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More Than Four Hotels Still Available for Detroit's Final Four

Unsurprisingly, our March Madness brackets have pretty much failed miserably. For all those folks still in the game, Detroit is the place to be this weekend (now that’s not a phrase you hear very often!). If you’re Final Four-or-bust, well, we don’t have to tell you that your best option would have been to book a room months ago. But fret not, for a few rooms remain for you last-minute travelers.

We hopped over to the HotelChatter rezzie system, where we found a few hotels with vacancies. Rates range from bargain-basement $60 to $499. As you’re likely aware, though, you don't want to book a hotel in just any neighborhood and assume those polite Midwesterners will take good care of you. (So while a $60 rate might be tempting, just remember that you get what you pay for. In a big city like Detroit, there’s a good chance that might mean bulletproof glass.)

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The Sahara Now Selling Three-Foot Tall Beers for March Madness

Where: 2535 Las Vegas Boulevard [map], Las Vegas, NV, United States, 89109

If you couldn't finish the two-foot burrito at the NASCAR Cafe inside the Sahara Las Vegas last month, it's ok. Just in time for March Madness, you can now redeem yourself with the NASCAR Cafe's 3-foot-tall Brew Tower, which holds 15 beers.

Afraid beer might be too fattening? You could always have a go at the Shot Trees which can be filled with five or ten shots of your choice. Yes, it is strongly suggested to bring your friends along with you.

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'Get Your Game On' at Encore for March Madness

With the announcement of the 2009 NCAA Tournament Brackets, March Madness has arrived. And there is seemingly no better place to celebrate your devotion to a college basketball team in a place where the alcohol is flowing, the flat-screens are plentiful and the betting is totally legal. Yup, we're talking about Las Vegas.

At the newly-opened Encore Las Vegas, NCAA-themed room packages are available starting on March 19 all the way through April 6. Guest rooms start at $199 and include guaranteed seating at the hotel's sportsbook during the games as well as free food and beverages. If you book your stay for next Saturday then you will also get tickets to the "Survive & Advance" show's live taping hosted by former Indiana coach Bob Knight and Billy Packer. The show will also be taping March 22, 29 and April 3 and 5. Remember, the championship game will be held on April 4.

For March 26-29, the dates of the Regional Finals, we found a resort suite at Encore for $209 a night. Use code SAAPUB to book. The package is also available at Encore's sister property, The Wynn. All rates and dates are subject to availability.

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Final Four Will Give Downtown Detroit a Second Chance

Detroit better start prostrating itself before the altar of their financial gods, as after a let-down of an auto show, the Final Four will roll into town during the first weekend in April and hopefully bolster hotel room sales and tourist revenue. According to the Free Press, the "Big Dance has done what the Detroit auto show could not in January -- book up all but a handful of downtown Detroit's nearly 5,000 hotel rooms."

As for that leftover fistful, expect it to go during the rest of this month as office buddies book last-minute trips and tickets trade hands. Undeniably, the hottest hotel for the Final Four will be the newest and shiniest, namely the Westin Book Cadillac, which opened downtown in October and already shows no available occupancy for that weekend. Instead, we highly recommend turning to the huge capacity casino hotels, which are both desperate for your money and prepared for raucous crowds.

Our pick? Hit up the MGM Grand to end a long day of overpriced stadium beer and switch to slowly playing the slots for free cocktails.

[Detroit photo via ifmuth; Final Four stamp via hoopedia]

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Sink Slam Dunk Rates at NOLA Marriott, from $69

Where: 555 Canal St [map], New Orleans, LA, United States, 70130

Travelers can be quick to forget that New Orleans does, in fact, exist beyond the mania of Mardi Gras. As a friendly reminder, the New Orleans Marriott has a pretty rad incentive: “Bee-Ball Buzz” rates ($69-199!) to coincide with Hornets home games now through April 13. To which, we say: Score!

Plus, basketball fans can extend the good rate for a night pre- or post-game night. Hornets play at home March 16 (vs. the Houston Rockets), March 18 (vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves), March 20 (vs. the Memphis Grizzlies), March 22 (vs. the Golden State Warriors), March 25 (vs. the Denver Nuggets), March 29 (vs. the San Antonio Spurs), April 5 (vs. the Utah Jazz), April 8 (vs. the Phoenix Suns), and April 12 (vs. the Dallas Mavericks).

Book the Bee-Ball Buzz rate using rate code SPE. Two-week or more advance purchase required.

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March Madness Hotel Deals on Expedia

The folks over at Expedia are hoping that you love your alma mater enough to travel a distance to watch them play in the NCAA March Madness tournament as it heads into the Sweet 16 round this week.

The booking site has rounded up the hotel options by regional round host cities: Phoenix, Houston, Charlotte and Detroit, as well as San Antonio, the site of the Final Four championship.

It depends on who you are rooting for but the hotels are fairly decent, such as $129 a night for the historic Magnolia Hotel in Houston. However, if you wanna bank on your team being in the Final Four, we say book a hotel in San Antonio. Expedia has fairly cheap rates at the Hawthorn Suites Riverwalk Hotel for $119 a night.

Again, rates like these remind us why we love college sports over professional sporting events like the Super Bowl.

[Photo: AP]

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Just in Time for March Madness, Sheraton Partners Up With the NCAA

Is this a desperate attempt by Sheraton Hotels to target a younger generation? Possibly. But starting soon, you should notice Sheraton infiltrating your favorite college basketball team's televised games.

Sheraton hotels have unveiled a new :30 TV spot, "Belong," that airs during CBS Sports' regular-season coverage of NCAA basketball, the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship -- including the Men's Final Four® semifinal games -- and the National Championship game, through April 8.

That's not all. Sheraton is hoping to start the world's largest online wave at www.Sheraton.com/NCAA, "a site that features video clips of individuals who have filmed and uploaded their own creative version of the wave."

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