While Las Vegas is often referred to as “Sin City” an equally accurate moniker would be “City of Hotels”, or better yet, “City of Monster-sized Hotels”.  A whopping thirteen of the twenty largest hotels in the world are located in Las Vegas. So, given all these big choices, how do you choose the hotel that’s best for you?

Asking yourself the following questions will help to narrow the choice:

  1. How Luxurious a room do I need, and more importantly, how much can I afford to spend ?
  2. Will I be using the Pool?
  3. What shows, restaurants, and shopping will I do.
  4. How much gambling will I do.
  5. Location, Location, Location

How Luxurious a room do I need in Vegas? (Vegas Room Cost)

In general rooms are a tremendous bargain in Las Vegas, as the gambling (gaming is the preferred term in Las Vegas) revenue still subsidizes  the room rates. Just look at some of the links at the end of this post, $149 for a room at Palazzo  or Venetian with $100 resorts credits. In any other city in America these rooms would cost many times that amount. These are some of the nicest hotel rooms available anywhere. If you are looking for a budget room, the Tropicana has recently undergone a major $180 million renovation, and is offering rooms for $59 a night (see below).

 

In Las Vegas even the moderate level hotels have fairly luxurious accommodations. However,  if only the best will do, the most luxurious hotel rooms can be found at Wynn/Encore; Venetian/Palazzo; Bellagio and Aria. Initially Bellagio set the standard for what a top-level Vegas hotel should be, eschewing the glitz that dominated Vegas hotels in the 70′s and 80′s. Bellagio has an understated elegance that is the opposite of the longstanding norm of Vegas Luxury Hotels.

Steve Wynn is the impresario behind Bellagio, hence it should be no surprise when he divested ownership of Bellagio and built the eponymous Wynn Hotel, in many ways he took the look and feel of Bellagio with him. Wynn also took many of the best people in Vegas with him, from cocktail servers to executives. Wynn/ Encore has the reputation of having the best customer service of any of the big hotel/casinos in Las Vegas. Probably the biggest potential drawback for Wynn/Encore is its location at the very North end of the civilized Strip. It’s a bit of a schlepp to get to the heart of the Strip, which is informally defined as the land occupied by Bellagio.

City Center is the new “Latest and Greatest” on the Strip. City Center, as the name suggests is not a single building but a series of Hotels Condominiums and of course, a large casino. Aria is the large hotel which contains the casino. If you could imagine a bit of electronic gadgetry that could exist in a hotel room, you can be sure your room at Aria will have it. City Center also has a hotels sans casino: Vdara; Mandarin Oriental and Harmon(closed and already scheduled for demolition in 2012). The Veer towers, which slant towards each other at a 4.6 degree angle are condominium only. The big draw at City Center is lots of art work scattered throughout the vast property plus art galleries, including glass artist Dale Chihuly, the artist that designed the glass sculpture that hangs in the Bellagio Lobby.

Venetian/Palazzo another high-end dual casino/hotel is located just south of Wynn/Encore across Spring Mountain Road, a pedestrian bridge allows for easy access between the two properties. The owner of Venetian/Palazzo had his roots in the convention business, and thus his properties are particularly Business Friendly. Of all the high-end properties in Las Vegas, the Venetian is the most highly themed, complete with a canal on which you can take a ride on a real gondola. The rooms are large, roughly 700 square feet, with the rooms in Palazzo  being newer and slightly more luxurious.

As mentioned previously, Bellagio has long set the standard for a Vegas Luxury Hotel. In addition to beautiful hotel rooms the property boasts several of the top “must-see” free attractions in Las Vegas, all of which are appropriately up-market:

  • The Fountains of Bellagio
  • Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
  • Dale Chihuly Glass Sculpture (Located in the lobby adjacent to the Botanical Gardens)

After the top tier of luxury hotels in Las Vegas, there is a broad middle range of contenders. Some of the properties like Mandalay Bay are just below the top tier, some might argue the new tower at Manadalay bay, THE Hotel, belongs in the top tier. Caesars Palace and MGM Grand have a large range of room quality, the newer towers at Caesars Palace are designed to compete against the top tier.

