Hi Pigz_Gal,
I am currently in States and we do a lot of road trips over here. It's pretty fun and get to see a lot of things at the same time.
One thing, driving over at LV must be very careful as the drivers there tend to be rather reckless. The places you want to go will fit nicely into your itinerary. You might want to include San Diego in too as this is near LA.
As for hotel, you can always book it online and the prices are very reasonable. Of course, when you are in States, don't forget to go SHOPPING!!
=)