The best hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada will depend on a few things. This is exactly what I tell my friends when they ask me. I have many friends who have not been to Vegas in 10 years, and other friends who never leave their conference hotel if they do go to Vegas.
I don’t live in Las Vegas, but as a lifelong bachelor, I’ve spent enough time in Vegas to know about the hotels.
Depends on who you’re going with.
Married/girlfriend/boyfriend
I suggest staying at the Wynn, Bellagio, or Cosmopolitan.
Wynn
The Wynn is very nice, sophisticated, and quiet. The crowd here is over 50 years old and dressed well in suits and dresses. There are very good restaurants in there and you will feel at home with all of the couples. You will not see drunk people walking around with long cups filled with alcohol.
The Wynn will cost in the $200s during the week, and in the $400s and above on weekends.
You can find the technical details of the Wynn at Wynnlasvegas.com
Bellagio
The Bellagio is similar to the Wynn in that it is just as nice, however, the Bellagio is usually busier. There is more life, more crowds, and a more fun atmosphere at Bellagio. Whereas the Wynn is kind of like a library, the Bellagio is like a professionals’ convention. You will have the same 50+ crowd in here, nice stores, and nice restaurants. My favorite restaurant is here – Fix Restaurant
The Bellagio will cost in the $200s during the week, and $400s and above on the weekends.
You can find the technical details of the Bellagio at Bellagio.com
Cosmopolitan
The Cosmopolitan is by far my most favorite casino in Las Vegas.
The Cosmopolitan is one of the newest casinos on the strip. The hotel is a cool hip vibe with a very modern feel. The crowd here has money but is not as old as the Wynn, or Bellagio. The crowd is 30+ with a lot of couples who refuse to act like old people.
The crowd is similar to what Ceasars used to be – slightly younger crowd with money to spend. In my opinion, the Cosmopolitan doesn’t have many great restaurants, however, they do have STK on the third floor.
The Cosmopolitan will cost in the $200s and $300s during the week, and $400s and above during the weekend.
You can find additional details of the Cosmopolitan at cosmopolitanlasvegas.com
Tip: If you go, try the “secret pizza” shop on the 3rd level.
Going Solo
I recommend the MGM, or Planet Hollywood.
MGM
If you are in Las Vegas for a conference or just going to Las Vegas alone, the MGM is a great choice because it is a huge mega casino and it is very easy to get lost in the crowd. The MGM has many things to do including multiple lounges, tons of gambling tables, and even Hakkasan nightclub is here.
The MGM will cost in the $100s during the week, and $200s and above on the weekends.
You can find the technical details of the MGM a mgmgrand.com
Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood is not nearly as big as the MGM, but it is a younger livelier crowd. It is very easy to make friends here. The Miracle Mall connected to Planet Hollywood gives you tons of shopping and good restaurants. Unlike the Forum shops at Ceasers, most people can afford to shop at the Miracle Mile.
You should be able to find rooms in the $100s all the time.
You can find the details of Planet Hollywood at caesars.com/planet-hollywood
Depends on How Much You Want to Spend
I recommend Bally’s, Luxor, or Harrah’s.
Around $100
Bally’s
If you want to pay less than $100 during the week, and maybe a bit more on the weekends, Bally’s is your best bet. Bally’s is located in the middle of the strip. You are equal distance from Mandalay Bay to the south, and Encore to the North. Bally’s is old, it was the old MGM until 1986. There’s really nothing in here as far as the restaurant, bars, or nightclubs, however, Bally’s is busy during March Madness.
You should be able to find rooms under $100s during the week, and around $100 on weekends.
You can find the details of Bally’s at caesars.com/ballys-las-vegas
Luxor
The Luxor is just like Bally’s, but probably a little cheaper. The diagonal elevator will take some getting used to.
You can find the details of the Luxor at luxor.com
Harrah’s
Surprisingly, Harrah’s is a pretty decent hotel that’s super cheap. The good thing about Harrah’s is there’s a lot of people in this area. This is probably the busiest part of the strip at night, however, it is not the best area. A good thing about Harrah’s is if you gamble, you will find $5 tables.
You can find details of Harrah’s at caesars.com/harrahs
Depends on Time of Year
Spring
The best time of year to go to Vegas is the spring, hands down. The weather is great and the pools have just started into full swing. Interestingly, the first weekend of March Madness is probably the busiest weekend in Las Vegas all year.
The dead of summer is extremely hot, but the pools are still good. The dead of summer you get incredible room rates. If you gamble even a tiny bit, rooms will be free at many hotels in the summer.
Winter
Nobody is in Vegas when it is cold. The good thing is that you can get good rates. The exception is January and Superbowl weekend in February. January is crazy in Vegas. In January you have New Year’s Eve, and the well known CES (Consumer Electronics Show).
Best Pools
The party pools are Wet Republic at the MGM, Marquee at the Cosmopolitan, and the pool at the Encore. Wet Republic has been around for a while but it is still the best party pool in 2017.
Tip: Rehab at the Hard Rock was great years ago – in 2003 I was there when Jennifer Lopez was there, and she was wasn’t even in the top 20 of good looking girls – no more. Rehab is not good anymore.
Depends on if you Gamble
The best hotels (on the strip) if you gamble are the Mirage, MGM, and Treasure Island. These hotels give you the best odds in Blackjack. The games with the best odds for the player are craps and Blackjack. The worst game is roulette.
Fun Fact: I was kicked out of the El Cortez downtown for counting cards in Blackjack – Don’t expect me not to learn…
Recommeded Nightclubs (2017-2018)
Marquee
The best club at the moment, and for the last couple years is Marquee inside the Cosmopolitan. There is an inside, and outside portion of the club. There are blackjack tables outside. Also, there is the main dance floor that plays electric dance, and a hip hop room that plays hip hop and R&B. The crowd age is typical Vegas club crowd 21 – 65 years old.
Omnia
Omnia is a good club located in Ceasar’s. Omnia has a pretty good industry nights on Tuesday and Thursday. The crowd is not as good looking as Marquee.
Hakkasan
Hakkasan is the newest big club that opened up a few years ago. It’s not bad, but for girls in high heels, the stairs probably get old. There are so many stairs in Hakasan that it’s known as “Hak a stairs.” Interestingly, the door staff and the bouncers are probably to coolest of all the bouncers on the strip.
Tip: honorable mention – XS in Encore is still pretty good.
Industry Nights
Most people go to Vegas on Friday, Saturday, and go home Sunday.
However, if you are in Vegas during the week and like to go out, Vegas definitely has industry nights.
Industry nights are technically nights where one or two clubs/bars are open during the week catering to those who work in the hospitality business. But because these are the only open clubs during the week they become very busy.
As of 2017, my favorites are:
Monday – Marquee at Cosmopolitan or XS at Encore
Tuesday – Hyde at Bellagio
Wednesday – Surrender in the Encore
Thursday – TAO at the Venetian or Omnia (yes TAO after all these years is still busy on Thursdays)
Sunday – The Bank/Hakassan
Recommendations for quiet casinos
If you’re looking to stay at a small casino I suggest the Hard Rock or the Palms. While I love the Palms and the Hard Rock, they are off the strip. That’s the problem. These days the Palms is a ghost town, but Ghostbar at the top of the Palms can still be fun on some nights.
I wish people continued to go to the Palms because it’s always been one of my favorites.
Final Thoughts:
So if you are married, or haven’t been to Las Vegas in many years, these are some of the best hotels in Las Vegas.
You will not need headphones once you get to Vegas, but for your flight, don’t forget your Bose QuietComfort 35 (Series II) Wireless Headphones, Noise Cancelling – Black
