Hotels - Las Vegas - United States

Virtually every restaurant, casino and entertainment option in Las Vegas is operated through one of the city's enormous hotels. Accommodation exists in every price range, with a lot of variance even at the same establishments. Weekends are very busy due to weekend vacationers from the surrounding area, especially Southern California. Hotels on the Strip often offer discounted rates from Sunday through Thursday, or when occupancy is otherwise low.

Larger hotels regularly offer promotional packages during periods of low occupancy, featuring free show tickets, complimentary tokens and meals at their buffets. While it is possible to get exceptional deals on accommodation, travellers are advised that many hotels levy hefty surcharges on amenities that might be complimentary in other cities. Local phone calls are usually charged to the room, and access to facilities like wireless internet and fitness centres is usually billed as well.

Caesar's Palace is often touted as the last of the quintessential Vegas hotels, with a glittering interior and all of the kitsch charm that pervaded hotels of the previous era. The 5,000-room MGM Grand hotel was built in 1993 and has held the world record for the largest hotel ever since. Besides regular hotel amenities, the MGM Grand also hosts prominent boxing matches and an enclosed lion habitat.

The Strip is Las Vegas' premium stretch of real estate, spanning four miles and hosting practically all of the major hotels and casinos. Officially known as Las Vegas Boulevard South, this is the place where a first-time tour of Las Vegas begins and ends, with a range of dining, shopping and entertainment options hosted in glamorous, often sensational, environs.

The official downtown district predates the burgeoning Strip by several decades and boasts the city's longest-running hotels. The neon signage here has a vintage spirit, relying more on colourful lights and less on ostentatious features. There is a nightly light show (part of the Fremont Experience) that is reminiscent of the younger commercial districts. The Golden Nugget on Fremont Street in the downtown district is one of the best in this part of the city.

Between the Strip and the historic centre is a secondary area of accommodation that caters mainly to budget travellers. Within this sometimes seedy area is the Gateway district, which is suitable for tourists and has a bohemian air with artsy cafés and artists' studios.

East of the Strip is an important convention centre that hosts large-scale seminars throughout the year. The Las Vegas Hilton has capitalised on the millions of conventioneers that flood this district every year. There are several mid-range hotels here as well, and with the Strip nearby, this makes a good off-centre accommodation spot for bargain hunters.