Vegas Hotels - an introduction

In most cities people stay at hotels in order to visit the attractions, however, in Las Vegas the hotels are the attractions. They 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.  "3000 rooms is absurd" I hear you say?  Well in Vegas this is the norm, in fact 3000 rooms can be considered only a 'medium' sized mega resort by today's 21st Century Standards where new hotels with 4000 rooms plus is more of the norm.

As with booking a hotel in any other city 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 have your travel sorted out you can find some fantastic bargains on hotel rooms, if you know where to look and do your research!

The hotels in Vegas can broadly be categorised into those that fall into 3, 4 and 5 star categories. As you’d expect, prices will generally increase as you move from a 3, to 4 to 5 star hotel, but that’s not to say that you can’t grab yourself a bargain for a better class of hotel.

In order to make the most of your Vegas experience I would highly recommend that you look to stay in at least one of the 4 star properties . Why? Because there is a marked improvement between the 3 and 4 star hotels and in the context of the overall holiday - especially if you’re already paying a significant amount in air fares – it is definitely worth paying a bit extra.

Ok, there may not be anything ‘wrong’ as such with a number of the 3 star properties, but unless you’re really looking to do Vegas on a budget, I am confident that you will end up suffering from hotel envy when you compare your hotel to the others on the strip.

Some people will say “well, I’m not planning to spend any time in my room” which may well be the case, but as you’re still likely to spend a lot of time in your hotel (casino, pool, bars, restaurants etc), it’s not just the amount of time you’ll spend in your room that you need to consider.

Another thing to bear in mind is what type of property will suit you best. Sure, the thought of staying in a 5-star hotel may sound great, but if the appeal of cheap food courts and penny slots sounds appealing to you, you may feel out of place surrounded by designer shops and high-end restaurants.