Casino Vibe...

[Motaw]

Hey, I need a little help (more like convincing)...

I'm with a group headed to Vegas on Memorial Day weekend and for some reason everyone is looking at me for Hotel choices, I initially told everybody it's wherever you feel comfortable but they're waiting on me to make the first move.

I was to stay in center of the strip but I'd also like a decent suite, nothing crazy just something for generally meet up areas for us before we head out for the night and for us to make sure every one is alive the next morning to tell the tale...

Long story short I'm looking for Hotels/Casinos that have a fun vibe and the crowd isn't that old. I know the top of the class is Cosmo but some don't like that price tag. I've offered Vdara or Aria as a substitute and I've also mentioned Hard Rock even though it's off the strip because I've always liked the environment there when I've stayed there.

Any place I'm missing? (I know there's PH/Elara also but I hated hiking through the mall to get to the towers every time I left the room)

How's the Vibe in Aria and Vdara now? I've found a review but it's from 2010 and had a mixed bag.

[CantStopGrindin]

If you don't like the hike from regular PH rooms to the casino I can't see how you would like the hike from Vdara. I'd say PH is the best choice after cosmo for a younger hipper crowd.

[Chuck]

I've stayed at Aria a couple times. It's more of a refined crowd than planet hollywood, but generally seems to be a mid 30's crowd. The casino itself is classy...not really a high energy casino like Planet Hollywood, and will have higher minimums at the tables. Great selection of slots though. The rooms at Aria are fantastic. The standard rooms are quite large, and the hospitality suites are perfect for a headquarters....and they don't share walls with other rooms since they're at the end of the hallway. They're fairly pricey though...Mirage or Venetian may be less expensive.

[Universal]

I've stayed at Aria a couple times. It's more of a refined crowd than planet hollywood, but generally seems to be a mid 30's crowd. The casino itself is classy...not really a high energy casino like Planet Hollywood, and will have higher minimums at the tables. Great selection of slots though. The rooms at Aria are fantastic. The standard rooms are quite large, and the hospitality suites are perfect for a headquarters....and they don't share walls with other rooms since they're at the end of the hallway. They're fairly pricey though...Mirage or Venetian may be less expensive.

+1. The Cosmo casino is one of the worst in town and often dead. They also don't really seem to give a shit about gamblers or comps. Aria offers a great combination of everything.

[clientele]

agree with universal and chuck. the cosmo is great for location and nightlife but the casino is pretty bad. the layout is not the best and the energy is lacking. any place that has 4-5 odds on double deck blackjack is a bad place to gamble in my book.

[BSM]

Memorial Day weekend most places will be jam packed, so expect that most casinos will have a goosed-up vibe.

That being said, if you're going for Casino Vibe, then obv. you don't want to stay somewhere that doesn't have a casino, so scratch out Elara, Trump, Vdara, and Mandarin Oriental.

The most fun I've had on a Casino Floor was up at the North end - - WynnCore and Venetian / Palazzo.

Don't be too scared off by 'Off Strip' Hard Rock - - it's a great vibe and really not too far off. A quick cab ride down Harmon Blvd and you're in the center of the action... you can actually make it to a place like Cosmo much faster than if you're trying to make the same trip from Wynncore.

[nighthawk06si]

I would have to agree with the other guys definitely consider the actual Planet Hollywood (not Elara) if you want to be center of the strip. Aria is great also and the rooms are very nice. Casino at Aria isn't as "alive" as PH but still good selection of slots and plenty of open tables for you to choose.

Definitely consider Wynncore/Venetian/Palazzo too. You're there MDW and I have a feeling you'll probably go to Wynncore clubs and TAO more often than any of the other clubs the other side of the strip. They have a much more action-packed casinos on the north end in my opinion and it'll save you time and cab fare when you're hitting up the clubs at night cause a walk from Palazzo to XS is about 5-8 mins passing thru Wynn.

Usually for this situation I would book rooms both at say PH and Palazzo for example and see what clubs you're planning to hit up. If you're there for 3 nights and you want to go to marquee twice but XS once, then cancel your palazzo room and stay at PH but if you're doing XS, Surrender, Tao Beach and Marquee one of the nights, then I'd stay at Palazzo. Hope this helps!

[Motaw]

Appreciate the help gentlemen. Like I said, it was more "Convincing" than actual help. I haven't been back to Vegas since March so I wanted to make sure I still had my head on right.

You were right about the walk to Elara vs. Vdara, but I came to my senses after I looked through my phone and saw a couple shots from random moments in PH's casino during various walks to the strip. I booked Elara again although I probably would have done Hard Rock if I could have found comparable suite pricing.

Once again, the input is greatly appreciated.