Introduction
In most cities people stay at hotels in order to visit the attractions, however, in Las Vegas the hotels are the attractions that contain everything from replicas of the Eiffel Tower, Empire State Building and the canals of Venice, to lion and dolphin habitats, roller coasters, exploding volcanoes and dancing fountains. In addition, most of the famous hotels offer fantastic pool and spa facilities, countless dining options (from the very cheap to the very expensive) and a range of first class show options. Oh, and of course don’t be surprised to see the ‘occasional’ slot machine.
The size of the hotels in Vegas is truly staggering. If you can imagine that the casino floors themselves are, in many cases, the size of large shopping centres, this should help to give you an idea of the scale that’s involved. Also, where else in the world would a single hotel be large enough to warrant having 3 of its own Starbucks outlets, as is the case at the MGM Grand?
The Venetian
| As with booking a hotel in any other city the key factors to bear in mind include price, location, quality and amenities. Thankfully, although it’s expensive getting to and from Las Vegas, once you’re there you can get some fantastic bargains on hotel rooms, if you know where to look and do your research!
Location, Location, Location Now that the Strip has been identified as the area to stay, the next question is precisely where. The Strip extends all the way from Mandalay Bay in the south to the Stratosphere at the northern point. However, as the distance between these two points is approximately 4 miles, choosing a hotel in the right location is extremely important if you’re planning to explore the entirety of the strip. Therefore, we would recommend that you stay no further south than MGM Grand/New York New York, or no further North than the Wynn/Encore |
Sure, this excludes a number of hotels from selection (Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Circus Circus, Stratosphere etc), but similar class hotels for the same price can be found in much better locations. In addition, any savings gained by staying at a hotel in a less desirable location will likely be outweighed by the additional time, hassle and cost in getting to be where the majority of the action is, namely, the middle section of the strip.
Strip Hotels
If you heed our recommendation and choose to stay on the Strip, it’s unlikely that you’ll find a ‘bad’ hotel. However, be warned that there is a noticeable difference between hotels classed as 3, 4 and 5 star, especially the difference between 3 and 4 star hotels. These differences can generally be attributed to the quality and décor of the rooms, the pool facilities and overall ‘feel’ of the hotel and casino.
Unsurprisingly the 5 star hotels offer the most luxurious surroundings. The 4 star hotels are still first rate and often can be grabbed for a bargain (e.g. £40 per night!). The 3 star hotels still offer perfectly adequate surroundings, but generally speaking they’re the older hotels and have seen better days. This is also reflected in the casino surroundings, available eateries and (generally speaking) the clientele that stay or visit. The plus side to this is that rooms are often available for £15-£30 per night!
To put the cost of hotels in context, there aren't too many places in the world where you can stay in a genuine 5 star resort for less than £100 per night.
The following table summarises the majority of 4 and 5 star centre-strip hotels according their class, our own personal opinion of them and associated Trip Advisor ratings.
Please take into account that Trip Advisor reviews are subjective reports based on people’s own personal experience inline with their expectations. Therefore, whilst Bills Gamblin’ Hall (a 3 star hotel) ranks at number 16/285 and is considered as excellent budget place to stay in a fantastic location, the hotel itself would be nowhere near as nice as, for example The Venetian or Aria which are 5 star hotels and rank at numbers 21 and 50 respectively.
5 Star Strip Hotels – Expect to pay approximately £80-£120 per room, per night (weekdays) and £160-£220 at weekends.
The Wynn and Encore
 | A 'standard' room in Encore
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4 Star Strip hotels – Expect to pay approximately £40-£80 per room, per night (weekdays) and £70-£140 at weekends.
The Mirage
 | A standard room in Mirage
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Getting the best hotel deal
Since the economic downturn, the hotels in Las Vegas have been suffering as much as any business as people are less willing to spend their hard earned money on holidays, let alone having the tendency to blow their cash in casinos. As a result, the hotels need to entice people through their doors to ensure that their vast numbers of rooms are filled, which often means there are great deals to be had for the customer.
Obviously the hotel’s cunning plan is to try and take more of your money once you’re in their casino; your job is to make sure they don’t! Always bear in mind that they didn’t build these hotels out of the desert sand, cash is king in Las Vegas. Whilst it’s not only possible to get a great deal on hotels, you should consider it your duty to make sure you get a good deal! However, there are a few catches to be aware of:
• The best hotel promotions are unlikely to appear until much nearer your arrival date. Therefore, there’s absolutely no rush or need to book a hotel until late summer.
• The majority of hotels now charge a mandatory ‘Resort Fee’ of between $10-$20 per room, per night (plus 8% sales tax). Unfortunately, if you do stay in one of the hotels that demand a resort fee, there’s no way of getting around this ludicrous tax. The only benefits they provide are; free local calls, free WiFi access, free access to the gym and a free daily news paper.
• Regardless of where you stay, generally speaking the cost of hotel rooms will (at least) double in price over the weekend. Therefore, the same room costing $60 per night during the week can easily increase in price to over $160 per night when all the American weekend visitors invade the city. Therefore, if your plan is to stay in two hotels over your trip, it may be advisable to offset costs by staying in the more expensive hotel during the week.
• As a general rule of thumb, you get what you pay for. Therefore, it’s critical to ensure that you’ve researched the hotels you’re considering staying at (Trip Advisor provides invaluable information) to weigh up whether or not you’re getting a good deal.
