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These hotels and resorts are
known for their upscale to luxurious rooms and for their superior level
of customer service. Each property has access to a full-service casino
or features a full-service casino on the property. All have on-property
access to world-class entertainment, attractions and/or world-class art
exhibits. All have upscale to resort-style pools, upscale to resort-class
spas, full-service business centers, fitness centers and access to high-end
restaurants and multiple restaurant choices.
Vegas hotel room prices can
fluctuate wildly. Prices depend on how many conventions are in town and
how big they are. The big computer convention, Comdex, hits town close
to Thanksgiving and it's almost impossible to get a room while it's there.
Weekends with big sporting events like the Superbowl (January) and college
basketball's "Final 4" (March) will also see a shortage of rooms. If you
check room prices and they're high, check the prices for the following
week or weekend. They very well could be lower. Rooms are also always higher
on Friday and Saturday nights. Monday through Wednesday nights are typically
the lowest (again, providing there's not a big convention in town). However,
most limited engagement performers only have shows on Friday and Saturday
night.
In addition to the normal
"rack rate", most places also have a reduced "casino rate" for those who
patronize their slot machines and tables. You may even be able to get your
room for free. See the Getting "Rated" section on the Gaming page for information
on how to take advantage of that.
If you want to splurge on this
trip and pamper yourself, get a room in the Palace Tower at Caesars Palace.
Most of these rooms have two bathrooms, each having both jacuzzi tubs and
showers. If the Palace Tower rooms at Caesars are all booked, try the all
suites Venetian with their sunken living room areas
Be careful what you ask
for. It's temping to ask for a room with a view of the Strip. However,
at the Imperial Palace, the rooms with a view of the Strip are right above
Harrah's outdoor carousel stage. This stage has music from noon until 2
a.m. and closing the balcony door doesn't help. If you plan on trying to
sleep in your room during these times you'll want to tell them you don't
want a Strip-view room at check-in. However, if you don't mind the music,
the Strip-view rooms on the upper floors will give you a view of both the
Mirage volcano fountain and Bellagio fountain show from your balcony.
Safty
The Las Vegas Strip is one
of the safest places in the country. I have routinely walked the Strip
at 3 or 4 in the morning without so much as a panhandler approaching me.
However, every city has it's criminal element and you should take steps
to protect yourself from it. In addition, due to attraction of the large
volume of tourists, the thieves can just as easily have come in from out
of town on a "business trip", staying at a hotel, as local residents. This
doesn't mean you should be afraid or limit your activities. Just follow
the same simple common-sense steps you'd use when visiting any large city.
A large crowd of tourists,
money in their pockets, jammed together focused on the Bellagio Fountain
Show or one of the other attractions, is enough to make a pick-pocket drool.
ALWAYS be mindful of your purse or wallet. Keep your valuables well covered
and don't drop your guard while checking out the attractions, gambling,
shopping, at a buffet, at the pool, or even walking down the sidewalk.
Shopping bags are nice but they're usually wide open at the top. You're
better off with bags that you can fold the top over.
Always use the additional
dead-bolt lock when you're in your room. As fast as new key-cards and electronic
locks are developed the thieves find a way to thwart them. Don't leave
large amounts of cash or valuables in your room. The hotels will keep them
in their safe as a free service. Moderate amounts of cash should be locked
in your suitcase. The vast majority of maids and maintenance workers are
honest, hard-working people trying to make a living. However, the only
way the occasional "bad apple" can come to the hotel's attention is after
guests have been victimized.
When in a hotel/casino lobby
or at the airport, always keep a hand on your luggage or set it in front
of you. It only takes a second for a suitcase or bag to disappear. Thieves
like busy places where people are rushing around. Hotel lobbies, casinos,
and especially McCarran Airport, all fit this profile.
Whatever you do, don't try to
walk from the Strip to Fremont Street (or visa-versa). I can tell you from
personal experience that it's no "leisurely stroll", and you pass through
areas where there are not a lot of people, even during daylight hours.
When you are walking, use
the crosswalks. Jay-walking in Vegas carries a $95 fine. And when you're
at the crosswalks, wait for the "Walk" light and don't step too far off
the curb while you wait. The locals really fly down Sands, Flamingo, and
the other streets that cross the Strip and the traffic lanes are close
to the curbs. (The pedestrian bridges at Flamingo and Tropicana are helpful
in this respect.) I've seen numerous posts in Las Vegas newsgroups which
said that car/pedestrian accidents around the Strip happen a lot more often
than the Convention and Visitors Bureau would like to admit. And often
the people driving the car are themselves visitors with a rental who are
sight-seeing while driving. Whether walking or driving, be extra careful
around the Strip.
You should always bring
along a photo ID with your current address and something with your name
and social security number on it. The IRS requires the casinos to get this
information if you hit a jackpot at a machine or do extremely well at the
tables. However, don't carry the document bearing your social security
number around with you. If your name, address, and SSN fall into the wrong
hands you could become the victim of "credit identity theft". (You shouldn't
carry your Social Security card in your wallet or purse at all anymore
because this applies everywhere, not just Las Vegas. Also check any health
insurance cards or school IDs you may have in your wallet. They also often
have your SSN on it.) Leave your SSN document in your room, locked in your
suitcase. If you do hit it big, the casino will be glad to hold onto your
winnings while you go back to your room to get the document.
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