Las Vegas hotel stay guides

Las Vegas hotel stay guides

The destination guides on this site cover what to see at each resort. These guides cover what it is like to sleep there: the right tower, the fee you will actually pay, the pool, the gym, the rewards program and whether the price makes sense on your dates.

What these guides are, and what they are not

Each resort on the Strip already has a destination guide on this site under The Strip, covering the fountains, the conservatory, the shows and the restaurants that make it worth visiting. These stay guides answer a narrower question: should you sleep there, and if so, in which room? They are written for the moment you have three browser tabs open with three similar prices and need someone to tell you which tower is the renovated one and which pool is the loud one.

They are independent. Las Vegas Compass does not take money from hotels for placement, and where we link to booking or tour partners it is disclosed on our affiliate disclosure. Prices are ranges as of 2026 and change constantly, so always confirm the current rate, resort fee and parking policy on the hotel's own site before you commit.

How we assess a hotel

We weigh the same nine things for every property, in the same order, so the guides are comparable:

  • Location and who it suits. Walk times to the center of the action, and whether the property works for couples, families, groups or conventions.
  • Rooms and what to book. Towers, room categories, views, square footage and the floors worth asking for at check-in.
  • Resort fee and parking. The all-in nightly cost, not the headline rate.
  • Pool. Size, season, whether it is a resort pool or a dayclub, and how early the chairs are gone.
  • Gym and spa. Whether the fitness centre is worth the fee that pays for it.
  • Dining on property. What you can eat without leaving the building, from the coffee counter to the steakhouse.
  • Casino floor and front desk. Smoke, noise, how far the elevator is from the exit, check-in queues, early check-in and late checkout.
  • Rewards program. Which loyalty program covers the hotel and how to use it for waived fees or better rates.
  • Pros, cons, price and verdict. A plain-English answer.

How to read the resort fee in every guide

Every guide gives the resort fee as a range rather than a number, because the amounts move a few dollars most years and sometimes mid-year. As of 2026 the luxury tier on the Strip charges roughly $50 to $60 a night plus tax, the mid-range tier roughly $40 to $55, the budget Strip resorts roughly $35 to $45, Downtown roughly $25 to $45, and the suburban locals' resorts anywhere from nothing to about $50. Tax on the fee runs about 13 percent, so add that to the range.

Treat the fee as part of the room rate. A $79 room with a $45 fee costs more than a $109 room with a $15 fee. Add parking too: most MGM and Caesars resorts charge for self-parking, while several others still do not. Our resort fees explained page covers the disclosure rules and the legitimate ways to get the fee waived, and this list tracks the hotels that charge nothing.

The tiers we use

Luxury. Wynn, Encore, Bellagio, Aria, The Venetian, The Palazzo, Fontainebleau, Caesars Palace (the good towers) and the boutique hotels inside larger resorts such as NoMad, Delano and Crockfords. Expect roughly $250 to $600 a night midweek before fees and far more on event weekends, big rooms, real spas and staff who remember your name.

Upper mid-range. The Cosmopolitan, Resorts World, Park MGM, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Paris, Circa Downtown and the suburban leaders Red Rock and Durango. Roughly $120 to $350 midweek. Rooms are renovated or new, pools are good, fees are the same as the tier above at some of them.

Budget Strip and Downtown. Luxor, Excalibur, New York-New York, Planet Hollywood, Flamingo, The LINQ and Golden Nugget. Roughly $50 to $180 midweek. Location is often excellent; room condition varies by tower, which is why the guides spend so long on which tower to book.

Off-Strip value. Virgin Hotels and the locals' casinos, where fees drop or vanish and parking is free, in exchange for needing a ride to the Boulevard. See off-Strip hotels.

Weekday versus weekend pricing

Las Vegas hotels price by demand, not by the calendar month, and the swing between a Tuesday and a Saturday at the same hotel is routinely two to three times. A convention can push a Wednesday above a normal Saturday; a fight, a festival or a holiday weekend can push a Saturday above $1,000 at properties that ask $200 on an ordinary Tuesday. Every guide gives a midweek and a weekend range to make the pattern visible, but the honest answer is that your dates matter more than the hotel.

