[Masterplan]

Guys,

What's Vegas like in January?

Thinking of taking the mrs away for 4-5 nights at the Wynn Encore. Is it still quite active at that time of year? Weather any good?

Never been before and some good deals on at the moment. Opinions please?

MP

[amanda hor$t]

Originally Posted by Masterplan

Guys,

What's Vegas like in January?

Thinking of taking the mrs away for 4-5 nights at the Wynn Encore. Is it still quite active at that time of year? Weather any good?

Never been before and some good deals on at the moment. Opinions please?

MP

activities are about the same all year round since it's indoors. perhaps bring a coat if you plan on walking the strip, it'll be pretty cold by then.

[NemesisX]

After New Years it's not active at all, but that suits my needs just perfectly. When I go to Vegas, I mostly go for the Michelin star restaurants, some minimal gambling, and maybe a show or 2. I'm not really into the club/party scene or anything that requires lots of people to be present.

I usually average around 4 trips to Vegas every year, and one of them almost always occurs mid-January. It's probably at 15-20% capacity during this time of year.

[NemesisX]

As for weather, it's definitely chilly. I'll usually wear a leather jacket on top of a button down and jeans, and that's good enough for me.

[MShao825]

I'm pursuing my MBA at NYU Stern and got into a by application only course called Operations in Entertainment: Las Vegas See you there perhaps!

[Masterplan]

Very tempted! were not going to be that fussed by missing the big club party scene. I think it's going to be more for the meals, shows, light gambling and the sights!

Is the Wynn Encore a good hotel?

[i dunno]

missing the club scene? but the encore has some of the best clubs on the strip! xs and surrender!

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by Masterplan

Very tempted! were not going to be that fussed by missing the big club party scene. I think it's going to be more for the meals, shows, light gambling and the sights!

Is the Wynn Encore a good hotel?

Wynn is probably the best hotel in Vegas by rating (IIRC it's the only 4 star rated hotel here). Encore is the little sister of Wynn and is a very very good hotel, but not the best, and as such it's a little bit cheaper than Wynn. There's confusion sometimes because people call the Encore "Wynn Encore," but these are different hotels owned by the same person. If you go to wynn's website you'll find that room rates for the Encore are around $50/night less on average than comparable rooms in the Wynn.

In truth, most of the hotels here are just fine and you can find room rates as low as $100/night to as high as $10,000/night, and everything in between.

If you ask me, I think the best tier of hotel is something like an MGM Grand or Luxor. These are middle tier hotels in Vegas that will cost you around $150/night (for 2) and in my opinion you get the best deal staying at a place like this.

Encore's comparable rooms (the lowest level - "premium" or "deluxe" or whatever it's called) are around $250/night. Are you really getting $700 worth of extra value staying in Encore versus staying in Luxor for 7 days? I don't think so. And just for comparison, Wynn's rooms are more like $300-$350/night.

Ultimately it's up to you. I really would not spend more than $200/night on hotel accommodations in Vegas.

If you're like me and you like Vegas for the meals, then I'd save some money by staying at a place like the Luxor (which is still a very beautiful hotel inside and out) and splurge more on the fine dining.

There are numerous excellent fine dining options in Vegas. There's a 3 michelin star restaurant in the MGM grand called Restaurant Joel Robuchon that I love. Tom Collichio (of top chef) has his restaurant craftsteak in the MGM as well, and he serves a mean Kobe filet (real Kobe, none of that faux U.S. "wagyu-style" that often passes for 'Kobe' filets around here). Just search Michelin star las vegas and try anything and everything on the list.

http://govegas.about.com/od/dining/a/michelinrest.htm

Looks like a couple of them have closed, but Joel Robuchon is still open. I've heard great things about Guy Savoy, although I've never been there.

[NemesisX]

I mean check this out, the Luxor is a very sleek looking black pyramid. How cool is that?!

[NemesisX]

And actually it's funny because if you compare rates, the "Tower luxury suite" for Luxor is $275/night for 2 people, whereas the bare bones room in Encore costs around the same. If you have to stay in a suite, you still get much better value looking at place like Luxor/MGM.

The comparable suites in Encore are all around $1000/night.

[keepittrill]

The Luxor was so shitty, we ran to the Wynn the moment we checked in. Do NOT stay at the Luxor. It looks good on the outside, but then again, so do a lot of prostitutes. (;

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by keepittrill

The Luxor was so shitty, we ran to the Wynn the moment we checked in. Do NOT stay at the Luxor. It looks good on the outside, but then again, so do a lot of prostitutes. (;

What didn't you like about the Luxor (just out of curiosity)?

[NemesisX]

Looking at google reviews, it's about what I would expect. Luxor, being a middle tier hotel in Vegas, has a rating of 18/30.

MGM Grand is 21/30.

Wynn, naturally, is 28/30.

Ultimately I guess it comes down to how you plan on using your hotel room. If you're just looking for a nice, Holiday-Inn-ish place to sleep at night and take a shower, then $150/night at the Luxor might not be a bad choice.