The budget hotels include mostly the older properties, such as Riviera, Harrahs, and Flamingo. Even these older properties are constantly being upgraded, and should not be overlooked. The Flamingo has add a bunch of GO rooms which are trendily designed and filled with new electronics. The Tropicana has recently finished a major $180 million refurbishment including  renovated rooms featuring 42-inch plasma television sets, iPod docks and updated décor, and hence should be on every budget minded visitors list.

 Will I be using the Pool in Vegas?

The pool season in Las Vegas is long, running from March through October. Not only is the season long, but the choice of great pools is long too. Let’s divide Las Vegas Pools into four categories:

  • Tropical Pools
  • San Simeon-esque Pools
  • Kiddie Pools
  • It’s a Pool, Pool.

The tropical and kiddie pools tend to garner the most attention. The Mirage set the standard for tropical pool areas, until Mandalay Bay built their elaborate tropical pool area, and added a sand beach complete with a mechanical wave pool. The hard Rock also built  a tropical pool area, that is targeted for the kiddies. If you want a tropical pool but are on a budget, then the Flamingo is the place for you. The Flamingo also adds an adjacent Wildlife area, complete with flamingos.

The most notorious kiddie pool is the one at The Hard Hack which is known for their Sunday “Rehab” pool party. Others have joined the fray, including Wet Republic Ultra Pool at MGM Grand and Palms “Ditch Fridays”  The atmosphere is similar to a nightclub with swimsuit attire.

What is San Simeon-esque? The following picture is from the pool at Hearst Castle at San Simeon, does that remind you of any of the pools in Las Vegas. Caesars Palace is clearly the most San Sinmeon-esque  pool in Las Vegas. Bellagio and Venetian are also strong contenders for the title. If kiddie pools are loud and rockus, San Simeon-esque pools are more sedate and stately. You could actually have a conversation without yelling at your consort, or perhaps read a book, yes that has been known to occur in Vegas.

Hearst Castle Pool at San Simeon

Hearst Castle Pool at San Simeon

Some hotel pools are nothing special by Vegas standards, but are still nice, like Ballys, except for the long walk through the mall, and Paris. Harrahs is one of the least desirable pools in that it is both small and mostly shaded by adjacent hotels.

What shows, restaurants, and shopping will I do.

In any of the Strip Hotels just getting from your room to the lobby is usually a long, long walk. Cab lines can be long. For convenience sake, you might want to choose your hotel based on a show you’re going to see or a group of restaurants you plan to eat at. If you’re planning on a foodie trip then staying at  Wynn/Encore or Venetain/Palazzo which are adjacent properties and have roughloy 50 top restaurants between the four properties, including four Michelin Star rated restaurants.

All the Vegas hotels are loaded with stores, but the ones with separate shopping malls are:

  • Caesars Palace with two large interconnected malls
  • Venetian/Palazzo Each have a mall which is also interconnected.
  • Planet Hollywood
  • Mandalay Bay has a smallish mall Mandalay Place which connects to Luxor.
  • Chrystals at CityCenter very high-end shops.  If you have to ask, you can’t afford it!
  • The Fashion Show Mall is across the street from both Wynn and TI
  • Bellagio and Wynn don’t have separate shopping malls, but both have walkways loaded with high-end stores such as Brioni.

