Hotels of Las Vegas

1. Visit mid-week. Hotel rooms often cost three to four times as much on the weekends as during the week! Plus, with weekend crowds you’ll wait in line for everything. Mid-week visitors save tons of money and have a much better time.
2. Get a player’s card. Go to the Player’s Club desk at any casino you visit and sign up for a free player’s card, even if you don’t plan to gamble there. Then the casino will mail you offers for discounted or even free rooms on your next visit.
3. Don’t lose your shirt. Don’t bet more than you can afford to lose. Set a budget for each playing session and if you lose it, stop playing.
4. Don’t play slot machines. They suck your money away hand over fist. See our crash course on table games to have a much better chance of winning.
5. Tip the dealers $5/hr. and the cocktail waitresses $1 every drink or two.
6. Ask for comps. When you play either slots or table games the casino will reward you with buffets, show tickets, or room discounts. Ask at the player’s club booth (slot players) or at the tables (table players) for how to claim your goodies. (more on comps)
7. Use the buses. The #108 goes from the airport to the Stratosphere and then to downtown, for only $1.25 — or pay $2.50 for a Day Pass and then ride the Deuce for only 50¢. The Deuce runs the whole strip and to & from downtown for only $2.00, or $5.00 for 24-hour all-you-can-ride pass, or only 50¢ if you got a day pass from the #108 bus.
8. Don’t try to get taxis on the strip. Taxis can’t stop directly on the strip; that’s why they’re passing you by. Go to the taxi area of the hotel to get one. Up to 4 people ride for the same price as 1; if there’s just 2 of you, don’t be afraid to yell out, “Anyone want to split a cab to [some casino]?” It doesn’t just save money, it’s eco-friendly.
9. Walk. The whole strip is four miles long and you could walk the whole thing in an hour and a half. When there’s traffic it’s the fastest way to get around.
10. Get Half-Price Show Tickets. You can get half-price tickets for most Vegas shows at one of the three booths on the Strip (just S. of the Riviera, outside the Fashion Show Mall across from the Wynn, and in the Hawaiian Marketplace across from the Monte Carlo), or downtown (outside the Four Queens).
11. Bank your winnings. Set aside half your win when you win big, and never gamble it, so you have a guaranteed win.

5 Stars (with casino)

These hotels and resorts are known for their upscale to luxurious rooms and for their superior level of customer service. Each property has access to a full-service casino or features a full-service casino on the property. All have on-property access to world-class entertainment, attractions and/or world-class art exhibits. All have upscale to resort-style pools, upscale to resort-class spas, full-service business centers, fitness centers and access to high-end restaurants and multiple restaurant choices.

5 Stars** (without casino)

These hotels and resorts are known for their upscale to luxurious rooms and for their superior level of customer service. All have upscale to resort-style pools, upscale to resort-class spas, full-service business centers, fitness centers and access to high-end restaurants and multiple restaurant choices.

4.5 Stars (with casino)

Hotels and resorts in this class feature high-quality to upscale rooms and are recognized for their higher level of customer service. All have a full-service casino or a casino and full-service resort facilities. All have access to recreational activities and/or first-class entertainment and nightlife options. All have upscale pools, business centers, fitness centers, access to upscale restaurants and access to upscale spas.

4.5 Stars** (without casino)

Hotels and resorts in this class feature high-quality to upscale rooms and are recognized for their higher level of customer service. All have full-service resort facilities. All have upscale pools, business centers, fitness centers, access to upscale restaurants and access to upscale spas.

4 Stars (with casino)

These hotels feature high-quality rooms and a high level of customer service. All have a full-service casino, recognized entertainment, fitness centers and access to shopping, nightclubs and/or attractions. All have multiple restaurants, higher-end pools and spas on or near the property. Most have business centers.

4 Stars** (without casino)

Hotels in this class feature upscale rooms and a higher level of customer service. All have pools, full-service business centers, fitness centers and access to a high-end restaurant.

3.5 Stars (with casino)

These hotels feature nicer rooms and an attention to customer service. All have access to a full-service casino and access to shows, golf courses or spas. All have fitness centers and nicer pool areas, and some have spas. All have access to more than one restaurant and fine dining options. Most have business centers.

3.5 Stars** (without casino)

Hotels in this class feature high-quality rooms and a high level of customer service. All have business centers, pools and fitness centers and some additional property amenities.

3 Stars (with casino)

These hotels feature standard to above-average rooms and a standard level of customer service. All have access to a full-service casino, access to lounge-style entertainment or better and pools. The properties offer more than one restaurant or one restaurant and a buffet. Some have fitness centers; some have business centers as well as additional property amenities.