If your dates are flexible, check the best time to visit guide and the events calendar before you fall in love with a hotel. If they are not, the trick is to pick a lower tier on the expensive nights and a higher tier on the cheap ones; many regulars split a stay between two hotels for exactly this reason.

Rewards programs at a glance

Most hotels in these guides belong to one of a handful of programs, and joining before you book is free and immediately useful. MGM Rewards covers Bellagio, Aria, Cosmopolitan (with Marriott Bonvoy), MGM Grand, Park MGM, NoMad, Mandalay Bay, Delano, Luxor, Excalibur and New York-New York. Caesars Rewards covers Caesars Palace, Paris, Planet Hollywood, The LINQ and Flamingo. Wynn Rewards covers Wynn and Encore; Venetian Rewards covers The Venetian and The Palazzo; Hilton Honors covers Resorts World and Virgin Hotels; Fontainebleau, Circa and Golden Nugget have their own programs, and the Station Casinos program covers Red Rock and Durango.

Membership alone gets you member rates and occasional free-night offers. Mid and upper tiers waive resort fees, and status matches from other programs can get you there before your first trip. How to get a hotel deal explains the mechanics.

Using the guides with the rest of the site

Start with the area. Where to stay explains why the center Strip costs more than the ends and when Downtown or the suburbs make sense. Then narrow by style: luxury, family, quiet or cheap. Then open two or three stay guides from the list below and compare the tower, fee and pool notes against the prices on your dates.

If you want a shortcut, the hotel picker asks a few questions and points you at a shortlist. The guides are listed below in rough order from the luxury end of the Strip to Downtown and the suburbs.