How much gambling will I do in Vegas

If you plan on doing a lot of gambling try to match your gambling style with a hotel that is most likely to reward your play with nice comps. If you book a your room directly with the hotel, and end up gambling a lot, a host can easily comp your room charges. The key here is to concentrate your play, don’t spread your gambling dollars all over the strip, as that is a sure fire way to minimize your comps. In addition to concentrating your play at the hotel where you’re staying, it is also comp smart to concentrate you play over  fewer days, as daily average play is how casinos determine your comps. For a more complete discussion on how to maximize your comps read the following posts:

 Location, Location, Location

The real estate  agents mantra location, location, location is also true in Vegas. The three main location choices are:

  • Fremont Street
  • Off-Strip and Locals
  • The Strip

Fremont Street is located in the downtown area of Las Vegas, about three miles from the The Strip. Fremont Street offers some of the best gambling conditions in Las Vegas combined with lower table minimums than available on the Strip.

Popular Off-Strip properties include: The Palms; The Hard Rock; Rio; Orleans and Gold Coast. These properties are located near the Strip. Properties further away on Boulder Highway include Sams town and Arizona Charlie’s. Off-Strip properties tend to be popular with locals, and like Fremont Street casinos tend to offer lower table minimums and generally better odds.

The Strip is roughly four miles long and can be divided into quasi neighborhoods, so why not pick a Hotel in your preferred neighborhood.

Strip Neighborhoods:

  • North Strip Wynn/Encore anchor the area with Venetian/Palazzo adding to this high rent neghborhood.
  • Far North Strip includes Circus Circus; Riviera; Slots of Fun low rent and  run down and getting sparse with Sahara closing. The Stratosphere is even further North, but not many still consider that the Strip.
  • South of Venetian is the Strips own Fremont Street Experience with Casino Royale;  O’Shea’s Harrahs; Imperial Palace and Flamingo providing Strip customers a close facsimile of a Fremont Street casino experience with low table minimums and a sort of run down party atmosphere.
  • CityCenter claims for itself its own neighborhood, complete with lots of expensive artwork on public display.

 

I have an affiliate relationship with the following Las Vegas Hotels, if you book a room through the following links I get a small, very small commission, that is greatly appreciated.
















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Caesars Palace through its seemingly endless series of renovations and additions manages to represent both “Old Vegas” and “New Vegas”, all in a single property, Empire? VegasMavens.com

Caesars Palace Not Caesar’s Palace

Caesars Palace has no apostrophe, which was Jay Sarno’s way of telling all visitors, you’re a Caesar when you say at my hotel. A line of similar reasoning applies to the Las Vegas Review web site “Mavens Vegas”, presumably all visitors of mavensvegas.com are Mavens as to what Las Vegas has to offer.

From Harrahs Entertainment to Caesars Entertainment

Harrahs has long considered Caesars Palace its top Vegas property, with the company name change, it makes the pecking order official.

Kathryn LaTour, an associate professor of hospitality marketing at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said the name “Caesars” has far more high-end connotations than Harrah’s, which made its mark attracting midlevel gamblers. Las Vegas Review Journal November 23, 2010

Caesars Palaces’s market segment could probably be more accurately defined as: Masculine, Sports Obsessed “Cigar Comping” Serious Gambler with Significant Disposable Income. If you want to rub elbows with sports celebrities or sports celebrity gawkers then Caesars Palace is the casino for you.

Gary Loveman left a Harvard Business School professorship to join Harrah’s Entertainment. By putting his theories about customer service into practice, he built the world’s biggest gaming company.How To Survive In Vegas” BusinessWeek August 5, 2010

Knowing a little about how Loveman views his customers, can make your visit to Caesars Palace more profitable, or at least less costly. As the Businessweek artcle says: “He sees his customers as a set of probabilities wrapped in human flesh.”

Spend a few days at a Harrah’s property, and the information the company compiles about you will end up here, analyzed by proprietary software that assigns each and every Harrah’s guest a theoretical value. The higher the value given to you—not to be misconstrued as a source of pride—the more likely you are to lose your money to Loveman.

When they say theoretical value above, they really mean theoretical loss. Theoretical loss is how much the casino expects you to lose. Understanding how casinos calculate “Theoretical Loss” is the key to minimizing loses at casinos. I explain how casinos calculate theoretical loss, and more importantly, how to use this to your advantage, in two previous posts on Vegas Mavens.

