When I stayed at the Cosmopolitan last year, I voluntarily jumped from the Cosmo to the JW Marriott to the Cosmo to use a free night certificate and improve my chances of a Wraparound Suite upgrade for 2 of my 3 nights. It worked out exactly as planned.
You could do the same thing with the Renaissance or the other Marriott-branded properties in Vegas if you wanted to get the free Wicked Spoon buffets at Cosmo each day. But you would have to be okay with hotel hopping--some people hate doing that.
My recommendation would be to only use points at the Cosmo for the weekend nights, as they can run as high as $400+ for a standard room. Being at Cosmo on Friday night is the biggest benefit, since you can also go to Marquee on Friday night for free as a hotel guest. This is especially helpful if you aren't young/attractive and you don't have a flock of beautiful women with you. (If you meet those criteria, you can get into Marquee for free anytime whether or not you are a hotel guest.)
For weeknights, the JW Marriott and Renaissance tend to be inexpensive and really nice.
Last edited by JW6130; Aug 15, 2012 at 3:44 pm