Popular Hotels for Las Vegas Visitors

The question was - Which are the most popular hotels in Las Vegas? There's a few ways to approach this. First, I could just list the hotels which I know are perfect in today's downbeat economy, which combine just the right mix of decent accomodations, amenities and room rates.

Or... We could do this democratically, as in the most popular hotels voted on by travelers and people who stayed at these hotels. Which would take us to TripAdvisor(R), where you'll find hotels listed according to popularity as voted on by TripAdvisor's users. TripAdvisor's rankings have a fair bit of a credibility and authenticity, given that as of date, they have over 5 million registered members and over 20 million traveler reviews and opinions in six languages.

Or... We could mix the two, and filter TripAdvisor's popular list for Vegas hotels to come up with a handful of hotels on the Vegas Strip and in Downtown Vegas/Fremont St., some of which will have relatively low room rates, and some will be on teh other end of the price range. So listed below are the best/most popular hotels which fall under either one of these criteria.

After a massive expansion late last year, the Golden Nugget continues to reel in both travelers and awards alike - Rated four diamond for the 31st consecutive year, named the 2008 Best Downtown Hotel by the readers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal's 27th Annual "Best of Las Vegas Awards," and garnering recognition as the Best Overall Hotel Casino, Best Casino and Best Hotel, among 31 other downtown-region category awards, by Casino Player Magazine's "Best of Gaming 2008" issue. Ranks number 45 on TripAdvisor's list, but its bound to go up as the news about Golden Nugget's new facilities spreads through word of mouth.

More impressive than any of these awards is the awesome pool, rated amongst the top ten pools in the world by Forbes Traveler. The Tank, as it is known, is a $30 million complex complete with a shark tank, a 3-story waterslide and seven private cabanas. The Tank redefines what 'swimming with the sharks' means.

And what's even more impressive are the room rates and the specials that the Golden Nugget's hotel offers. The Golden Nugget's offers start from a $59 per night winter special rate, and they have a bucketload of specials incuding a luxury suite with additional amenities for $209. Info: 129 E. Fremont St. Las Vegas, NV 89101; (702) 385-7111; www.goldennugget.com/

Photo courtesy Golden Nugget Hotels and Casinos.

Granted the Bellagio fountains are one of the biggest attractions in Las Vegas, and the rest of the Bellagio is just as fantastic. Great food, award winning casino, world famous entertainment. And the hotel, well... AAA Five Diamond, 3933 guest rooms and suites, and everything inside is the ultimate in style and luxury. To top it off, the Bellagio comes in 10th on TripAdvisor's list of most popular hotels.

So what's the catch? Price. You need a heck of a lot of money to enjoy the Bellagio's many and wonderful luxuries. You won't be seeing many average Joe's spending their annual Las Vegas vacations at the Bellagio, but it is a great place for a once in a lifetime splurge, or if you have money to burn. Info: 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Las Vegas, NV 89109; (702) 693-7111; www.bellagio.com/

There's something about the Wynn which makes it stand apart from the other hotel/resort/casino complexes in Vegas. I won't say that its more family friendly, but it does seem to attract more than its fair share of weddings and honeymoon travelers and that kind of thing.

The Wynn will treat you like royalty, and its more of an experience than just a hotel stay. Course, same as the Bellagio, they'll take your shirt off, but the difference is that it doesn't feel so bad that its so pricey. 2700 rooms, and it stands at no. 13 on TripAdvisor's list. Info: 3131 Las Vegas Blvd. South Las Vegas NV 89109; (702) 770-7000; www.wynnlasvegas.com/; Photo by fadedpictures via flickr (creative commons).

The newest kid on the block (make that the Strip...), the Palazzo follows the splendid Vegas tradition that every new hotel/casino should be bigger and better than any of the existing ones. Before we get to the details, I'd like to add that the Palazzo is the biggest LEED certified green building in the world.

3025 rooms, 50 story tower, 60 foot glass dome, and the suites have sunken living rooms, marble baths, remote controlled roman shades and curtains, wonderful beds, plasma televisions in each room (even the bathroom). The restaurants, celebrity headlined entertainment, poolside action, casino, shopping with brand name stores...There's nothing they left out.

Ranks 19 on TripAdvisor. And inspite of all this luxury dripping out of every pore of the Palazzo, and the fact that everything is sparkling new, the rates are quite reasonable, starting from $119 for a luxury suite. Info: 3255 Las Vegas Blvd South Las Vegas NV 89109; (702) 607-7777; www.palazzolasvegas.com/

I'm running low on the caffiene here, so I'll just list six more hotels which I believe will roundup the top 10 most popular hotels in Vegas.

Venetian - The Palazzo's elder sister, and run by the same company.

Hard Rock Hotel - Like all the other Hard Rock hotels, this one too rocks. Only, it rocks a teeny little bit more, since its Vegas. If you're there at the right time, then you don't want to miss Rehab Sunday. If you don't know what that is, best you don't attempt to find out.

MGM Grand - Hollywood+Vegas makes for an intoxicating grandiosity. The plush Hollywood suites at the MGM Grand have two entrances, one from the living room, and one from the bedroom.

Mandalay Bay - Pretty reasonable considering the opulence and the amenities - wet bars, seperate tub and shower in a marble and granite bath, plasma television, cool grey tones and solid wood furnishings.

Caesars Palace - Can't have a list about Vegas without Caesars Palace coming up at some point.

Planet Hollywood - Ditto.