What the Cosmopolitan is
The Cosmopolitan opened in December 2010 on an 8.7-acre sliver of land between Bellagio and CityCenter that had once been a parking lot; the project went bankrupt during construction and Deutsche Bank finished it. Blackstone bought it in 2014 and sold the operation to MGM Resorts in 2022, so it is now an MGM property with MGM Rewards, though it kept its own look and staff. It has around 3,000 rooms in two towers, a casino spread across three levels, a rooftop pool overlooking the boulevard and a restaurant collection that punches far above its size.
It has the best location on the Strip, full stop: on the west side of the boulevard at the Center Strip, connected to Bellagio by a walkway, to Crystals and Aria via the Harmon corridor, and a ten-minute walk from Paris, Planet Hollywood and Caesars. If you want to be in the middle of everything, this is the middle.
Free: the Chandelier, the art and the lobby columns
The Chandelier is a three-storey bar built inside two million crystal beads hanging in the middle of the casino, and it is the resort's calling card. Walking through and up the staircase is free and worth doing; cocktails run $18 to $25 as of 2026, and the off-menu Verbena drink with the "buzz button" flower is the thing to order once.
The lobby has eight 15-foot digital columns that run rotating video art, and the property commissioned artwork through its P3 studio that appears in corridors and on the parking-garage walls, where the graffiti murals are the biggest surprise. The Boulevard Pool terrace overlooking the Strip is guests-only, but the Wicked Spoon level and the third-floor restaurant row are public and have windows over the boulevard and the Bellagio fountains. For the best free fountain view without a room, stand on the Cosmopolitan-to-Bellagio walkway.
Attractions and nightlife inside
The Cosmopolitan's identity is nightlife and dining rather than shows. Marquee Nightclub and Marquee Dayclub on the pool level have run since opening and remain among the busiest in the city, with covers from $30 to $100-plus and table minimums far higher. The Chelsea is a 3,200-capacity concert venue with a rotating line-up, and the Opium variety show in the Spiegeltent runs most nights; check the official site for current programming.
Block 16 Urban Food Hall on the second floor brings outposts of well-known restaurants from other cities under one roof. The Sahra Spa has a hammam and a salt cave. Downstairs, the Ghost Donkey mezcal bar hides behind an unmarked door near Block 16. For where the Cosmopolitan's clubs and shows sit among the rest of the Strip, see shows and nightlife.
Dining highlights
No resort of this size eats better. é by José Andrés is an eight-seat tasting counter hidden inside Jaleo that needs booking months ahead and costs $300-plus. Zuma (Japanese izakaya), Momofuku (the David Chang restaurant, with the excellent Milk Bar counter), Beauty & Essex (New York small plates behind a pawn-shop facade), STK (steak with a DJ), Scarpetta (Italian with fountain views), Red Plate (Chinese) and LPM (French Riviera) are all $80 to $200 a head.
At the cheap end, the unmarked pizza counter on the third floor, known to everyone as Secret Pizza, does New York slices for under $10 until late; find it down the record-lined hallway past Blue Ribbon. Eggslut in Block 16 does breakfast sandwiches, Wicked Spoon is a buffet in the $45 to $70 range with good individual-portion presentation, and Milk Bar does cereal-milk soft serve. Price bands and rankings are in the dining hub.
Pools, casino and the vibe
Three pools. The Boulevard Pool on the fourth floor is the signature: a terrace over the Strip that becomes an outdoor cinema and concert venue some nights and an ice rink in winter. The Marquee Dayclub pool is the party. The Chelsea Pool on the 14th floor is quieter and adults-only. All guests-only with wristbands, seasonal hours, cabanas from a few hundred dollars up.
The casino is smaller than its neighbours and spread over three levels, with the Chandelier at its heart. It is loud, well-lit and skews young; table minimums run $15 to $50. There is a decent sportsbook on the second floor. The vibe is the most self-consciously stylish on the Strip: a mixed crowd of couples, groups of friends in their 20s and 30s and bachelor and bachelorette parties, a lot of music, and less of the convention feel of Aria or the formality of Bellagio.
Rooms and who should stay here
The Cosmopolitan's advantage is the terrace room: because the towers were designed as condos, many rooms have real balconies, and those on the east side of the Boulevard Tower face the Bellagio fountains. A Terrace Studio is around 500 square feet; a Terrace One Bedroom around 880 with a kitchenette. Non-terrace City Rooms and Wraparound Terrace Suites fill out the range. Rooms were refreshed in 2018 and 2019; a further update cycle began in 2024. Rates as of 2026 run roughly $200 to $450 midweek and $350 to $800-plus at weekends, plus a resort fee of about $50 plus tax. Fountain-view terrace rooms carry a premium worth paying once.
The Cosmopolitan suits couples, groups of friends, nightlife-minded visitors, foodies and anyone who wants the best location on the Strip. It suits fewer families (there is a lot of party energy and the pools are adult-oriented), fewer light sleepers (ask for a high floor away from Marquee) and fewer people who want calm. See the hotels hub for the trade-offs against Bellagio and Aria.
Parking, fees and getting there
Self-parking is in the multi-level garage entered from Harmon Avenue, with the mural-covered walls mentioned above. MGM Resorts charges non-guests and most guests a daily fee, roughly $18 to $25 as of 2026, waived for higher MGM Rewards tiers and Nevada residents. Valet is at the main entrance off the boulevard. Check the current policy before you arrive.
Getting there: the Bally's/Paris monorail station is across the boulevard via the Bellagio-Paris bridge, about ten minutes. The Aria tram is reachable through Crystals in about ten minutes. From LAS, a rideshare takes 15 to 20 minutes and costs $20 to $30. On foot, Bellagio is five minutes via the connecting walkway, Aria 5 to 10 through Crystals, Paris and Planet Hollywood 10 across the Harmon bridge, Caesars Palace 15. See the transportation hub for everything else.