[iBoost]

January is cold out here pools will be closed, all else is pretty much the same. Luxor rooms are hideous (at least the ones i've been in). I think Planet Hollywood just remodeled rooms and they have good rates, also in the middle of the strip which is perfect. I would also try the $20 trick where ever you stay.

[keepittrill]

My sister planned the whole trip, as we take turns planning for trips. So we got there and she had booked one of the rooms on the edge of the hotel, meaning there was a slant going through the room. So I was just like "lolwut". It wasn't a slant like you see in the pictures, it was like cutting the rooms in half. So we go down and my sister showed the front desk the rooms she had originally booked. The lady is like "Yeah, I guess those rooms were double booked. How about a complimentary this and that, we'll discount the rooms" and we were like "yeah, no." They didn't even bother to tell us at check in that we were getting different rooms. So we left and got perfect rooms at the Wynn. Ever since then, we've never stayed anywhere besides the Wynn. I was 13 when this happened.

[Desert_Fox]

I used to stay at Circus Circus with my buddies when my parents would invite us to go on their annual trip. They stayed at the Venetian though, quite a bit nicer! You can't beat $50 a night specials though.. I recently went to Vegas for my 21st and stayed at The Mirage. Very nice place! Vegas is one hell of a town

[koreez88]

C'mon now, Luxor is a budget hotel. Wynn & Encore are arguably the best hotels in Vegas. Encore should be a bit fresher than Wynn since it was built later.

IMO:

Lower tier: Circus Circus, Stratosphere, Luxor
Middle tier: Monte Carlo, Bally's, Planet Hollywood, Mandalay, Paris, New York New York, Treasure Island, MGM
Higher tier: Venetian, Mirage, Palazzo, Caesar's Palace
Top tier: Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, Aria, Vdara, Wynn, Encore

[NemesisX]

Originally Posted by koreez88

C'mon now, Luxor is a budget hotel. Wynn & Encore are arguably the best hotels in Vegas. Encore should be a bit fresher than Wynn since it was built later.

IMO:

Lower tier: Circus Circus, Stratosphere, Luxor
Middle tier: Monte Carlo, Bally's, Planet Hollywood, Mandalay, Paris, New York New York, Treasure Island, MGM
Higher tier: Venetian, Mirage, Palazzo, Caesar's Palace
Top tier: Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, Aria, Vdara, Wynn, Encore

Luxor is "middle" because there are hordes of hotels that are even cheaper than circus circus, stratosphere, and luxor.

The lowest tier hotels have rooms for around $30-$50/night.

[koreez88]

Originally Posted by NemesisX

Luxor is "middle" because there are hordes of hotels that are even cheaper than circus circus, stratosphere, and luxor.

The lowest tier hotels have rooms for around $30-$50/night.

I'm only counting strip hotels.

And I also mentioned this being my opinion, which is subjective.

I've left out a few hotels that I've never been to, like Trump

[firstkill]

Originally Posted by koreez88

C'mon now, Luxor is a budget hotel. Wynn & Encore are arguably the best hotels in Vegas. Encore should be a bit fresher than Wynn since it was built later.

IMO:

Lower tier: Circus Circus, Stratosphere, Luxor
Middle tier: Monte Carlo, Bally's, Planet Hollywood, Mandalay, Paris, New York New York, Treasure Island, MGM
Higher tier: Venetian, Mirage, Palazzo, Caesar's Palace
Top tier: Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, Aria, Vdara, Wynn, Encore

this is pretty accurate in my opinion also
and I go there once a month

I would move ballys to the low tier also.

I would chose the hotel that fits your needs for entertainment.
gambling vs clubs vs cheap room to shower

fk

[keepittrill]

Originally Posted by koreez88

C'mon now, Luxor is a budget hotel. Wynn & Encore are arguably the best hotels in Vegas. Encore should be a bit fresher than Wynn since it was built later.

IMO:

Lower tier: Circus Circus, Stratosphere, Luxor
Middle tier: Monte Carlo, Bally's, Planet Hollywood, Mandalay, Paris, New York New York, Treasure Island, MGM
Higher tier: Venetian, Mirage, Palazzo, Caesar's Palace
Top tier: Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, Aria, Vdara, Wynn, Encore

That's pretty accurate.

[amanda hor$t]

never stayed at the wynn hotels or city center (aria, cosmo, etc)... but i've stayed almost everywhere else and venetian was my favorite (bellagio a close 2nd because there's more to do at venetian)

venetian's basic room is a suite. a basic room anywhere else will buy you the same bed with nicer sheets and nicer cramped furniture. rio has the largest rooms (all suite also) but you'll have to take a cab or drive to go anywhere.

though i've easily been to vegas 100+ times and the 3 most memorable trips, i stayed at travel lodge, rio, and mandalay bay (i.e. the room really doesn't affect the fun). i usually stay at circus or hooters because i'm cheap. and if you're staying 5 nights, you could easily save $1000 by going cheap. the key to a badass vegas trip: some money, some luck, and all balls!