  1. It’s All about Theo – explains theoretical loss, and how to use it to your advantage.
  2. A Costly Comp Faux Pas – explains the importance of daily average in awarding comps.

Greetings From Caesars Palace

Fountains at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas

Fountains at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas

Fronting Caesars Palace are the iconic fountains, the ones where Evel Knievel made his failed attempt to jump over them on a motorcycle in 1967. These are also the same fountains where Shecky Greene drove his car into and uttered the famous line “No spray wax” The same Shecky Greene that had as his opening act at the Last Frontier in 1956 some guy from Tupelo, Mississippi. Whatever became of that guy.

For instance, there was the time when, drunk, he drove his car into the Caesars Palace fountains and told the cop, “No spray wax.”Las Vegas Sun 12-26-96

Statue of Caesar

Statue of Caesar

A life-sized statue of Caesar greets you at the entrance to Caesars Palace. There are also men and women dressed in Roman garb, that wander around the casino and pool area.

Caesars Palace Greeters

Caesars Palace Greeters

No Fig Leaf for “David”

There are other statues, besides Caesar, scattered around Caesars Palace, but one in particular is worth going out of your way to see. In the Appian Way Shops is a full sized replica of Michelangelo’s “David” Even though it is a replica, it is still impressive and big, roughly eighteen feet tall. Another replica of “David” was presented to Queen Victoria by the Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1857, Queen Victoria was so shocked by the nudity of the stature, a custom plaster Fig Leafwas designed to cover the offending part. Evidently sensibilities of Las Vegas are more open minded than Victorian England, as “David” is au naturel in The Appian Way.

Michelangelo's "David"

Michelangelo's "David"

Sign for Michelangelo's "David"

Sign for Michelangelo's "David"

Located adjacent to “David” are a handful of  life-like statues that put a smile on the face of everyone that notices them.  Note: Some of the statues are camera shy.

Caesars Palace Appian Way: Realistic Figures Butler and Police Officer

Caesars Palace Appian Way: Realistic Figures Butler and Police Officer

Caesars Palace Appian Way: Camera Shy Realistic Figure

Caesars Palace Appian Way: Camera Shy Realistic Figure

Neil Leifer’s Iconic Sports Photographs

Neil Leifer is widely considered one of the top, if not the top, sports photographers, ever. Visitors to Caesars Palace can view many of these iconic photographs at his gallery in the entrance to the Augustus Tower.The Tower built to compete against the opulent rooms at Bellagio and Venetian.

Leifer began his career as a professional sports photographer at 19, when Sports Illustrated put one of his photographs on the cover, the first of 170 Sports Illustrated covers. In 1978 Leifer switched the focus of his camera to Presidents and Actors, when he joined Time Magazine.

Leifer’s favorite subject was Muhammad Ali, and his most famous picture is the one shown below, where : “Ali stopped Liston with a single punch in the first round of the fight.”

Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston St. Dominick's Arena, Lewiston, Maine, May 25, 1965

Liefer Photograph: Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston St. Dominick's Arena, Lewiston, Maine, May 25, 1965

Even non-sports enthusiasts will enjoy viewing Leifer’s collection of photographs, ands this being Vegas, they’re all for sale.

You can also buy a copy of one of his many books, “The Best Of Neil Leifer” has the Ali v. Liston photograph on the cover.

LeRoy Neiman “Gallery” in Caesars Palace Poker Room

The Poker Room is the largest in Vegas, 8,500 square feet plus an adjacent tournament room with another 6,000 square feet of room.

Caesars Palace Poker Room

Caesars Palace Poker Room

Lining the walls of the Caesars Palace Poker Room are numerous LeRory Neiman paintings. If Neil Leifer is the most famous Sports Photographer, then LeRoy Neiman is perhaps th most famous Sports Artist.

