Staying at the Stratosphere ?? You should stay off the streets at night near that place, and its not a joke.
no kidding!
i've stayed there several times. they upfitted the rooms a couple of years ago, so everything should be cleaner. cost should be $25-$33/night, and you can upgrade to a room with an office & chair/ottoman & extra TV @ $45. they will comp you $100 in playing chips.
check in is an absolute 3hr nightmare, so tip the valet & he'll take you to the front of the line.
if you stay indoors, you're fine. hookers are in the round lobby bar, dressed in black. they have a Starbucks. there's a great Italian restaurant downstairs ($20ish), standard cheap buffet & diner, and then upstairs on 2nd floor, they've got a slew of fast food cheap food & souvenir shops. at the top, is a revolving restaurant that i always eat at every trip. 5 stars, and you can view all of Vegas & watch the planes hover to land - totally trippy! (my 3 WMC furniture buildings are directly below Strat.) it's on the 104th floor & they use a metal detector before you can go up.... it's $50/plate, but you can simply drink at the bar & still swirl around. the rides & telescopes are above - for $40, they'll hang you 110 stories over the Strip. (this, is the other reason you don't go outside - puke)
Circus Circus a few blocks up is the other cheapest hotel. but it's full of kids.
Luxor is $33/night, but the cabfare will probably eat the difference.
Flamingo's cool w/ their PINK & white rooms & their pools are great - but i think they are overpriced.
Strat, is a good value. my company stays there (cause it's cheap). i only stay there if i'm with my CA rep. their room service is pretty good too - roast beef on bread w/ gravy & mashed potatoes for $12ish. i've heard that the rooms are a LOT nicer since the upfits.
remember, it's going to be 118 degrees, so no one needs to be walking anywhere when yáll can split a cab for $5. watch out for pickpockets on the streets.