Monday newsletters always feature top 10 travel lists to inspire.
Today (March 7, 2016): best luxury hotels & resorts in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas. Sin City. It’s one of those places you either love or hate. I am mostly in the last category, although I have to admit that the city makes a tremendous impression (no matter how you feel about it) and it’s an excellent base to visit some of the USA’s most beautiful National Parks in the area. Luxury hotels may not be the first idea that springs to mind in Las Vegas, since the place built a reputation on impressing its visitors with mammoth hotels that have palatial, almost galactic dimensions. Seven of the world’s 10 largest hotels are located in Las Vegas. Nevertheless, the last decade, a string of ultra-luxurious, boutique-style hotels have opened their doors on the Strip and seem to cater exclusively to the discerning guest. What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but that won’t stop you from bragging about your stay in one of the following over-the-top hotels, which have made it into my top 10 of Las Vegas’ ultimate, ultra-luxe hotels & resorts.
There is more information below the slideshow. Do you agree or have a favorite Las Vegas hotel that didn’t make my list? Leave it in the comments or take my poll below.
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10. DELANO LAS VEGAS
Opened in 2014, the Delano Las Vegas offers an all-suite, smoke-free luxury hotel experience located steps away from Mandalay Bay. Featuring a unique sand-meets-water design, Delano blends signature elements of its iconic Delano South Beach hotel with the distinct energy only found on the Las Vegas Strip. The hotel offers dynamic social spaces such as Franklin, an eclectic lounge, and Della’s Kitchen, where ‘historic farmhouse meets urban kitchen’. The spa infuses the soothing elements of locally sourced ingredients, drawing inspiration from Morgans Hotel Group’s collection of hotels around the world as well as Delano Las Vegas’ desert locale.
- Hotel website: Delano Las Vegas
9. THE COSMOPOLITAN OF LAS VEGAS, AUTOGRAPH COLLECTION
The Cosmopolitan is one of the Strip’s older luxury resorts, but it still delivers. Here, guests enjoy oversized residential-styled living spaces with private terraces and breathtaking views of the Las Vegas skyline. Dining is reinvented with a one-of-a-kind restaurant collection featuring world-class chefs making their Vegas debut including David Myers, Scott Conant, and José Andrés. Stylish design and art engage cultural sensibilities while a vibrant nightlife scene captivates perceptions. The pool offers panoramic views and unrivaled service, allowing guests to choose between three distinct pool experiences. Combine it all with an eclectic mix of hand-selected boutiques, a 100,000 square foot casino, Marquee Nightclub and Dayclub, and the serenity of the Sahra Spa & Hamman to redefine your luxury resort experience.
- Hotel website: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Autograph Collection
- Tip: enjoy free VIP perks when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, early check-in, late check-out, and $100 USD spa credit).
8. SLS LAS VEGAS
The SLS Hotel & Casino Las Vegas reopened in August 2014 after a $415 million renovation of the iconic Sahara Hotel where legends like Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Elvis Presley came to perform and play. In homage to the original hotel, the new carpeting just inside the valet entrance features the Sahara’s iconic logo. But beyond the old parking garage, most of the property has been gutted and rebuilt. The hotel has 1,600 rooms and 40,000 square feet of convention space, all designed by an architectural team lead by French designer Philippe Starck. It features SLS’s signature restaurants – The Bazaar by José Andrés and Katsuya by Starck – as well as a reinvention of SBE’s original nightlife concept Shelter and the brand’s first-ever casino.
- Hotel website: SLS Las Vegas
7. BELLAGIO
Over a thousand fountains dance in a rainbow of light synchronized to music, welcoming guests to this decadent playground. Once past the fountains and inside the hotel, you will instantly find yourself transported to an elegant European resort, replete with award-winning restaurants and a luxurious spa, all the while surrounded by works from the world’s most renowned artists. Here, guests have the selection of lavish guestrooms, suites, and villas, all with views of Lake Bellagio or the neon-lit glitz of the strip. From the natural light bathing the lobby through glass ceilings to the fresh flowers and trees of the Bellagio Conservatory and Gardens, whose displays change five times a year, everything here makes the Bellagio the quintessential Las Vegas destination.
