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Las Vegas Strip Hotels
On the Las Vegas Strip there are two companies that own majority of the casinos. The two companies with the most Las Vegas Strip Hotels are MGM Resorts (MLife) and Caesars (Total Rewards). Most die hard “Vegas Trippers” have their favorite and tend to stick to one of those two groups. I personally prefer MGM Resorts and I have stayed at several Caesars properties over my last thirty or so trips. My personal opinion is for the cost of the hotels I have found I got a nicer room; that I personally enjoyed more with MGM Resorts. Caesars has recently gone through Bankruptcy but are in the process of updating some of their casinos. It will be interesting to see within the next couple years.
How do you choose where to stay?
One of the reasons I have stayed with MGM Grand is the snowball effect. The more you visit, the better deals you would continue to get through their hotels. Keep in mind one thing you will see at almost all hotels in Las Vegas is the dreaded “Resort Fee”. These will cost about $30-$40 a night depending on the hotel. You should consider this fee this when deciding where to book.
When booking my rooms I go through three groups of choices.
- If you have been to Las Vegas before, always sign into your account online to see if you have any good offers. You can sometimes get free rooms, discounted rooms, or free play and free food/beverage towards your stay with MGM Resorts and/or Caesars Resorts.
- One other group of hotels/casinos is owned by the Sands Group and those are the Venetian and the Palazzo. I do stay at those usually once a year because they are also partnered through www.IHG.com which is the hotel group that includes the Holiday Inn. By having a Chase IHG credit card that has an annual fee of $49.00, I receive one free hotel night at any IHG hotel. I have been able to pair this free stay up last year for a December 30th stay that was asking over $300 a night. That alone was worth the $49 annual fee.
- My favorite site I use for hotel bookings in Las Vegas is My Cheap Vegas. They do all the leg work for you by search all over for the booking codes that you can use to book at a discount. I’ve used this and ended up with a reduced rate along with an additional $120 food/beverage credit for the trip.
Keep in mind most of the time these are refundable rates. You can book your room months out from your arrival date. If a different deal comes along that is better, you can cancel and book that new offer with no penalty. A few do have “Non-Refundable” rates so make sure you read the fine print before booking.
On the Cheap:
If you really wanted to go on the cheap, you can always stay down on Fremont Street or one of the Travelodges on the strip. My option I do not consider ‘cheap’ but more as frugal. When I am on vacation, I do prefer having a bed softer than a plywood board and some place better than the standard hotel room. I have found my two choices most recently have been MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay. I have stayed at these two hotels for most of my trips the last year. Some people may question the Mandalay Bay choice. I did stay there a week after the incident in Vegas. That would be a choice only you could make. Some of the nicest staff and great rooms I have had have been here. I have started to move towards MGM Grand also due to more of a convenience. Both locations are easy to get in and out with a rental car. Both locations have good buffets and restaurants that I frequent for breakfast or lunch. The reason for the nod towards MGM Grand is that it is closer to T-Mobile Arena. Most of my trips now revolve around the UFC fights. When you have so many people going to and from the arena after a UFC fight or a Vegas Golden Knights hockey game, I found it beneficial to be just a casino away from my room.
Room to Splurge:
When I splurge, I still try to stay within a budget. You could say a penthouse at the Bellagio, but not many could that be realistic. When Joni and I go down to Las Vegas, I will always try to get a couple nights at the Vdara which is an Mlife Hotel. Notice that I did not say casino, because there is no casino at this all-suite, non-smoking hotel. It is right on the strip and steps away from the Bellagio and Aria when you have that itch to gamble. I usually book a “Vdara Fountain View Suite”. Many nights we have just gone back to the room early and watched the Bellagio fountains from the comfort of our room. The non-studio suites come with a full refrigerator with chilled water, which is awesome after a full day of walking around. In addition you get a Dishwasher, Laundry washer and dryer and other amenities. These rooms are up for purchase as living quarters so you have all the comforts of home while over looking the fountains. These rooms are a little more expensive but can be rented for $125-200 a night depending on the week night. If money was no issue on any of my stays, these rooms would be my choice each time due to space, location, comfort and views.
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