, Sam’s Town, Texas Station and Wild Wild West. Rates change quickly and these base prices may be subject to any combination of taxes, booking charges and resort fees, but they’re an excellent place to start if you’re trying to track down great room deals over the next couple of months.

Higher-end hotel deals: Summer brings good deals at higherpriced resorts too. Here are the best prices we found at more upscale casinos: SLS, $52; Planet Hollywood, $53; Hard Rock, $55; New York-New York, $55; Paris, $56; Treasure Island, $56; Park MGM, $78; Green Valley Ranch, $80; Red Rock, $81; MGM Grand, $88; Mandalay Bay, $94; Mirage, $99; Palms, $99; and Caesars Palace, $104.

Strip narrowed: One northbound lane on the Strip in front of The Linq has been closed to facilitate construction on the Fly Linq zip line. An adjacent lane also closes from 1 to 9 a.m. daily. The lanes will remain closed through Sept. 15.

Britney’s back: Britney Spears has signed on for a two-year residency at Park MGM. The starting date hasn’t been announced, but Spears will reportedly be paid a guarantee of $500,000 per show, the highest of any performer in Las Vegas.