Bellagio vs Caesars Palace!!!
 

Yet again, I'm going to Vegas this time for the 4th of July weekend. I have been wanting to stay at either the Bellagio or Caesars Palace since I first visited Vegas two years ago. I have the chance to now but I can't decide >:-(

If you have stayed at both hotels which would you recommend out of the two and why??

Bellagio hands down.

The restaurants are better the the Bellagio as well as the size of the rooms.

The only thing I would give Caesars palace the edge on is the pool scene...by your nickname I am going to assume you are young...say mid to late 20's...the Caesars pool scene is great for that age range. Bellagio is a little older scene and Caesars has the topless pool which gets a little crazy!
Depends on what you're looking for!

While one could easily say "Wynn" hands down,

I think restaurants are YMMV, and depend on personal preferences.
Caesars does have :
Restaurant Guy Savoy
Rao's
Bradley Ogden
and few few others... ;)

Regarding "regular rooms" if you can book into Deluxe Augustus or Premium Palace Tower (at CP) -- these standard rooms hold up very well in comparison to standard rooms at Bellagio.

And, if you only do a "limited" amount of gambling, Harrah's (Caesar's) Total Rewards program will most definitely give the best return (note : future return -- in marketing offers) for you gambling dollar.

edit to add : with a few exceptions (i.e. Villas, Butler Penthouses etc. etc.) neither Bellagio or CP are really considered "true" luxury properties.

I'm a member of MGMMirage's Players Club. But I think Im going to join Harrah's as well. There is a horseshoe casino like 30 minutes from me thats operated by Harrah's. So I could do some gambling there and use the rewards for Vegas.

I believe you will be better served by those Flyertalkers who regularly peruse the FT Las Vegas Forum.
So, I am moving this to the Las Vegas Forum for further discussion.
Obscure2k
Moderator
Luxury Hotels

Better yet, if you are planning at gambling there anyway, and the casino is part of Total Rewards --- consider doing it approximately 2+ months before your Vegas trip. Since, your play at any Total Rewards non-Vegas casino will bring you reduced (or comp) rates in Vegas.

Of course, there are a number of ways to further "optimize" this strategy, especially if you are new to Total Rewards. Harrah's just loves serving up good offers to new fish. ;)

As noted above, they appeal to different crowds.

You need to describe yourself and your needs in order for people to make an intelligent recommendation. Are you looking for the better room, better pool scene, location on strip, convenient restaurants?

One thing I wouldn't do is make the decision based on the player's club unless you will be playing $100/hand, in which case you can contact the respective establishments and see what that will get you.

Taking that one step further,

With respect to Harrah's --- if you are ONLY a table player then Total Rewards will not be very rewarding. But, if you play a mix of slots/vp and tables; then they are most certainly the best for low-roller [future] marketing offer comps.

The best offers for "low-rollers" are most definitely from marketing and not from the casino host department. So, contacting the "respective establishments" is often not very rewarding, IMO. ;)

In terms of ROOMS Bellagio is a Luxury hotel, The service there does not make it a luxury hotel it my mind.

I think the only True 5* hotels is Las Vegas are the FS and the Wynn. With the Wynn having the edge because of the Tower Suites.

If the OP is indeed young I think he will fair better at CP the pool is more to a young crowd as well as the shopping. You can also get a nicer room there for less money.

Caesars, Palace Tower and Augustus Tower "standard" rooms, IMHO:), are better than Bellagio "standard" rooms. Those rooms have plasma TV's in the living room and bathroom, ie--Bellagio has regular TV's--the ambiance of those rooms in Caesars is nicer than Bellagio's. Comps in the MGM system vs. Harrahs, are structured differently--so its sort of like comparing apples and pears... I only play slots and get nice deals in each with comparable amounts of play, the method in which they dole these out is different.

Agreed. Low rollers can simply sign up when they arrive at the casino.

As for marketing offers, the only ones I ever received were discounted and free room offers. From what I've seen there is no correlation to the amount I played and the # or type of offers (though they finally stopped coming since I stopped playing there a couple of years ago). To be fair I only played VP and BJ and never enough to earn any actual rewards.

So yes - it is worth signing up if you value the room deals. But I stand by my statement that if I was paying cash for a non-disc. room I wouldn't choose between B & C on the basis of future marketing offers.

I wouldn't base my decision on things like restaurants or shopping when we're talking about a choice between Bellagio and Caesars. The two places are right next to each other. It's not like we're talking about the Stratosphere and Mandalay here. Besides, a ten minute walk outside back to your hotel after dinner would be refreshing.

Decide based on the things that you can't change with a short walk - the room you get, price you pay, and other non-tradable amenities like the pool.

To me, the properties are somewhat equivalent (Bellagio's "5th star" is way overrated). I'd make the decision based on the specific price and room type. That is to say, if I'm looking to spend $X per night, I'd look to see which one would get me a better room. Caesars lowest level rooms aren't as nice as Bellagio's, but if you're comparing, say, an Augustus Tower room at Caesars versus a standard room at Bellagio, go with Caesars.

Also look at what deals you can get from a Virtuoso or FHR.

Shouldn't Skylofts at the MGM Grand be added to that list too?

Easy solution... Hop Hotels halfway through your stay and decide for yourself which one you like best. IMO (and others have already said this) Caesars appeals more to a younger crowd. Also, last time I was there I ate at Mesa Grill and would recommend it if you're looking for a good place to eat..