gottaluvNW

I am taking the extended family for a short Las Vegas holiday. Three generations: the grandparents, us, our kids.

We hope to go up and down the strip, enjoy the sights, perhaps head out to see Hoover Dam. Where would you stay if you were in our shoes? As an exception to a standard rule, I am not trying to focus on a budget - more of providing a great experience to the family.

Largish rooms are required - ideally (but not necessarily) with interconnecting rooms. An indoor pool would be nice as would a kids club (to leave the little ones there for a couple of hours). A good casino either in the property or around the corner too.

I have top tier status at some of the chain hotels so this may come in handy with suite upgrades - aside from this, where would you stay for a comfortable and enjoyable experience both in and out of the hotel?

And finally - this is intended to be a 1-2 night trip during a week of holidays in the US. Are there pros and cons to doing Las Vegas on a weekday vs. the weekend in terms of pricing, generally? We will be doing this during the school holiday week of 17-24 October.

Non-NonRev

Starting with some basics:

1. Vegas is very much a weekend town. Rates change daily, and Friday/Saturday nights can be far more expensive than Sunday through Thursday nights.

2. Having said that, even Sunday to Thursday rates can ìnflate if a major convention is taking place.

3. All pools are outdoor.

4. After an unsuccessful attempt to position itself as a family destination in the 1990s and early 2000s, Vegas does not go out of its way to provide attractions like kids clubs (although there are some things to do that kids will like).

5. Status in hotel programs is mostly not a factor in trying to guarantee upgrades (those are mostly controlled by the casino division of the hotel). Some chain programs do have marketing agreements with the major Vegas Strip hotel operators that allow for point earnings etc.

Assuming you will have a car. Do the older members of the party have mobility issues?

Possibilities:

1. Larger than average rooms can be had at the Venetian and Palazzo (sister hotels next to each other) - base rooms are almost 700 square feet. It is at the northern part of the main cluster of Strip hotels (near the Wynn). Many many restaurant options in all price ranges. Affiliated with IHG for points earning.

2. Marriott has a timeshare resort off the center Strip but close by, the Grand Chateau. Hilton has a similar resort nearby called the Elara. Status might be a minor factor in room assignment, but I am not sure. Some of the suites can be quite large. Neither has a casino.

3. Many other strip resorts available. MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay have notable pool complexes, and the pools should still be open on your dates (check). Both are South Strip, and both have earnings ties with Hyatt. Vdara is a non-gaming hotel in the Central Strip that neighbors Aria, where plenty of gaming is available. Largish rooms as it was originally going to be condo residences. 100% nonsmoking. Affiliated with Hyatt. Planet Hollywood, center strip, standard rooms, slightly lower price. Affiliated with SPG for points earnings.

Low Roller

Non-NonRev has summed it up well. I always go mid-week. Not only are the prices much better, but things are less crowded and you don't have to spend your whole time standing in restaurant lines. But always check to see if there is anything major in town. Simply look at hotel rate charts. If prices jump 400% on a certain date, that means something big is going on and you don't want to be there.

I'd recommend Vdara. The rooms are spacious, it's quiet and you don't have to drag the kids through a casino. If you have Hyatt status, do a status match with mlife (the loyalty club for several Vegas hotels including Vdara, Aria, Bellagio, etc.), you'll get better rates and a few perks (free parking, buffet line pass). The only downside of Vdara is that the pool is a quite small compared to many Vegas hotels, but reasonable compared to typical hotel pools. Even though it is outdoors, it should still be warm enough to enjoy in mid-October.

Jimgotkp

I agree with Venetian/Palazzo if you need larger basic rooms. It's not "crazy" like at some properties so it should fit in well with the different age groups. Aria/Bellagio/Vdara aren't bad either as the location is better but the basic rooms are smaller as Venetian/Palazzo are all-suites.

DenverBrian

Venetian/Palazzo are essentially the largest "rooms" on the Strip. Standard Venetian size is 650 sf; standard Palazzo size is 670 sf. They call them "suites" although the bedrooms are not fully enclosed with a separate door; instead, you enter the bedroom and bathroom area and then step down one step to a separate living area.

Venetian was renovated last year and the rooms are quite gorgeous. Lots of purple and taupe. They got rid of the old gold sectionals in the living area and the new furniture is sized better to make the living area feel even bigger.

You can get connecting rooms at either Venetian or Palazzo.

Venetian's gondola rides are just about perfect for all age groups.

pseudoswede

Why not a 2BD suite at The Signature at MGM Grand? It would be reasonably priced off of VRBO.

Edited to add: I re-read the OP, and I now see to disregard budget. I would definitely try to find something near the center of the Strip.

gottaluvNW

Thank you all for your comments. Lots to digest and start to plan out.
And I look forward to doing so in the evenings ahead

Visconti

I'd recommend the Aria.

As stipulated above, while status has little meaning (the good perks such as "true comps" are based on gaming), a MLife Plat will at least get you something. Not much, but it's better than nothing.

For family vacations, I like Aria for the following:

1. Very new and modern architecture.
2. Non smoking hotel, though smoking (I think) is allowed on the casino floor.
3. No smoke embedded smell, unlike other hotel casinos.
4. Very family friendly with large areas where children can traverse while cutting through the casino floor. Makes life much easier!
5. World class drawer service, by any standards. Better than even some of the non-Vegas luxury hotels.
6. On average, very large and most modern rooms in Vegas.
7. Center of the strip with convenient tram access to Bellagio and Monte Carlo, which allows for "relatively" easy access to the rest of the Strip attractions.
8. Sky Suites are worth it and may be comped with a commensurate level of gaming activity.
9. Best security of any Vegas casino.

Have a great time!

gottaluvNW

It's amazing how much (useful ) information exists on the web! Just learnt of the $20 trick (http://www.thetwentydollartrick.com/). Planning to book The Venetian and (nervously) try the "sandwich"

DenverBrian

I'd bet you $20 that your "sandwich" will be professionally returned to you at Venetian/Palazzo...and you'll then be pitched to spend more money to upgrade your suite.

bmms8

Are they known not to allow this?

I will be staying at the Palazzo soon


Did you already go and did it work?

I just want my resort fees taken off more so than an upgrade. Please let me know how it went for you^

Box10

One idea is to stay at one end of the strip so you can walk and then ride back. Examples are Treasure Island or Venetian in the north or MGM Grand in the south. That's the area where there's the most foot traffic.

Jimgotkp

Traffic on the Strip has been a mess lately. Never dealt with traffic this bad for quite some time even on a week day. You're better off walking instead of paying the higher cab/Uber/Lyft fares.