Neiman worked as an illustrator for the department store Carson, Pirie, Scott & Co. in Chicago in the early 1950s, alongside a copywriter that later started a magazine. That copy writer was Hugh Hefner and that magazine was Playboy. Since Playboy’s earliest days, Neiman’s work has appeared frequently in Playboy, and still does.

Neiman’s paintings are characterized by their distinctive use of color.

Describing Neiman as “first and foremost a colorist,” Malcolm Lein wrote, “His tones are vivid, jarring, and at times, gaudily biting; they explode in an effusion of reds, blues, pinks, greens, and yellows; they shimmer and dance across the surface plane, electrified bits of pure energy.”

Caesars Palace Poker Room: LeRoy Neiman Painting

Caesars Palace Poker Room: LeRoy Neiman Painting

In American Artist, Neiman identified as the “prime objective” of his work the “phenomenon of change.” “The spectator looking at a painting of mine must deal with this condition of change. Areas are broken up at close range and fit together only at a distance…As one advances on my painting, it becomes more abstract, more fluid, and as one moves away, it falls into focus and is realistic…At no two distances will the painting appear the same.

Caesars Palace Poker Room: LeRoy Neiman Painting

Caesars Palace Poker Room: LeRoy Neiman Painting

LeRoy Neiman Painting:  The Girls of Caesars Palace

LeRoy Neiman Painting: The Girls of Caesars Palace

LeRoy Neiman: Sign "Sic Bo Dealers"

LeRoy Neiman: Sign "Sic Bo Dealers"

While Neiman’s paintings in Caesars Palace’s Poker Room are not for sale, The Centaur Gallery in the Fashion Show Mall does sell his work.

Caesars Palace Forum Shops

Calling the shopping mall at Caesars Palace “The Forum Shops” is a rare example of understatement in Las Vegas. The Forum Shops is comprised of two large interconnected shopping Malls. The most recent addition added 175,000 square feet, including a three story spiral escalator.

The Forum Shops Spiral Escalator

The Forum Shops Spiral Escalator

The higher end stores tend to be concentrated in the new wing of the mall, along Las Vegas Boulevard, Harry Winston is in the new wing, The Gap is in the old wing. The kitsch shows are also in the old wing.

Caesars Palace Attractions: Atlantis Show and Aquarium Plus Festival Fountain show

Caesars Palace Forum Shops: Bacchus Statue

Caesars Palace Forum Shops: Bacchus Statue

The Festival Fountain Show occurs on the hour, with the Bacchus Statue coming “alive” and serving as the central character, how Vegas appropriate, Bacchus is the Roman god of wine and intoxication.

Atlantis Show and Aquarium

Atlantis Show and Aquarium

The rise and fall of Atlantis, complete with fire, water and smoke plays out every hour, on the hour right in front of the Cheesecake Factory restaurant. Beneath the Atlantis set is a large 50,000 gallon salt-water aquarium. A diver feeds the fish at 1:15pm and 5:15pm everyday.

Caesars Palace Aquarium: Feeding Time

Caesars Palace Aquarium: Feeding Time

A Little Bit of San Simeon in Vegas

Caesars Palace has not one pool, not two pools, but six pools, at last count. William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies would feel right at home here, with its San Simeonesque splendor.

Caesars Palace Pool

Caesars Palace Pool

Caesars Palace offers you the opportunity to get soaked at the Blackjack Tables.

Caesars Palace Pool: Blackjack Table Built into Pool

Caesars Palace Pool: Blackjack Table Built into Pool

Beijing Noodle No. 9 and Payard Patisserie & Bistro

There are many restaurants located throughout the vast Caesars Palace complex, but there are two that are worth checking-out for more than just a meal. Beijing Noodle No. 9 has the most amazing design, the aquarium walls are absolutely hypnotic.

