The three tiers: chair, daybed, cabana
Every Las Vegas pool sells shade and space in tiers. A lounge chair is free with entry (or a small premium for a front-row or umbrella chair at some resorts, roughly $25 to $75). A daybed is a large cushioned platform for two to four people, often with an umbrella or canopy, a small table and a server assigned to your row; it is rented for the day. A cabana is a private, covered structure with a sofa, chairs, a TV, a fridge, a fan or misters, sometimes a safe, and a dedicated server; it seats six to ten and is the highest tier short of a bungalow or grand cabana with its own plunge pool at the dayclubs. The names and inclusions vary by resort, so read the listing, but the ladder is the same everywhere.
Resort pool pricing
As of 2026, and always check the resort's own pool page: daybeds at resort pools run from about $100 on a weekday at a mid-tier property to $500-plus on a weekend at a flagship; cabanas from about $300 midweek to $1,500 or more on weekends at Caesars, Wynn, Mandalay Bay or Fontainebleau. Some resorts charge a flat rental and everything you order is on top; others price the rental as a food-and-drink credit; a few do both. Tax is added, and a service charge of 18 to 20 percent is often applied to the food and drink. Cabanas at adults-only enclosures cost more than at the main pool. The same cabana can be half the price on a Tuesday in May as on a Saturday in July, and the price gap between a good resort and a great one is smaller than people expect.
Dayclub pricing: the minimum spend
Dayclubs price everything as a minimum spend: you commit to buying at least a set amount of food and drink, and that commitment is the price of the table. A daybed at a big Strip dayclub might carry a $1,000 to $2,000 minimum on a weekend; a cabana $2,000 to $5,000-plus; a bungalow well into five figures on a headliner date. The minimum includes entry for the table's guest count and skips the general-admission line. What it does not include is tax, an automatic service charge of about 20 percent and a tip, so a $2,000 minimum becomes roughly $2,700 to $2,800 all-in. Bottles are priced at nightclub levels, so the minimum is reached fast; that is the point. Each dayclub guide in the hub has the range for that venue, and our tickets and guest lists guide explains the shared system.
What you actually get
At a resort pool, a cabana typically includes the structure, seating, a TV, a fridge stocked with water, towels, a fruit plate or similar on arrival at some resorts, and a server. Daybeds include the bed, an umbrella or canopy and server access. At a dayclub, a table includes entry, the space, a server and a security host; bottles come with mixers and ice; food is extra. Neither includes the sunscreen, the hat or the common sense. Confirm before booking whether the price is a rental, a credit or a minimum, whether it covers the guest count you need, and what time the reservation starts and ends; most run from opening to close, but some dayclubs sell half-day slots.
Tipping and service charges
Nearly every pool adds a service charge of 18 to 20 percent to food and drink, and dayclubs add it to the whole minimum. That charge is often shared with staff but is not always a full tip, so the convention is to add something for your server on top, 10 to 20 percent of the spend, more if the service was genuinely good, and a few dollars to the attendant who sets up your chairs. Cash tips are appreciated and quick. At dayclubs, a security host may also expect a tip if they have looked after your table. If the service charge is clearly labelled as a gratuity that goes to the staff, you can tip less; ask if it is unclear.
How to book
Book online through the resort's pool page or the dayclub's site; both show availability and prices by date. For resort pools, phone the pool desk if the site is unclear about inclusions or non-guest access. For dayclubs, a host will contact you after an online request to confirm the minimum and guest count; hotel concierges can also book, and VIP hosts and promoters sell the same tables with their own margins. Weekends and holidays sell out weeks ahead at the flagship pools and dayclubs; weekdays are often available the day before. Cancellation terms vary, with weather exceptions usually only for closures ordered by the resort. Read the terms and get the all-in figure in writing.
When it is worth it and when it is not
- Worth it: a group of four or more staying all day; any July or August day when shade is a safety matter; a celebration where you want a base; a dayclub weekend where the general-admission line is an hour and the table skips it.
- Not worth it: a couple who will swim and nap; a windy or overcast day; a resort pool on a quiet weekday when the free chairs under the umbrellas are empty; anyone who plans to leave by 2 pm.
- Middle ground: a daybed. For two to four people it delivers most of the benefit of a cabana at a third of the price.
Compare the cost against what you would spend anyway on drinks; a $400 credit-based cabana for six people who were going to buy $400 of drinks is nearly free. A $2,000 minimum for four people who drink sparingly is a bad deal however you cut it.
Mistakes to avoid
Booking without confirming the all-in figure. Assuming the price is a rental when it is a minimum, or vice versa. Bringing more guests than the booking allows and being charged per extra head. Turning up late and losing the reservation; most require check-in within the first hour or two. Forgetting that the reservation is for the pool, not the hotel, and that non-guests may need to enter through a specific gate. Booking a cabana on the DJ side when you wanted quiet, or on the quiet side when you wanted the party; ask which side you are on. And booking a dayclub table for a headliner you have never heard of at three times the price of the day before. For where to spend, see best resort pools and the dayclub guides.