How we judge a Strip hotel
A Strip resort is really four products: the room, the location, the pool and everything on the ground floor. We weight them in that order for most travellers, then adjust for the all-in price including the resort fee and parking. Fresh renovation counts a lot; several famous names have towers that have not been touched in fifteen years, and the difference between a renovated and an original room at the same hotel is often bigger than the difference between two hotels.
We do not rank by star rating or by how photogenic the lobby is. We rank by whether you would be glad you booked it on the second night, at the price you paid. Where a resort is a destination in itself (the Bellagio conservatory, Caesars' Forum Shops, the Venetian canals), The Strip hub has a full guide to what to see there; this page is about staying.
Best overall: Wynn and Encore
Wynn Las Vegas and its sister tower Encore remain the benchmark on the Boulevard. Standard rooms are large by any measure, around 640 square feet, with floor-to-ceiling windows, and the whole property is maintained to a standard the older resorts cannot match. The pools are calm and beautiful, the restaurants are among the best in town, the casino is elegant rather than loud, and self-parking is free, which is now rare on the Strip.
The drawbacks are price and position. Expect a starting point in the $250 to $400 range midweek and considerably more on weekends and during conventions, plus a resort fee at the top of the market, as of 2026. The north-of-center location means a 15 to 20 minute walk to Caesars or Bellagio, though the Venetian and the Fashion Show mall are next door. If the budget stretches, this is the safe answer. See also our luxury hotels guide.
Best center-Strip splurge: Bellagio and the Cosmopolitan
Bellagio gives you the fountains, the conservatory and the most famous address in town. Rooms in the main tower were renovated within the last few years and are refined rather than flashy; fountain-view rooms carry a premium worth paying once. It is an MGM property, so MGM Rewards members can push the price down.
The Cosmopolitan next door is the livelier choice: many rooms have real balconies (a Strip rarity), the Chelsea and Boulevard towers are stylish, the Marquee dayclub and a dense cluster of restaurants are downstairs, and the crowd skews younger. It is also MGM-owned since 2022 but retains its own personality. Prices for both start around $200 to $300 midweek and climb fast at weekends. If you want to be in the middle of everything and feel it, one of these two is the answer.
Best mid-range: Aria, Paris and the Venetian
Aria sits at the CityCenter complex just south of Bellagio and is the best-designed big hotel on the Strip: modern rooms with automated everything, a superb pool deck, a large and well-run casino and a short tram to Bellagio. Deluxe rooms often land in the $150 to $250 midweek range, which makes it the value pick among the upscale resorts.
Paris Las Vegas is dead center, opposite Bellagio, with renovated Versailles-tower rooms that punch above their rate, and the Eiffel Tower half-scale replica outside the door. It is a Caesars property, so Caesars Rewards offers apply. The Venetian and Palazzo have no standard rooms, only suites of around 650 square feet or more with sunken living areas; midweek pricing is frequently comparable to a plain room elsewhere, which makes them the best space-per-dollar on the Strip. Read the fine print on the resort fee, which is at the higher end.
Best value on the Strip: Park MGM, Flamingo and Sahara
Park MGM (and its boutique-hotel-within-a-hotel, NoMad) is the quiet achiever of the south-center Strip: smoke-free casino, calm design, Eataly downstairs, T-Mobile Arena next door and a tram to Aria and Bellagio. Rates often sit below its neighbours for a noticeably nicer room.
The Flamingo is old but well located and its renovated rooms are fine for the price, with the wildlife habitat and pool a bonus. Book the renovated category specifically. Sahara at the north end was overhauled and offers rooms that feel far more expensive than its typical rates, with the monorail terminus attached; the trade-off is location. For a fuller list of budget properties see cheap hotels on the Strip.
The new builds: Fontainebleau and Resorts World
Two resorts changed the north Strip. Fontainebleau opened in late 2023 after a long saga, and it is a serious luxury hotel: enormous rooms, a huge and glamorous casino, excellent restaurants and a pool deck to match. Early pricing has been aggressive at times to build a following, so it is worth checking. Resorts World opened in 2021 with Conrad, Crockfords and Las Vegas Hilton rooms under one roof, giving three price tiers, a vast pool complex and Hilton Honors points on top. The rooms are modern and the location is next to the convention centre, which makes midweek rates volatile.
Both are a solid walk from the center Strip. If you want new and do not mind riding to Bellagio, either is a strong choice.
Famous names we would think twice about
Some resorts trade on reputation more than rooms. Caesars Palace is a genuine icon and the newer towers (Augustus, Octavius, Nobu) are excellent, but the older towers vary; ask for a renovated category. MGM Grand is huge, well located for the arena and has a great pool, but it is a long walk from the elevator to anything and the original rooms are basic. Planet Hollywood is central and the rooms are decent, but the resort feels like a shopping mall you sleep in. Luxor and Excalibur are fine budget bases, not destinations.
None of these are bad. The point is to book the right tower and the right price, not the name.
Booking tips that apply to every Strip hotel
- Compare the all-in rate with fee and tax; use the hotel's own site as the final check.
- Sign up for MGM Rewards and Caesars Rewards before booking; members' rates are usually visible immediately.
- Ask at check-in whether a renovated or higher-floor room is available; a polite request works more often than a folded twenty.
- Check the events calendar for your dates. Our deals guide covers timing in depth.
- Book direct for flexible cancellation and to make sure loyalty perks apply.