Las Vegas - Vegas: Stay on the strip OR off the strip in preferred hotel chain

When going to Vegas do people mostly stay on the strip and forego racking up miles/points with stays at their preferred hotel program chains or do you stay off the strip and continue to rack up the points/get upgrades?

Secondary question: If you stay off the strip, how easily do you get upgrades? I am a newly minted HH Diamond and am going to attempt to get some type of complimentary status match to MR since my new company prefers them to Hilton.

Thanks!

At vegas I stay at the corner w/ Trop, NYNY, MGM, Excalibur. I like Luxor its 1 hotel over from Excalibur but nice rooms and has a train over to excalibur

Or I goto the other corner with Ballys, Bellagio, Ceasers.

I personally like, Luxor, MGM and Ballys(if i am looking for a deal)

I see your Starwood, Alladin is part of Starwood.

Maybe its time to start working on your status at a Casino..

my company likes priceline (i did too back when i was the recipient of everyone's anythingpoints) so i've done a lot of marriott/embsuites/westin vegas. while there's nothing wrong with those hotels, my current stand is that if i'm going to go vegas, i want do it kind of right (there are plenty of other marriotts with free hbo). you needn't stay on the strip (personally, i prefer downtown), but at least find a hotel with a casino.

A lot has to do with the purpose of the visit; but,
unless you have some reason to be off the strip [like a conference or something specific] at an off-strip property --- I strongly suggest you forgo the points and stay on the strip. Vegas has so much to offer, and your nights will be pretty late. It is just great to be able to cruise the different properties on the strip and then walk back to your hotel property. [or take a very short cab ride]

Another good point is to take advantage of the many offers from casinos for joining their player clubs. In many cases, you will find all types of sign up bonuses... and you will receive future offers for discounts [or free] hotel stays... even if you do NOT play very much.

Of course, if you do play, you should research and stay at a property based on your level of gambling to maximize comps and possibly reduce the cost of your hotel stay to $0.

To add more information here:

I have never been to Vegas and this trip has me going for a conference that is being help at the Mandalay Bay Resort/Casino. I can either stay on the strip or a little off the strip in a new MR Renaissance property that looks gorgeous that just opened up last year.

I am not a big gambler (although I enjoy it a little bit) so I do want to check out the casinos. I guess my first trip should be a "strip" trip after which I should be tired of all the action and want to stay where I can earn more points :)

Thanks for your thoughts!

Bah humbug!

I didn’t like the Venetian very much when I stayed there. The people who worked there were fabulous, but the room was… rather naff.

I also checked into the Westin on this visit thanks to a marvellous weekend deal on Priceline ($75 a room) – It was much nicer to get to the strip walking a couple of blocks outside in the open air than having to navigate all those stifling lobbies and corridors to get there from our room in the Venetian.

All in all, we were out on the strip much quicker once we’d left our room in the Westin than from the Venetian.

Not an opinion most people here would echo, but it’s my own, and I’m sticking to it.

P.S. We LOVED our stay at the Golden Nugget though!

All in all, we were out on the strip much quicker once we’d left our room in the Westin than from the Venetian.

Not an opinion most people here would echo, but it’s my own, and I’m sticking to it.

I will echo it. Staying at a smaller off-the-strip-but-nearby property is much easier. At the very least it won't take you 10 minutes to walk from your car to the hotel elevator and you will most likely not find yourself to be #25 in the taxi line at the front desk.

I stay at the Westin whenever I go to Vegas. It's compact enough and close enough to the strip, at least as far as I'm concerned. It's not perfect by any means, and upgrades are nonexistent, unless you count being put up on an SPG floor, but I will still take the no hassle of the Westin vs. one of the big on-strip properties.

I've stayed off strip at the Marriott Suites and the Hilton. I've stayed on strip at the Luxor, the MGM, NY-NY, Monte Carlo.

I would not recommend staying at the Marriott Suites. It's a nice hotel, but it doesn't feel like Vegas. No slot machines in the lobby! The Hilton was okay, but it was really cold when I was there and the walk to the strip was a pain.

I was there on work, and it was occasionally a pain to be walking out of the hotels at 7 in the morning in business attire with a laptop and looking at the drunks at the slot machines who hadn't gone to bed yet. But that being said, I still think staying at the strip is preferable, because of the intangible feel that one gets that they are in Vegas.