- Hotel website: Bellagio
- Other accolades: The Bellagio features in my top 10 list of the largest hotels in the world.
- Tip: enjoy free VIP perks when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. upgrade to a pool view room on 12th floor or higher, $30 USD daily breakfast credit, early check-in, late check-out, choice of 4 spa facility passes valued at $160 USD or $100 USD food and beverage credit, and $5 USD WiFi credit applied to daily resort fee ).
6. NOBU HOTEL AT CAESARS PALACE
The world’s first ever Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace is a luxury infused, celebrity-driven exhibition. Nobu has a distinctly different feel than most Las Vegas hotels, and features Japanese-inspired décor mixed with sleek, modern touches. Situated inside a separate tower at Caesars Palace, guests will feel miles away from Vegas with the zen plum and gold accent furnishings and clever artwork. This boutique hotel also includes in-room dining from Nobu restaurant. Every subtlety, every detail, every experience, from the impeccable Italian sheets on the beds to the feng shui within every room as designed by David Rockwell himself, Nobu Hotel surely impresses, delights and redefines contemporary hotel luxury. Bath amenities are supplied by Natura Bisse, with a blended rosemary and white tea scent that was created exclusively for Nobu Hotel.
- Hotel website: Nobu Hotel at Caesars Palace
5. SKYLOFTS AT MGM GRAND
Skylofts at MGM Grand, located on top of the MGM Grand, unveils a rare and private sanctuary of sleek, elegant two-story, one-to-three bedroom accommodations high above the spectacle that is the Las Vegas Strip. Skylofts at MGM Grand is a totally innovative and exciting hotel experience created for modern and sophisticated travellers who expect the best wherever they go, enjoy art and outstanding design, and have the incomes to match their desires. Described by some as “urban chic above the Strip” the Skylofts are modeled on New York-style lofts and offer expansive views of the Las Vegas skyline. They are overwhelmingly comfortable, wonderfully creative and extraordinarily welcoming spaces that are instantly recognizable homes away from home for today’s urban elite with distinctively modern tastes.
- Hotel website: Skylofts at MGM Grand
- Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, $100 USD daily breakfast credit, early check-in, late check-out, and $100 USD resort credit).
4. FOUR SEASONS LAS VEGAS
If you want to be in Las Vegas but still want the intimacy and service of a five-star resort, then this is the hotel for you. With a private entrance off of Las Vegas Boulevard, the Four Seasons Hotel offers a tranquil oasis on the otherwise high-spirited Las Vegas Strip. Like luxury skyboxes perched high above the glittering Las Vegas strip, the hotel’s stylish guest rooms and suites are located on floors 35 to 39 of the Mandalay Bay tower, offering unsurpassed views of the world-famous Las Vegas Boulevard and surrounding desert landscape. At this luxury hotel in Las Vegas on the Strip, guests enjoy handcrafted cocktails and small plates at PRESS, authentic Italian cuisine at Veranda, award-winning fine dining at Charlie Palmer Steak, and relaxation in the Forbes five-star spa and lushly landscaped private pool.
- Hotel website: Four Seasons Las Vegas
- Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily breakfast, and $100 USD spa credit).
3. ARIA SKY SUITES
With exquisite amenities, incredible views, personalized assistance, private Sky Suites only pool and effortless access to some of the city’s most enticing offerings, Sky Suites is one of the ultimate destinations for discerning guests. A complimentary luxury ride from the airport brings guests to the hotel’s porte-cochère, where they are welcomed personally. The suites offer up to 2,060 square feet of sheer opulence, with one or two bedrooms, separate living, powder and master bedrooms, and a serene spa-like bathroom. Custom furnishings and unsurpassed amenities place these suites in a league of their own. The two- to three-bedroom, single- and two-story Sky Villas at ARIA are a top-of-the-line collection of suites; designed to delight the most discriminating of tastes, they offer a level of sophistication unlike anything Vegas has seen before.