As customers walk into the space, they will undergo the visually and physically “unblocked” entry experience, and are comfortably led past the sparkling aquarium tanks to the deep part of the restaurant. The gorgeous double-wall design features the elegant arabesque patterned layers, consisting of one woodland-patterned steel decorative surface above a painted similarly patterned solid back, with glossy finish. This design creates the arabesque shadow effect, and the wall continuously extends to be the ceiling, which generates a soft cocoon-like interior experience.Dezeen “Design Magazine” December 3, 2009

Beijing Noodle No.9 Aquariums

Beijing Noodle No.9 Aquariums

Payard Patisserie & Bistro is run by award winning pastry chef  Francois Payard. As a side note, this is the Bistro that Brett Ottolenghi chose for us to eat lunch, because “The quality of the ingredients used in relation to the price is probably the best in deal in Vegas” high praise indeed, from person that knows something about quality ingredients.

Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro at Caesars Palace: Clock

Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro at Caesars Palace: Clock

Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro at Caesars Palace: Clock Sign

Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro at Caesars Palace: Clock Sign

As noted in the sign above, a chocolate truffle is dropped from the Grandfather Clock every fifteen minutes.

The next time you’re in Las Vegas, why not take your own walk around the Palace, Caesar.

Visit MavensVegas.com Review Page of Caesars Palace

Caesars Palace Restaurant Reviews

Restaurants at Caesars Palace
Restaurant Notes
Augustus Cafe 24 hour upscale coffee shop. Review of Augustus Cafe
Beijing Noodle No. 9 Giant fish tanks flank the entrance to this restaurant that specializes in fresh made noodles and dim sum. Review of Beijing Noodle No. 9
Bradley Ogden Chef Bryan Ogden, son of Bradley, refers to their cuisine as “Market Cuisine” as he explains focusing on what is fresh and in-season. A`signature dish is the Maytag Blue Cheese souffle. Review of Bradley Ogden
Lago Buffet Less variety than most Vegas buffets, but the quality is above average although not at the same level as the top buffets. The dining room actually has windows, a rarity for Vegas buffets, and faces the pool area.Review of Lago Buffet
Hyakumi Offers two distinct styles of Japanese cuisine: Teppanyaki and Sushi. Open for lunch and dinner. Review of Hyakumi
Mesa Grill Bobby Flay, of Food Network fame is the high level chef here, meaning he won’t actually cook your dinner, but the dishes are his inspiration. Signature dishes include blue corn pancake with barbeque duck with habanero sauce. The cuisine is best described as Southwestern USA. Open for lunch and dinner. Was Michelin rated one star, but lost its star. Review of Mesa Grill
Neros Specializing in prime 28 day dry-aged beef, but also serving a large selection of fresh fish and seafood. Open for dinner only. Review of Neros
PayardPatisserie & Bistro Pastry chef Francois Payard presents a pastry and chocolate shop plus a dining room. Serving breakfast and lunch. Think quiche, french toast with fresh berries or perhaps seared salmon salad for lunch. Review of PayardPatisserie & Bistro
Rao’s Famous New York City transplant, a family business run by the Pellegrinos. Featuring Southern Italian cuisine prepared with the finest ingredients, such as San Marzano tomatoes, although one of the signature dishes is Uncle Vincent’s Famous Lemon Chicken. Review of Rao’s
Restaurant Guy Savoy French cuisine. Although Guy Savoy has earned three Michelin Stars for his Paris restaurant, the Vegas location has garnered two Michelin Stars, still a laudable feat. The restaurant offers a series of ever more expensive tasting menus, starting at $140. Review of Restaurant Guy Savoy
Sea Harbour Authentic Cantonese cuisine, with emphasis on authentic. An actual transplant from mainland China, where Sea Harbour has eight locations. Review of Sea Harbour
Serendipity 3 Another New York City transplant, located adjacent to the Strip. Serving sandwiches and dessert. Known for their “Frrrozen Hot Chocolate” (Their spelling and description) and their Golden Opulence Sundae for $1,000 (Which is a Guinness World Record Holder for most expensive dessert, evidently the 23-karat gold leaf adds to the cost. Review of Serendipity 3
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