When I go to LV, I stay at the ES off strip (and earn points :D ). Personally, I would rather stay off Strip and get from my room to my car in 1-2 minutes. If I stayed on the Strip, it may take 10-20 minutes just to get to the car! :eek:

When you stay at an off Strip hotel, it only takes minutes (5 or so at most) to get to a Strip hotel. But if your on the Strip, and want to go somewhere, it may take 20 minutes to go 1 block! :eek:

Although the ES (or Marriott, Residence Inn, Courtyard, etc...) does not have slot machines in the lobby, I'll take that over a 10-20 minute walk to the car! If I want to play the slots or tables, I can drive to the Strip in 5 minutes or less! :D (Most Strip casinos also have entrances not on the Strip.)

Also remember - distances from many Strip casinos to other Strip casinos are NOT within easy walking distances! (Example - MGM to Venetian) You will need to drive anyway. If you walk the 2 miles or so, allow 1 1/2 to 2 hours, if you drive on the Strip, it may take 30-40 minutes, but from the ES, I can get to either in less than 5 minutes!

Also remember - distances from many Strip casinos to other Strip casinos are NOT within easy walking distances! (Example - MGM to Venetian) You will need to drive anyway. If you walk the 2 miles or so, allow 1 1/2 to 2 hours, if you drive on the Strip, it may take 30-40 minutes, but from the ES, I can get to either in less than 5 minutes!

Good points, but... it shouldn't take you 1-1/2 to 2 hours to walk MGM to Venetian, and... you can always take the monorail from MGM to the Harrah/Imperial stop.

If you tend to go to a number of casinos on the strip, driving from Casino to Casino can be quite tedious... you probably would be better off taking a cab or walking... though, I have know a number of people who prefer to do it this way.

also, I would "assume" most people visiting for pleasure like to have a few drinks... this is my biggest issue; if you are tied to driving from place to place on the strip you really cannot have very much to drink at all.

I guess I just really enjoy my cocktails in The Vegas :D

moved from TravelBuzz! in order to concentrate Las Vegas specific posts in the Las Vegas forum. Thanks!

--richard, moderator

To the OP: Given that your conference is in Mandalay, I would shoot for one of the hotels that has decent access.

I wouldn't stay in Mandalay itself (or the 4 Seasons, which your employer would probably veto anyway) because it was pretty dead when I was in Vegas over xmas and I'd also pass on ExCalibre and NY.

However, both the MGM (a cut above the other places in the area without being too stuffy) and the Luxor (suites are on par with standard rooms at your Marriott property, in terms of price) would be on my radar.

I visit Las Vegas frequently, usually on weekends, and I try to stay where I can get hotel brand elite credits. This last weekend I stayed at the Hilton Vacation Club South Strip (across from the Sahara). I had purchased a 24 hour bus pass so it was easy for me to travel up and down the Strip as needed. I did not want to deal with a rental car, traffic and parking this time. Staying at a chain usually gets around the "no Saturday arrival/two day minimum stay" requirement I often find at Strip casino/hotel properties.

The name of the game in Vegas is comps, but to get them you have to gamble (see other posts), and if you don't know the games (studied them before arrival) you might as well opt for the SPG points -- the Westin Casuarina is a great hotel for you. It is about a $12 cab ride from the Mandalay. You could also forego the points and stay at the Mandalay or Luxor (near where you need to be).

Just be sure to stay away from "Lake Las Vegas"--you don't want to be 30+ minutes away from the action

You could also forego the points and stay at the Mandalay or Luxor (near where you need to be).
The rate at the MR Ren is actually about $30 lower than the pre-negotiated rate for the Mandalay. I can get away with booking the Mandalay because thats where the conference is; however, if there isnt anything real exciting about the Mandalay we can stay at the new MR Ren instead and still earn points.

I hate these kinds of decisions :mad:

I have always stayed at the MGM, even though I'm an SPG. I considered staying at the Aladdin, but just can't tear myself away from the MGM (where I love the atmosphere, gambling, and food). It really depends on what you're going for in Vegas and where you enjoy spending your time and money.

As for getting points and upgrades, the Aladdin is known to be good with giving Golds and Plats upgraded rooms/suites. Also, you can bypass the long lines as an VIP at the Spice Market Buffet when you have a Gold/Plat card.

