In the previous Planet Hollywood / Aladdin Master Thread, I presented my analysis of the self-parking option that then routes you through the mall. I am convinced that it is not as bad as people make it out to be. It just happens to leave a worse perception of distance than many of the other Vegas casino hotels.
Please review my post #682 in that thread .
An excerpt:
It is .23 miles from self-parking to the elevators. In my dozens of stays, I have only twice not parked on the main parking level, so my car is always pretty close to the mall entrance. (I always ignore the sign that says, "This Level Full.")
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Despite all the complaining that I see about the Aladdin's self-parking distance, a lot of other Vegas hotels are no better or are even worse. Self-parking at the MGM Grand also requires a long walk through shops and takes you up and down at least a couple escalators. Typical distance from the elevators to the car is about .21 miles.
This is in addition to the MGM's long hallways that can add almost another .1 miles to the hike. Whereas at the Aladdin, no room in the hotel is more than 9 doors away from an elevator, and the Strip Suites and Resort Vistas are just 7 doors from the elevator.
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I also have my own opinions about whether or not to get a rental car. I don't think most tourists need one.
But the car rental debate is better addressed in FT's Las Vegas forum since the same debate applies to almost all of the casino hotels.