About to Book Elara 2 Bed Suite - Unless you have a better option?

[DrNinjamonkey]

Hi,

6 of us are heading to Vegas from the UK on May 28th 2014 - checking out on the 2nd of June (5 nights).

At the moment im leaning towards booking a 2 bed suite at the Hilton Elara - looks like we will get as close to the Vegas Suite experience as possible without breaking the budget. We enjoy pre-drinking/drinking games etc before going out so its important we have space to do it.

The rate i have is £1129 on Booking.com.

I understand it doesn't have a casino on site, but that's not a huge issue for me - its not like there aren't loads within a short walk.

Do any of you have any better options? Or for those of you with hotel offers - any better rates?

Thanks in advance for your help.

[jimmyv85]

I've pasted the review I wrote on Yelp for Elara based on my experience staying there last year for my bachelor party. We decided on there after researching every possible option in Vegas. This should answer your questions:

YELP REVIEW:

If you've been tasked with putting together a Vegas bachelor party for 7+ guys, you're likely scouring the internet right now searching terms such as, "two bedroom Vegas hotels with two bathrooms," only to find few options under $2-$3K per night. Well, if this is you, look no further than Elara. Honestly, this place was built for bachelor parties.

With a group of seven guys, we opted for a two BR suite (which is a studio suite connected to a one BR suite), along with another studio suite for maximum comfort. The plan was to house five guys in the 2 BR and two in the studio. Well, without even slipping the check-in staff a tip, the studio was upgraded to a 2 BR. Not to shabby.

Let me make this clear, the 2 BR suites are VERY spacious. Honestly, we could've comfortably slept all seven in one (and probably a few more on the floor). The master bedroom had a king size bed (and a jacuzzi); the second bedroom had two queens; and you could easily have slept two on the L-shaped couch in the living room. The common area was bigger than my first apartment in Chicago, and ideal for everyone getting together to pre-game before a night out on the Strip (the full size kitchen and floor-to-ceiling windows are nice touches as well). And flipping the switch and watching an 8 ft projection screen pop out of the ceiling just makes your feel like there's an extra zero at the end of your salary.

In terms of room conditions, they were good enough for us but showed some slight wear and there was also a slight moldy-aroma. If you're used to a Bellagio or Mandalay caliber hotel, you will likely be a little let down. And yes, the room décor is tacky (bright red leather sofas, black kitchen, cheesy artwork, etc.), but honestly, if you truly care about that, you wouldn't be staying here to begin with.

As others have noted, this hotel is not "on the Strip;" however, it's connected to the PH mall/casino and takes approximately 5-6 minutes to walk to the Strip. I wouldn't let this deter from you staying here, as some hotels that are "on the strip" have longer walks. And it's dead-center strip, which is ideal. Also, it only takes a few minutes to walk to the casino (in the main PH hotel), which was pretty decent and had reasonably-priced tables. The pool and lobby were surprisingly nice and not very crowded. At the pool, they played some top 40/pop music in the background and had a bar serving somewhat reasonably-priced drinks (for Vegas), but if you're looking for more of a "Scene," you're not going to find it here. Then again, you can always go to Wet Republic or somewhere similar for a full-on pool party.

Perhaps the biggest draw here for larger groups is the price. We went from a Thursday-Sunday in July and it was around $180/person, which is a STEAL.

A few suggestions for staying here:
-Get the maximum amount of room keys upon check-in. They will not let you into the elevators without each guest showing a room key and there is a security guard present who checks.
-Use a AAA membership, saved 10%
-Stop at the liquor store and stock up before you arrive. The suites have a full-size kitchen with a normal fridge.
-Random but useful fact, the washer/dryers are all-in-one units, so if you put something in, you have to wait for the full cycle to complete before you take it out because the door locks, which can be a pain if you're just trying to quickly dry a swimsuit.
-PERFECT spot for bachelor/-ette parties
-The brunch in PH isn't bad and there's a cheap all you can drink add on available

[DrNinjamonkey]

That review helped so much, especially as we now have 7 in our group! Going to do exactly the same as this and cross my fingers for the added bonus of an upgrade but if not I'm sure it will be awesome.

Thanks again.

[jimmyv85]

I'd recommend giving them a call and seeing if you can get the 2 BR penthouse suite. I believe it's larger and likely has an awesome view. I tried slipping them a little cash at the counter for an upgrade but they didn't take it. Have a great time!

[bumshawn]

I'd recommend giving them a call and seeing if you can get the 2 BR penthouse suite. I believe it's larger and likely has an awesome view. I tried slipping them a little cash at the counter for an upgrade but they didn't take it. Have a great time!

How much do you think the price difference was between the penthouse and normal? Also, Elara has a 15% off rate special going on til the end of the year, given you stay before Dec 31st.

[jimmyv85]

Not sure. At the time, I don't recall it being that much. I don't think they advertise their rates on the website so you'd have to call.

[Sidekicknicholas]

Do any of you have any better options? Or for those of you with hotel offers - any better rates?

I would look into the Jockey Club. Its a hidden gem that always wins out over Elara / PH Towers for us when we are looking for a bigger room.

They have 1, 2, and 3 bedroom options. We stayed in a 2 bed/2bath room there for 7 nights for $1100 USD. It had 3 queen beds, a pullout couch, and a roll away bed.


Pros / Cons versus Elara IMO

Pro -
* Cheaper
* Better location - it is smack dab in the middle of the strip (like Elara) but much much much closer to the strip - 30 second walk
* Connected to the Cosmo
* The view (See below)

Cons -
* Not nearly as swanky as Elara
* The view if you are cosmo side (its a brick wall)
Items that are a wash -
No casino on site at either - Prefer this, less noise and smoke
living room / kitchen space is really nice to have


Where the Jockey Club is located:

The view we had last time:

[browntown]

I've done Elara for a bachelor party. Great spot. Close to everything. I would highly recommend it, especially if you want a place to congregate to pre-game.