I'm biased away from the chains and to the various strip hotels, especially when they have a nice promotion going on.

From what I hear, the Westin Casuarina does not do much for Gold/Plat as there are very few suites there and they save them for paid/comped guests. I don't know anyting about the Hilton.

I always stay on the strip, which usually means earning no points, but it is worth it to be near the action, which is why I am in Vegas in the first place.

I always stay on the strip, which usually means earning no points, but it is worth it to be near the action, which is why I am in Vegas in the first place.


Amen to that.

To the OP - if you are in Vegas, do Vegas. Stay on the strip. Even if you are not a gambler you can walk the other hotel casinos and take in the spectacles. If your a HH Dia, you probably already have a ton of points and spend lots of hours in non descript, look-a-like hotel rooms as it is. Vegas has the highest concentration of unique, over the top, never-to-be-seen-elsewhere hotels, sights and sounds in the world. And they are on the strip. Take advantage of it and enjoy.

Besides, a trip Vegas often involves drinking. For some folks, alot of drinking. Do you really want to worry about driving back to your hotel at 3 a.m. after a "What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas" kind of night? (you'd be surprised how quickly and how easily a staid business event in Vegas can devolve into a night you wish you could remember. There's just something about that town....)

When going to Vegas do people mostly stay on the strip and forego racking up miles/points with stays at their preferred hotel program chains or do you stay off the strip and continue to rack up the points/get upgrades?

Non sequitur. As an SPG Gold, you can stay on the strip and continue to rack up the points/get upgrades. Just stay at Aladdin.

Next! :D :D :D

Non sequitur. As an SPG Gold, you can stay on the strip and continue to rack up the points/get upgrades. Just stay at Aladdin.

Next! :D :D :D

Will it still be part of SPG even after the Planet Hollywood "re-branding" of the property ?

Will it still be part of SPG even after the Planet Hollywood "re-branding" of the property ?

Actually, it was the rebranding that prompted the change to a Sheraton. So, yes, it wil remain a Starwood property after they complete the rebranding.

If you tend to go to a number of casinos on the strip, driving from Casino to Casino can be quite tedious... you probably would be better off taking a cab or walking... though, I have know a number of people who prefer to do it this way.

The one thing I will say, is that the free valet makes driving easy. I agree with baccarat_king that if you are a drinker forget about the driving. The last time we stayed at MGM I don't think we even left the property. (short trip though)

If you are going there on thier dime just have fun, forget about points... If you really want to be pampered up it to the 4seasons at Mandalay ^ ^ ^ ^
Just sit back and watch the people, check the events maybe a performer you like will be there, you have to live a little, there are things there that you will never be able to see or do anywhere or time... read my quip here http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=517311 ;)

When going to Vegas do people mostly stay on the strip and forego racking up miles/points with stays at their preferred hotel program chains or do you stay off the strip and continue to rack up the points/get upgrades?

Secondary question: If you stay off the strip, how easily do you get upgrades? I am a newly minted HH Diamond and am going to attempt to get some type of complimentary status match to MR since my new company prefers them to Hilton.

Thanks!

Since you are a HHonors member, you do have options on the Strip - the Grand Vacations Club. Even if you stay 'off the Strip', say at LV Hilton, you can use the Monorail (the hotel's connected to the train stop) and get to anywhere on the strip in less than 5 minutes! Sometimes, the hotel may have complimentary rail passes (it's about $3 per ride)!

To get to Mandalay Bay from LV Hilton though, you will have to get off at MGM Grand (last monorail stop), then walk over to Excalibur and take the free train service to the MBay.

I would certainly not recommend renting a car, if you are planning to limit your activity to on/near the Strip. Cab rides are cheap and possibly quicker in getting around, than dealing with traffic and parking!

Viva Lost Wages! Enjoy your 1st time!

I heartily agree, if you can, stay on the strip. The rail passes are now $5 per person, but you can buy unlimited rides per day for $15. However, if you have more than one person, it is far cheaper to take a cab. We (2 persons)took a cab from the Rio back to MGM, using the freeway and the cost was $10, same if we had taken the monorail but much quicker and more convenient. Our alternative was wait for the Rio-Harrahs shuttle, operating every half an hour, and then take the monorial from Harrah's to MGM ($10 for 2 persons).