Las Vegas, the home of brash and over the top hotels, it was a place that I had rather mixed emotions about visiting – was I going to love it or hate it?! To be honest, I am still rather undecided about Las Vegas.
As we are loyal to the IHG brand we decided to stay one night each at The Palazzo and The Venetian in Las Vegas as these hotels fall under the Intercontinental brand and it meant we were able to collect Priority club points.
The two hotels are actually one giant resort with the casino in the middle with two towers for the accommodation and you seriously need to have the map that they give you at check in to move about the hotel (yes I laughed but the map was pulled out on numerous occasions) and trust me Google Maps on your iPhone isn’t going to help!
The accommodation and lobby of The Palazzo and The Venetian are very different so I thought I would let you know what to expect.
For me the Palazzo is a very simple styled resort for Las Vegas; there is no major theme other than a slight Italian one running through the lobby and rooms however if you are looking for non themed hotel which is first class while in Las Vegas than the Palazzo is the hotel for you.
The rooms at the Palazzo are large but I think this is something that you expect in Vegas as everything is HUGE! The decor is kept very simple in the rooms and there was a lovely marble bathroom with a set of scales which after almost two weeks in the States I had gained almost half a stone!
Las Vegas is over the top and this is probably demonstrated best by the fact that our suite had three TVs all up.
The Venetian was my favourite and if I go back I will stay at this part of the resort again. Yes its themed on Venice and it has its own Rialto bridge outside the hotel (its less crowded than the real one in Italy) and there is a canal both inside and outside the hotel where you can take a Gondola ride on or you can just shop while taking in the lovely views of a pretend Venice.
Yes everything is fake however I didn’t find it tacky in any way, it just made me smile.
The room at the Venetian was HUGE, even bigger than the one that we had at The Palazzo. However we had paid an extra $100 for an upgrade as our original room wasn’t ready on check in and I needed a nana nap before going out shopping with G.
Our suite was located on the 36th floor – the top floor so the views were impressive however I am not going to lie – we didn’t have a view of the strip we had a view of the car park below of the Wynn Hotel however our suite was right below the glittering Venetian sign that sparkled all night long which for me was a winner and I had to Face Time my mum in New Zealand to show her; needless to say it’s now on my folks travel wish list.
To say the suite was opulent was an understatement – our room had a hallway with a guest toilet, a dining room, an office area, a very large lounge with floor to ceiling windows to show off the view, an even bigger bedroom and a gorgeous bathroom however it wasn’t fussy in any way and I loved it!
For me the Venetian side of the resort is the best and its slightly cheaper for some reason.
When we had booked in at the Venetian, the receptionist told us we would be staying in the Palazzo tower of the hotel – we had booked the Venetian so I was adamant I was staying in The Venetian to experience the difference between the two hotels. There is a chance that you will actually stay in the rooms which are in the Palazzo tower rather than on the Venetian side even though you have booked the Venetian (just a heads up!). It’s only a short walk through the casino to either hotel; possibly longer if you get lost – remember the map!
When checking into the resort, they provide vouchers and discounts for the restaurants within the resort.
Like all the hotels / resorts in Las Vegas there is serious shopping to be had. I managed to escape Barney’s without purchasing a pair of Christian Louboutin Heels however I did make numerous shopping purchases from Banana Republic. There is a huge array of shops meaning you don’t have to leave the resort to visit the shopping malls.
My tip would be to check your invoice as we found that they tried to charge us for the use of the Internet (this should have been free through their loyalty program) and also for use of the gym (there was no chance of this happening EVER!)
Both hotels are stunning and you won’t regret your decision to stay in either one. Just make a booking – just do it, you know you want too!
xx
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