In this section

  • Bellagio Bellagio is the center-Strip classic: fountain views, a conservatory in the lobby and a room product that has finally caught up with the price. Here is how to book it well.
  • Wynn Las Vegas Wynn is the resort other resorts measure themselves against: big rooms, a serious gym, a pool that opens early in the year and a staff that still notices you. It is also priced accordingly.
  • Encore Encore is Wynn's all-suite sibling next door, quieter in the lobby but louder at the pool on club days. This guide explains when to pick it over Wynn and which floors to ask for.
  • The Venetian Every room at The Venetian is a suite with a sunken living room, which is why it stays popular with families and groups. Renovations have refreshed most of it; here is how to book the good part.
  • The Palazzo The Palazzo is The Venetian's taller, calmer tower with larger suites, a smaller casino and a pool that feels less like a party. Often it costs only slightly more, which makes it the better buy.
  • Aria Aria is the modern, tech-forward choice on the center Strip: curtains that open when you walk in, a real gym and a spa that is worth the money. This guide covers rooms, fees and the Sky Suites question.
  • Cosmopolitan The Cosmopolitan has the best standard room on the Strip if you book a Terrace Studio, and one of the busiest lobbies if you do not like crowds. Here is how to get the balcony and dodge the noise.
  • Caesars Palace Caesars Palace is really six hotels in one, from tired to excellent, and the tower you land in decides your trip. This guide ranks them and explains the fees, pools and rewards.
  • Fontainebleau Fontainebleau is the newest luxury tower on the Strip: sharp rooms, a big pool deck and a spa built to compete with Wynn. The catch is the north-Strip location, which this guide addresses head on.
  • Resorts World Resorts World is three Hilton-branded hotels in one north-Strip tower, with the best food hall in the city and Hilton Honors points that actually work. Here is how the three tiers compare.
  • MGM Grand MGM Grand is enormous, which is both its problem and its point: a lazy river, a real arena, dozens of restaurants and a ten-minute walk from bed to sidewalk. This guide helps you pick the right corner of it.
  • Park MGM Park MGM is the Strip's only fully smoke-free casino resort, with human-scale rooms, Eataly downstairs and T-Mobile Arena next door. It is frequently the best mid-range value on the center Strip.
  • NoMad Las Vegas NoMad occupies the top floors of Park MGM with its own lobby, pool and a darker, more residential style than anything else on the Strip. Its status has shifted over the years, so confirm before you book.
  • Mandalay Bay Mandalay Bay has the best pool complex on the Strip, refreshed rooms and a convention center that fills it on weekdays. The trade-off is the far south end of the Boulevard, and this guide weighs it honestly.
  • Delano Delano is the quiet, casino-free, all-suite tower attached to Mandalay Bay. You get the beach and the restaurants without walking through a slot floor, usually for less than you would expect.
  • Luxor Luxor is the budget pyramid at the south end of the Strip, with sloping walls, sideways elevators and some of the lowest room rates among the big resorts. The right room makes it a bargain; the wrong one makes it a mistake.
  • Excalibur Excalibur is the cheapest MGM resort on the Strip and looks the part from the outside, but renovated rooms, a decent pool and the free tram to Mandalay Bay make it a sensible budget base if you book the right tower.
  • New York-New York New York-New York is a mid-priced, well-located MGM resort with small but tidy rooms, a roller coaster wrapped around the building and T-Mobile Arena across the street. This guide covers which rooms are quiet and what it really costs.
  • Paris Las Vegas Paris sits in the middle of the Strip opposite the Bellagio fountains, and its Versailles Tower renovation turned a tired mid-range hotel into a genuinely good one. Here is how to get the right tower and the right view.
  • Planet Hollywood Planet Hollywood is the center-Strip mid-range option with a mall attached, a big residency theater and rooms that are better than the price suggests when you book the right category.
  • The LINQ The LINQ is the cheapest well-located Caesars hotel on the center Strip: small modern rooms, a lively promenade at the door and a resort fee that eats much of the saving. Here is how to make it work.
  • Flamingo Flamingo is the oldest resort still standing on the Strip and one of the best located, with a garden full of birds and a rolling renovation that has left some rooms excellent and some very tired. Book carefully.
  • Circa Circa is the first new Downtown resort in decades: adults only, a stadium-sized pool, the biggest sportsbook in the city and rooms that outclass anything else on Fremont Street. Here is what to expect and what it costs.
  • Golden Nugget Golden Nugget is the polished end of Fremont Street: a pool with a shark tank, a proper spa and the Rush Tower, which holds the best rooms Downtown outside Circa. This guide covers towers, fees and value.
  • Virgin Hotels Virgin Hotels took the old Hard Rock, renovated everything and dropped the resort fee. It sits a mile east of the Strip, which is the whole trade: cheaper and calmer, but you will need a ride.
  • Durango Durango is Station Casinos' newest resort, in the southwest suburbs about fifteen minutes from the Strip: modern rooms, a calm pool, a food hall locals actually use and a car-friendly setup. Here is who should book it.
  • Red Rock Resort Red Rock Resort is the Summerlin luxury locals' casino: big rooms facing the mountains, a resort pool that is calm on weekdays, a serious spa and Red Rock Canyon ten minutes away. It is a different trip from the Strip, and for many people a better one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these hotel guides sponsored?

No. Hotels do not pay for inclusion or placement. Where the site earns a commission from a booking or tour link it is disclosed on the affiliate disclosure page.

Why are prices given as ranges?

Las Vegas room rates change daily with demand and resort fees change with little notice. A range as of 2026 is more useful than a number that is wrong by the time you read it; confirm on the hotel site before booking.

Which hotel has the best rooms on the Strip?

For a standard room, Wynn, Encore, The Palazzo and the Cosmopolitan Terrace Studios lead. For suites, Aria Sky Suites and Wynn Tower Suites. Each stay guide explains which tower or category to book.

Do all Las Vegas hotels charge a resort fee?

Almost all casino resorts on the Strip and most Downtown do. Virgin Hotels and a number of off-Strip and chain hotels do not, and loyalty status at MGM, Caesars and Wynn can waive it.

Is it cheaper to stay midweek?

Usually much cheaper. Sunday to Thursday nights are often a half to a third of Friday and Saturday at the same hotel, unless a large convention is in town.

Can I get early check-in or late checkout?

Often, for a fee or with loyalty status, and it depends on occupancy. Standard check-in is mid-afternoon and checkout is late morning; each guide notes how the specific hotel handles it.

Do the guides cover what to see at each resort?

Only briefly. The destination guides under The Strip cover attractions, shows and restaurants; the stay guides focus on rooms, fees, pools, gyms, rewards and value.

Which hotels are best for families?

Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, MGM Grand and Red Rock Resort come up most often for pools and room size. The best family hotels guide compares them in detail.

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