In the 1940s, Liberace made his name with performances at the El Rancho Vegas, the first casino on the Strip. A decade later, Frank Sinatra’s stint at the famous Desert Inn brought together two Las Vegas icons. Today, Vegas remains legendary partly for the size of its hotels. The casino and entertainment mecca boasts seven of the 10 biggest hotels in the world, and 15 of the top 20. On any given day, the city has a staggering 150,000 hotel rooms and 15,000 luxury suites available. Not surprisingly, the hotels that lead the pack are off the scale in size and ambition.
Built with stone imported from the Italian Alps, the Venetian and its sister hotel the Palazzo re-create a slice of Venice in Nevada, with gondola rides available on the resort’s two canals and a replica of the Italian city’s famous Campanile tower. The cultural theme is reinforced by two on-site Guggenheim museums. The Venetian opened in 1999 with 3,014 suites in contemporary Italian style on 35 floors. It was joined by the Palazzo, which has 3,066 suites on 50 floors, in 2008. The smaller 12-story Venezia has 1,013 suites, securing this resort the top spot, overall, on combined rooms.
When the MGM Grand opened in 1993 with 5,044 guest rooms, including 751 suites, the four 30-story towers of the the world’s largest hotel at the time heralded a new Vegas era. The original MGM, which has 2,500 slot machines, was subsequently complemented by the non-gaming Signature hotel and the two-story penthouse lofts at the luxury Skylofts, a prestigious AAA five-diamond award-winner. In total, the MGM offers 6,582 rooms and 21 restaurants, and sustains its reputation for Hollywood Golden Age glamor with an outstanding entertainment bill, including Cirque du Soleil Ka, Studio 54, and performances by artists from Cher to Elton John.
In 1989, Steve Wynn opened the first new hotel in Las Vegas in 16 years, prompting a boom which came to redefine the city. Opened in 2005, the Wynn Las Vegas, toward the north end of the Strip, consolidated the renaissance. The Wynn has 2,716 rooms, while the slightly more luxurious Encore next door, which opened in 2008, has 2,034. The pair form an elegant curve of shimmering bronze-tinted towers, rounded out by a 60,000-square-foot beach club and 18-hole Tom Fazio-designed golf course. The real highlight, perhaps, is the dining. The sister resorts offer 19 restaurants in total, and the Travel Channel claims the Wynn has the most upscale all-you-can-eat buffet on the Strip.
The Luxor has 4,400 rooms, including 442 suites, housed in two towers and the original pyramid building, which opened in 1993. The iconic glass pyramid houses the world’s largest atrium, from which a 315,000-watt light beam is trained nightly toward the heavens, allegedly visible by pilots over Los Angeles. Despite the replica of Cleopatra’s Needle and the Sphinx outside, Frommer’s notes that the hotel has thrown off many of its Egyptian flourishes. Instead, the Luxor is renowned for its competitive prices and top-rate entertainment, including Criss Angel and Blue Man Group. The casino hotel also has 2,000 slot machines, while outside, guests can frolic around a 5-acre pool area with four pools and 12 private cabanas.
Mandalay Bay opened in 1999 with 3,211 rooms, including 436 suites, on 43 floors. The original casino resort was subsequently bolstered by the addition of the 1,117-suite THEhotel Tower, a nongaming hotel, and the 424-room Four Seasons hotel on the top five floors. Both offer a luxury antidote to the Mandalay’s buzz, with tranquil atmospheres catering to a more exclusive market. Those who haven’t yet stayed at the Mandalay will no doubt recognize the surroundings. The 12,000-seat Events Center hosts marquee boxing fights and the Latin Grammy awards, while the Convention Center is the fifth largest in the U.S.