- Hotel website: ARIA Sky Suites
- Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. upgrade, two $30 USD daily breakfast credits, early check-in, late check-out, $100 USD food and beverage credit, and complimentary round trip airport limousine transfers).
2. WYNN LAS VEGAS & ENCORE
Wynn Las Vegas and its adjacent, sister resort Encore hold more Forbes Travel Guide Five Star awards than any other independently operated hotel in the world. Designed to be explored and discovered, Wynn Las Vegas and Encore excite the senses of each and every guest. Hailed as luxury destinations in Las Vegas, both resorts have a total of 4,750 rooms. The rooms at both properties are elegantly appointed and equipped with advanced technologies and panoramic views. The entire Wynn complex is home to more than 20 signature restaurants, ultra-chic nightclubs and luxury shopping that brings your Las Vegas experience to a new level of distinction. Encore boasts a younger, more modern vibe than The Wynn; its well-appointed spaces and bright, elegant style paired with an exceptional level of service has led Condé Nast Traveler to name Encore among the top 100 hotels in the world on the 2015 Gold List, for the sixth year in a row.
- Hotel website: Wynn Las Vegas & Encore
- Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, $30 per person breakfast credit per day, early check-in, late checout, $50.00 USD resort credit & $50 spa credit, once per stay).
1. WALDORF ASTORIA LAS VEGAS
Stunningly designed and beautifully appointed, Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas – formerly a Mandarin Oriental hotel – is the only Forbes triple 5-star luxury hotel at the heart of The Strip. The property towers 47 stories high above the legendary city. With views of the city and the desert, the hotel offers the perfect mix of style, serenity and luxury in a non-gaming and smoke-free environment. The 23rd floor Sky Lobby is a spectacular entry point to a chic bar, gourmet dining, and discreet luxury. The 392 rooms and suites are fantastically comfortable with a sleek décor incorporating subtle Asian-inspired touches. Bathrooms are spectacular with views through the floor-to-ceiling windows; but nothing compares to the top three suites at the hotel, spanning 3,000 sq. feet each. The gourmet fusion restaurants and advanced leisure facilities are second to none, while the 5-star, Asian inspired luxury service is truly unbeatable.
- Hotel website: Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas
- Other accolades: Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas also features in my top 10 list of the best luxury hotels in the USA.
- Tip: enjoy free VIP amenities when booking via Virtuoso (e.g. room upgrade, daily continental breakfast, early check-in, late checout, and $100 USD spa credit).
The Cosmopolitan was one of my worst stays in Vegas. Room was dirty. Room smelled like locker room and smoky bar together. And, it was a non-smoking room. The biggest thing of all, the hotel doesn’t care. Nope, won’t stay there again.
Wow. How could you leave out the Venetian? Why is SLS even on this list???
STAFF AT THE VENETIAN IS OUTSTANDING AND THIS IS THE MAIN REASON MY HUSBAND AND i ALWAYS STAY THERE.wE STAYED AT THE BELLAGIO AND THERE STAFF WAS VERY COLD AND NOT VERY HELPFUL SO WHEN YOU ARE JUDGING THESE HOTELS CHECK OUT THE STAFF .
My wife and two kids stayed at the Encore for three nights. Room was big, clean, and all staff very nice. If we come back to Vegas, we will stay here again.
i want to go to vegas this year
The Venetian, all the time, EVERY TIME !! A cut above in class, beauty and quality. SLS and Bellagio should NOT be on this list !!!
I was skeptical about this low priced promotion, but was pleasantly surprised. I purchased vegas stronger vacation, and custoized the trip to my liking.
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The Palazzo is my favorite hotel. Always clean the room are simply beautiful, staff only aim to please . I cannot believe they were not in the top ten