Las Vegas - Recommendations for 3 Generation Family Trip to Las Vegas

Next year my father's 90th birthday and my nieces 21st - they'll be legal - birthday will be within a couple of weeks of one another (in June/July). My brother thought a 3-4 day family get-together/celebration in Las Vegas might be fun. I haven't been in Las Vegas for about 5 years - maybe more.

Last time - we stayed at a suite in the Bellagio - the hotel was excellent and the suite was beautiful and relatively inexpensive. But they seem to be over $500/night now. I don't think everyone in our group wants to pay this much -and we may also be paying for some guests - like elderly aunts and uncles.

What properties would you recommend at the less than luxury but very nice level? Maybe $200-300/night max? Any specific kinds of rooms in a really nice place that might be good values? With amenities that might appeal to guests of various ages. I guess one thing we'd be looking for in the summer is nice pool facilities which don't get totally zoo'd out when it's hot. The Bellagio might be ok for these things - but I am not familiar with any of the newer properties.

Also - is it possible to negotiate a discount rate for a small block of rooms - like more than 5 and fewer than 15? If so - how do you do it?

Note that there won't be any "whales" in this group. One person in the group might wager $1-2000/night - but most - like me - don't gamble at all - or only throw $25/night into the slots.

One thing I definitely want to avoid is any hotel with two classes of guests (in terms of things like pool facilities - service - etc.) - although I wouldn't mind a hotel like the Bellagio where - if someone wants a regular room - they can get a regular room - and - if someone else wants a suite - they can get a suite. Thanks for any help you can give me. Robyn

you have amex plat right?

id suggest considering getting some additional plat cards, IIRC its 3 rooms per card for FHR bookings.

you might weigh group FHR booking vs group discount.

FHR >
-Four Seasons (424 rooms) (also virtuoso)
-THEhotel (1120 rooms)
-Bellagio (3005 rooms)
-Wynn / Wynn Tower*
-Venetian / Venezia*

OTOH you might be able to combine a group discount with a virtuoso booking at Four Seasons too.. benefits >
-Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
-Daily Continental Breakfast for two, served in room or at the Verandah
-Complimentary daily parking ($14 per day value)
-$50 Spa Credit, offered Feb 5-8, May28-Aug20 and Nov16-Dec27, Mon-Thurs only

i believe virtuoso also has 10% discount at FS to begin with, while FHR might not, dont remember.

Wynn virtuoso benefits >
-Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability
-A $20 per person breakfast credit per day (max 2 people) at Terrace Point Café
-Early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability
-Two complimentary passes per stay to the Fitness Center & Spa (a $25.00 per person value)
*Please Note: Virtuoso amenities apply only towards the contracted Virtuoso rates unless otherwise specified. Virtuoso amenities are NOT applicable towards specially negotiated Group rates or Group bookings. Virtuoso amenities are NOT applicable towards other promotional packages, promotional rates nor are they combinable with other consortia programs.

* edit - whoops, sorry, just noticed what you said about "towers" etc. that would eliminate Wynn and Venetian.

also, you might check out this thread on larger occupancy suites/villas/etc >
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=754658

and the best property in terms of offering good stuff to those who want to spend more id say is thehotel. very cheap entry prices (base rooms/suites) but still good value penthouses. similar size/price to skylofts, with one floor layouts (linked in above linked thread) that might be better for parties and whatnot.

(comparatively, FS gets expensive fast, and bellagio doesnt really have great high end bookable stuff.)

One thing I definitely want to avoid is any hotel with two classes of guests (in terms of things like pool facilities - service - etc.) - although I wouldn't mind a hotel like the Bellagio where - if someone wants a regular room - they can get a regular room - and - if someone else wants a suite - they can get a suite. Thanks for any help you can give me. Robyn

I'd recommend the Monte Carlo. Regular rooms and different suites to choose from. Middle of the strip location makes it readily accessible to other casinos. Reasonable rates even on weekends except for the busiest of weekends (e.g. conventions, etc.).

If your dates are flexible and can go on weekdays, based on your stated budget, suggest Venetian's all suite hotel, probably can get by with at least one or two fewer rooms by getting a suite with two beds and each suite has a sofa bed.

On the off chance you're not an Amex Plat, LOL....

Does your Dad like the heat? June/July can get pretty hot in LV, especially July. The upside is that hotels usually get pretty aggressive with their promotions over the summer. You might want to consider targeting three or four hotels that you are interested in and signing up for their emails. You might be surprised at the some of the deals that will come your way, even for higher-end properties. But the best deals for summer likely won't come along until spring.

In terms of group discounts, you'd probably have to check with each property to be sure. In general I've seen hotels post group booking policies for 10 or more rooms.

Most (all?) of the major strip hotels offer both regular rooms and suites. (Although the Venetian is an all-suite hotel, the standard suites are really junior suites, i.e. one large room. But they are very nice.) A nice four-star property that might be a less expensive alternative to Bellagio is Paris. It's essentially across the street from Bellagio, and even the basic rooms are very nice.

to clarify, anyone can book through virtuoso (FS) for free.

my memory could be wrong, but OP is a regular poster in luxury hotels forum, so its not like my question was out of left field.

even without FHR discount and benefits, id still say THEhotel is probably best fit for what OP was discussing. OTOH while its almost a different name, it might still qualify as two classes of guests.. (since its @ Mandalay Bay)

FS is very nice and small, and group+virtuoso would probably mean a good discount.

and OP has experience with Bellagio, which would also work in case they particularly like/prefer the atmosphere etc.

I'd recommend the Monte Carlo. I'd avoid Monte Carlo because of all the construction going on next door at CityCenter. I don't even think they have a parking garage.
Paris is a nice, reasonably-priced hotel/casino in a great location. MGM Grand is pretty decent too, with a lot of different room choices. Great amenities there (i.e., restaurants).

I think wherever you go, the pools are going to be crowded in the summer.

FS and THEhotel are at least better in terms of pool crowd.

another option might be the Signature @ MGM (a condohotel) - definitely decent value (1BR suites with sofabed) and some people really it. nongaming like FS and THEhotel, although unlike them the casinos are not adjacent. of course there are also no high end units.