3 Stars** (without casino)

Hotels in this class feature above-average rooms and an attention to customer service. All have pools and fitness centers and some have additional property amenities.

2.5 Stars (with casino)

These hotels feature standard rooms and a standard level of customer service. All have access to a casino, lounge entertainment or better. All have one or more restaurants or buffets. Some have pools, gift shops or other shopping options.

2.5 Stars** (without casino)

Hotels in this class feature standard rooms and a standard level of customer service. All have pools, and most have fitness areas.

2 Stars

These hotels and motels feature basic rooms and amenities. Some have casinos and lounge entertainment. Most have access to at least one restaurant and a gift shop.

1 Star

These no-frills hotels and motels fulfill a traveler’s basic needs with clean rooms.

Las Vegas‘ downtown still has the same low rent gaming that made the town famous generations ago. It’s two miles North of the strip, and it can be as much fun as the mega-resorts to the South. If you’re staying downtown and have a car, the El Cortez has nice rooms on the hotel’s East end, great prices, and good room availability when rooms are hard to find. It also has good dining options for both price and quality. However it’s a couple blocks too far from the main downtown casino area to walk, considering the neighborhood. If you’re staying downtown without a car you might want to call a number of places to check on prices and availability. After giving them your dates it’s always a good idea to ask what specials they are running. Another thing to ask about is the room. Since the whole town is in a continual state of renovation, ask if your room will be in the new tower, or has been recently renovated. The Plaza at the end of the Fremont Street strip has good rooms at good prices, with the South tower most convienient if you’ll have a car. Some other places downtown you might want to check out are, Main Street Station, Fremont, Las Vegas Club and Golden Nugget. If you are gambling downtown in the evening be sure to step outside on the hour (Remember I told you to bring a watch.) to see the Fremont Street Experience, an animated overhead sign with a musical soundtrack. The music and sound system are outstanding. It’s cute, it’s fun, it’s free, and there are at least five different hourly shows, each lasting around 5 minutes. For late night dining downtown I’d suggest the Las Vegas Club. And for a Shrimp Coctail the 99 cent offering at the Golden Gate is the best. If you are a Texas Hold-em poker player, Binion’s Horseshoe, where they used to host the World Series Of Poker, offers a lot of tournaments for small buy-ins, and plenty of lively cash games too. At least once an hour they hold a one table tournament where 10 players put up 65 bucks and the winner gets $550. The west wall of their poker roon has photos of the WSOP winners. Across the street at the Golden Nugget they have a nice assortment of cash games and various daily tornaments. Also downtown, the Plaza holds frequent poker tournaments with small buy-ins and spreads a variety of cash games. On Thursday nights, the Mirage on the strip has a $200 tournament. The Bellagio has daily mid-priced tournaments, with satellites at 9 AM. If you stop by the Nugget or Horseshoe poker rooms you’ll find some cool poker magazines for free, including Card Player, always a good read for poker enthusiasts.

If you’ll be on the strip without a car, you should shoot for the middle of the strip. This leaves you with way too many reasonable choices, so let’s make it simple. Upscale, try Caesar’s Palace. Downscale, cross the street to Imperial Palace. (whose auto collection is a freebie worth taking advantage of) The strip is about 3 miles long, so being in the middle makes it easy to tour the strip on foot. If you’re in town for anything at the Convention Center, the closest hotel is the Las Vegas Hilton, followed by the Riviera across the street. Both are good hotels with reasonable prices. That general area is toward the North end of the strip. The Riviera is on the strip, the Convention Center and Hilton are on Paradise Road, one block East. The cheapest accomodations in that part of the strip would be Westward Ho. Part of the slots area at the LV Hilton is sci-fi themed in connection with their Star Trek ride. It’s a must-see, that shows a lot of thought went into every detail, including the best restrooms in LV! In May of ‘98 the Hilton was actually fined several hundred thousand dollars by the Nevada Gaming Commission because of children playing the machines in the SpaceQuest area adjacent to the Star Trek ride. It’s a shame, because some of the machines are activated by placing your hand through a set of sensors, and parents were letting the kids activate the machines without actually touching them, but the NGC took a dim view. The Hilton has sinced added security in the area, and added signs. Please don’t let your kids play the machines at the Hilton, or anywhere else. If you’re looking for lodging at the South end of the strip, the choices are less than ideal, as those hotels tend to be too big, or too noisy, or even too far South. The Tropicana, or Luxor, or even the boring, generic looking Monte Carlo might be worth a try, although I think I’d opt for avoiding a stay at that end of the strip. Excalibur would be an acceptable choice if you’re bringing kids. Interestingly, all the casinos on the west side of the strip from Treasure Island to Mandalay Bay are owned by MGM, except for Caesar’s Palace

