Let’s face it when someone says the words “Las Vegas,” chances are the first thing that comes to mind is gambling. If you are not all that keen on casino life, you probably think about live entertainment as the main attraction pulling you to a vacation in Vegas. Others may consider sights and cultural activities as the main draw for them. Regardless of your reason to spend time in Sin City, you can avoid paying full price for your stay – if you know what hotel chains are affiliated with which casinos and which rewards programs are connected to them. Even if you do not intend to hit the gambling floor, you may still be able to use one of the many casino/hotel connections to save a bundle on your room rates.
How To Save On Your Vegas Room Rates
Most of the big hotel chains have a rewards program. If you have not already signed up for one, now is your chance to get involved and use the points you can earn through the partnerships established with each specific rewards program. One of the best perks available is the opportunity to use points you’ve collected toward your room. Depending on the particular points program, you may swing a huge discount rate, earn a free upgrade, or receive some other incentive to help reduce your cost. Complimentary tickets to shows and events, known as simply ‘comps’ in the industry, are one such possibility making your stay in Vegas a lot more interesting and ultimately considerably easier on your wallet.
Why You Would Want To Collect Points
The reality of the situation is that staying at a Las Vegas hotel is going to put a dent in your bank account. Even if you have saved all year for this annual trip to The Strip to do something other than gamble, your biggest expense here will be your stay. If there was a way to reduce the impact of your hotel room rates, it only makes sense that it would be worth exploring. The major hotel chains in Vegas know they have to find ways to draw people to them. The casino industry was hit hard during the pandemic, where capacity limits and closures forced lay-offs and hurt bottom lines. Any way to get tourists back into town helps the local economy recover. One method that has always had success is rewards programs. When you collect points, you save, which may make the difference between an “okay” holiday and a “great” vacation in Vegas.
Hotel Chains With Rewards Programs
Here is a short list of a handful of the hotel chains in Las Vegas that offer rewards programs and details on what you can expect if you plan to leverage the program points toward your planned vacation.
Hilton
Hilton members have access to several hotels in Vegas including Virgin Las Vegas, Tropicana and of course, the new Resorts World hotel. The former is linked to the Hilton Curio Collection and is located just off The Strip. For Hilton Grand Vacations members, there are three high-end sites including The Flamingo, Elara, and Waldorf-Astoria. This trio of venues will provide members with large points totals with additional perks whereas Virgin Las Vegas and Tropicana only require about half as many points to unlock savings.
Westgate
The World of Westgate Rewards Program or WOW, is an active part of the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino. You can earn these points in many ways, including from betting at the casino. Multiple levels (Gold, Silver, Platinum, Diamond) provide access to various perks depending on which level you have reached. You can redeem the points you earn at Westgate’s Disney hotels restaurants, bars, the fitness center, and pool, on hotel rooms, or for free slot machine spins. Be sure to confirm the actual points required before redeeming them.
Hyatt
The Mlife Rewards program has a connection to various Hyatt properties. The memberships give you easy booking options where you can use your points instead of cash when you sign up and schedule your stay through the Hyatt website. Expect to use point totals of about 10,000 or less per night at standard Hyatt locations and higher totals for historic venues on The Strip. The Luxor and Excalibur will run you around 12,000 points a night and up to 25,000 points nightly to stay at Bellagio. Expect more hotels to join the Mlife Rewards program giving you further choices.
Marriott
Members of the Autograph Collection can access the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, which is the highest membership level of the Marriott rewards program. Plus, there is a way to convert the points between the Marriott and Cosmo comp system. Just be aware that the conversion rate is not equal across the board. Plus, as Cosmo is at the top end of the program, point redemption rates will be as high. For example, depending on the time of year (peak, off-peak or standard), you could spend between 70,000 and 100,000 points per night. However, if you have collected a ton of points and don’t want to use cash, this is a great option.
Radisson
There is one main hotel property affiliated with the Radisson rewards program. That is Treasure Island, which is a popular choice for non-gamblers to spend some vacation time as a family in Vegas. Redemption levels vary related on the season but you can expect to use about 44,000 points per night to stay here.
Final Thoughts
Vacations are important to our mental health. However, spending a bundle on a hotel stay may be the last thing you need, especially if you have a budget in place for your holiday. Being able to stretch your budget by making use of rewards programs will ensure that your vacation is enjoyable. In Las Vegas, many hotel properties have affiliations with rewards programs. They allow you to collect and redeem points so that you end up earning discounts where you stay. And who is going to turn down a discounted room rate in Vegas?
