[AlphaSigOU]

Being a former resident of Sin City, you have plenty of choices of hotels. The dates you mentioned are usually a pretty quiet time in Vegas, since few conventions or major sporting events occur at this time. Some major Vegas shows may also be 'dark' (no performances) during this time as well.

If you choose a Strip hotel (the Strip is generally defined as Las Vegas Boulevard north of Russell Road to south of Sahara Avenue (from the Mandalay Bay to the Sahara hotel and casino). Stratosphere, while a breathtaking experience being the tallest structure in the western United States, is technically not considered a Strip hotel, and in fact the surrounding neighborhood is pretty seedy.

Downtown hotels on Fremont Street (Glitter Gulch) are more economical. Fremont Street is closed to vehicular traffic; a giant light show called The Fremont Street Experience is the big attraction.

There are some hotels off the Strip and downtown areas that attract the younger crowd: the Hard Rock, Rio, Palms and the Green Valley Ranch.

Mandalay Bay caters to the younger crowd, with its famous rumjungle club. Get there early... the lines can be long. Next door, the Luxor has RA. The MGM Grand has Studio 54 (a recreation of the (in)famous New York disco).

Off the strip, the Green Valley Ranch has the Whiskey Bar, the Palms has the Rain night club and the Rio has the Voodoo Lounge.
Other hotels cater more to the older tourist; those off the Strip tend to cater more to the locals.

Word of caution about the Strip: what appears to be a relatively short walk is actually about a mile or more between major intersections, especially on the southern end of the Strip. There is a monorail that travels between major Strip hotels, but this is temporarily closed. This is a town where you need a rental car or a taxicab to go anywhere beyond the immediate vicinity of your hotel. And, while Las Vegas may be a 24-hour town, the local gendarmes don't look kindly at DUIs.