• You can never drink enough water while in Vegas, especially during the summer. Between the 10% humidity outside and the raging Air Conditioning inside, dehydration can quickly become a problem.
• The usual check out time for most hotel is 11AM or noon, but a simple phone call to the front desk can usually get you at least an extra hour or two just for asking. Many places are now openly advertising late checkouts (as late 6PM) for $20 or $25.
• Even if you have only been playing for a short time, ask the slot club or pit boss for a “line pass.” It will allow you to use the VIP line at a restaurant bypassing the regular line and plus it makes you feel “special.” 9 times out of 10 they won’t turn you down (except at a Harrah’s property apparently!) because it doesn’t cost the casino anything.
• Check out the $6.95 Sirloin Dinner at the Ellis Island Casino. It is located behind Bally’s on Koval Lane and it is the best deal in town. It is an excellent steak with salad, potato, veggies and rolls. They also serve the best damn root beer I have ever had. The place will certainly never be confused with Bellagio but don’t let the “down home” feel of it dissuade from a great meal.

• Spend some time learning about the games you intend to play. If you are willing to blow a $1000, wouldn’t it be a decent idea to spend $10 on a book to learn the basic rules and strategy?
• There is a different angle to every game in the casino. Even with slot machines, a few little tips can go a long way toward helping you hold on to your money longer.
• If you play games of skill such as Blackjack or Video Poker, try to learn at least a basic form of strategy for your game. It can make all the difference between having money to gamble all vacation or busting out on your first night.
• You can purchase simple strategy cards at most casino gift shops. For a more extensive selection, check out Shop LVA or Gambler’s General Store. Don’t feel intimidated about using them at the tables; most places don’t care, especially at low stakes.
• Games to avoid… Casino War, the Big Six wheel and crazy bets at the Craps table like hard-ways. These bets have a very high house edge and will kill you fast.
• Always sign up for the slot club or ask to be “rated” at the tables. The worst thing that can happen is the casinos will give you free stuff. I often receive offers in the mail for cheap or free rooms after playing a little while years ago.
• If possible, consolidate your gambling to just a few casinos. It is better to play $100 at a single casino than to play $20 at 5 casinos.

• If you are taking a cab from the airport, be very careful of the “tunnel scam.” This trick will turn an $8 ride into a $20 trip to the cleaners. If you are staying on the south strip (MGM, NYNY, etc) make sure you say to the driver, “Do Not Use The Tunnel!” Even for the center strip hotels such as Flamingo and Venetian, the tunnel is unacceptable. The only exceptions are downtown or off-strip places such as Red Rock or Green Valley.
• If it is your first trip to Vegas and you are staying on the strip, you probably won’t need a rental car because there is plenty to see within walking distance.
• If you have been to Vegas several times, consider renting a car. Las Vegas has some of the cheapest rental rates in the country. At about $20 a day, if you take a cab twice a day, it will pay for itself.
• If you do plan to drive in town, AVOID THE STRIP. Buy a map and learn Industrial Blvd and Frank Sinatra Dr. to the West of the Strip. These roads will cut north/south travel time immensely. For east/west travel, Desert Inn Dr. goes under the strip and completely eliminates the problems that plague roads like Flamingo and Tropicana.
• Use the monorails. The main Monorail extends along the east side of the Strip from MGM to Sahara and may eventually extend all the way downtown (or go broke!) Currently, it costs $5 for a one way ticket and $15 for a 1 day pass, 6 ride and 3 day passes are available. There are also two smaller monorails that are free: Mirage to Treasure Island and Mandalay Bay - Luxor - Excalibur

• Since room rates in Vegas tend to be all over the place, even for the same hotel, a little leg work can save a bundle. Try the room discounters on the net, call the hotel’s 800 number, and check the hotel website, then compare. Also, check out our Offers page for any current room deals. (You can find reliable Hotels links above this post.)
• When packing, seriously think about the weather in Vegas. Like room prices, it can be all over the place. Even in summer, when it is 110 outside, the casinos are still a frosty 65. Also remember that even though Vegas is in the desert, winter can be quite cold and regularly falls to near freezing at night.
• Think about the new travel regulations. The liquids in a carry-on rule can be a total nightmare.
• Check out collection of Hotel Room Photos from many of the casinos. These are the actual rooms they hand out to guests, not the ones they prettied up for the hotel web sites!