Renting a car mid-trip... how to go about it?

As I%26#39;ve posted a few times before, on our next Vegas trip we want to rent a car a least for one day and go visit some off-strip places we%26#39;ve never been. We don%26#39;t want a car the WHOLE trip, just one (maybe 2) days.

Do we just ask the hotel about it? Or is that more expensive than going somewhere else? I%26#39;m just not sure how to get info once we%26#39;re there on a place to get a car. I%26#39;m not sure we necessarily want to pick a day in advance to rent a car, more like ';hey, let%26#39;s do that tomorrow or the next day'; - is that possible?

Renting a car mid-trip... how to go about it?

Almost all the hotels have a rental car counter - Dollar is the main carrier. Yes, it%26#39;s very possible to just walk up and rent a car on the spot - but you don%26#39;t always get the best rest that way.

Note that while in-hotel rentals have a higher rate than renting at the airport, the taxes and fees are cheaper.

Renting a car mid-trip... how to go about it?

We rented a car for a day so we could go to Red Rock Canyon. If I recall correctly, I reserved it online, after seeing which company had a rental counter at the hotel we were going to be staying at. I think you%26#39;ll get a better rate that way, rather than just walking up to the counter at the last minute. And there%26#39;s no ';penalty'; for reserving a rental car online and then not picking it up. So you really have nothing to lose by reserving it in advance.

We have done this a few times since it%26#39;s a waste for us to keep the rental for the whole time we%26#39;re in LV. It has worked out well for us to make the reservation online in advance (and then keep checking the rates before going) and arrange to pick up/return the car at your hotel, or a nearby hotel if yours has no rental counter. Really convenient and you get the class of car that you prefer.

One time when we were picking up our car at the Dollar counter at Excalibur, the people ahead of us were trying to rent a car (no reservation). Overheard the agent--the quote was high enough to make me glad that we had made our arrangements ahead of time.

Thanks for the responses so far...

Does anyone know of any place NOT at a hotel that%26#39;s cheaper? Maybe a place we could take a cab (or walk if it%26#39;s not too far) to rent one?

you might be surprised that the prices for the whole trip might actually be less than booking 1 or 2 days through your hotel, particularly since you won%26#39;t have to taxi to and from the airport. check out hotwire.com plus car rental agency web sites and compare prices...i found hotwire to be pretty good. i know it seems wasteful to have a car and not use it every day, but do what works out best...no problem to leave the car parked your the hotel.

Don%26#39;t forget....Enterprise will pick you up. No, I don%26#39;t work for them, but my hubby uses them every year when I%26#39;m working and he needs a car for a day to go golfing. When you return the car, they%26#39;ll drive you back to hotel too. Rate are always great since there are no airport taxes and no high-price hotel environment.

I do recommend making a reservation in advance. You could probably wind up changing the day if you decided by calling them and maybe keep your rate as long as you stayed in the same timeframe (weekend vs weekday rate).

Also check various places of one car company. In Jan., I thought I needed a car, so I looked at Dollar at Bellagio and Mirage, price was $35 for the day, but when I checked at MGM it was $18 for the same car class.