The Bellagio fountains still erupt with choreographed gusts of water. The Taco Bell Cantina still serves one of the best food (and wedding venues) on the Strip. Most of the pool parties, Cirque du Soleil shows, and clubs are open and busy.
While many of the Las Vegas activities that you know and love have returned and haven’t changed, other things have changed – especially when it comes to your stay. Here are the biggest hotel changes in Vegas lately:
Resorts World is the first new hotel on the Strip
While it’s not uncommon for hotels on the Strip to be seriously refurbished, Resorts World is the first all-new resort on the Strip in over a decade.
It opened this summer on the former Stardust hotel site and integrates three of Hiltons LDS, +1.66% hotel brands into one. Choose for your stay:
- The Las Vegas Hilton: With 1,774 rooms, it is the largest of the three hotels.
- Conrad Las Vegas: Hilton’s lifestyle luxury brand where you can expect sophisticated amenities like curated art and Michelin star restaurants. It’s slightly smaller than the Las Vegas Hilton at 1,496 rooms.
- Crockfords: As part of LXR Hotels & Resorts, Hilton’s collection of independent luxury hotels, visitors will experience an intimate and luxurious experience. Stay in one of the 236 rooms and you will enter through an exclusive entrance, gain access to the resort’s VIP pool and have your own concierge.
The Resorts World property includes dozens of restaurants and a 5.5-acre complex with seven pools, making it the largest pool deck in Las Vegas. There’s even a 1,800-square-foot infinity pool that overlooks the Strip.
A postcard of the former Stardust in Las Vegas from the early 1970s. Resorts World opened on the website.
Wikipedia
Resorts World is part of the Hilton Honors Program so you can earn points and enjoy all the benefits of Hilton Elite status. You can also use your free night voucher or redeem points for your stay.
Do not miss: Where’s the housekeeping? Hotels are cutting back on daily cleaning after the pandemic
Virgin is replacing Hard Rock as part of Hilton’s Curio Collection
Virgin Las Vegas replaced the former Hard Rock Hotel.
Jungfrau Hotels
Virgin VGII, -0.21% Hotels Las Vegas opened in March as part of the Curio Collection, along with other Hilton options in Vegas. It replaces the former Hard Rock Hotel, which is about a mile from the Strip.
The hotel was designed with outdoor entertainment at the forefront, including a 5-acre pool complex with event lawns, a 4,500-person theater for live music, and a dozen restaurants.
Definitely read: What precautions should you take in hotels, even if you are vaccinated against COVID-19?
Virgin is one of the few Vegas hotels with no resort fees.
Park MGM offers a smoke-free casino
Park MGM and its sister property NoMad (an intimate luxury hotel within the Park MGM hotel) offer the first smoke-free resort that still includes a casino on the Strip.
Park MGM closed in April 2020. It reopened in September.
Getty Images
Both hotels can be booked with Hyatt points due to a partnership between Hyatt H, + 0.09% and MGM Resorts International MGM, -1.20%..
As a result of this relationship, travelers can redeem World of Hyatt points in participating M life Rewards destinations, including Park MGM, for free nighttime awards. The Hyatt and MGM loyalty partnership also means that you can combine Hyatt Elite status with the MGM M life Rewards loyalty program and vice versa.
Park MGM is located on the former site of the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino and reopened in September 2020.
Circa Resort & Casino opens in the city center
If you prefer downtown Las Vegas to the Strip, consider Circa Resort & Casino, which opened in December 2020. The hotel is the area’s first resort development since 1980 and is home to the Fremont Street Experience’s longest outdoor bar, as well as a multi-tier casino and sports betting facility.
There’s also a huge, multi-tiered water amphitheater with multiple pools in front of a huge, high-resolution screen designed for poolside parties.
Also read: Summer travel times don’t get any stranger than this
Harrah’s is under renovation for $ 200 million200
A $ 200 million investment meant Harrah’s Las Vegas got quite a facelift. The hotel renovated 2,542 guest rooms, remodeled the casino floor and added two new LED tents. The renovations were completed this summer.
Harrah’s Las Vegas is a Caesars CZR, -2.39% property offering mutual status matches with Wyndham WH, + 0.53% rewards. Caesars has long dominated the Strip with 10 properties including Caesars Palace, Paris Las Vegas, and Planet Hollywood.
Rio will join Hyatt
While we don’t know exactly when it’s going to happen, we know it will: The Rio Las Vegas is undergoing a renovation that will include not just one but several Hyatt-branded hotels. This makes World of Hyatt members another Vegas destination to earn and redeem points.
The 2,510-room Rio Las Vegas will see massive redevelopment of its existing gaming, retail, spa, and fitness areas; dining establishments; and pool deck. One of the towers will be a 1,501-room Hyatt Regency hotel while the other towers will be branded or affiliated with various Hyatt brands, which are to be announced.
If you are planning a trip to Las Vegas
Several new hotels have popped up in Vegas lately, and many of them offer the option to change your hotel elite status or even stay for free through travel points or free nightly certificates from credit cards.
When you’re ready to combine your home routine with a new experience, consider a trip to Vegas. Given the number of new hotels, even the most frequent Las Vegas visitors might find it a whole new experience themselves.
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Sally French writes for NerdWallet. Email: sfrench@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @SAFmedia.
