pretty much agree with above^ all depends on what you plan on doing

bellagio rooms are average at best. and dont mix and match, switching rooms is a pain, at least for me

but both aria and wynn are very nice, both top tier hotels. i kinda like wynn more, but its a bit further out of the way. then agian, distance only matters if you will be walking to nearby stuff.

So I am probably going to vegas this summer for the first time for two weeks or so. Planning on going at the end of june and my plan is to grind the cash games and any lower bi wsop events + main.

This being my first trip to vegas I think choosing hotels is a complete mess, I was looking at rio (since Im playing WSOP) and the rooms were suspiciously cheap during that period compared to other hotels. Is there something wrong with rio that I am missing?

Off Strip and older rooms for sure;

All depends on budget but for first trip to Vegas I'd recommend staying on the strip preferably somewhere mid strip (Tropicana, Bally's, Quad) on the budget end of things, (Mirage, TI, Paris, PH) on next level up, then obviously Caesars, Cosmo, Bellagio, Ven as next step

Rio rooms are fine especially if you're playing a WSOP event. I would never recommend Quad and Tropicana isn't at all mid-strip.

Any reason why hotels are so ridiculously expensive May 16-23?

FYI: For my recent bookings for various stays in Vegas in May/June across various venues (in my case Aria, Caesars & Rio obv), I used British Airways website for Hotel-Bookings (not flying with them though). Amazingly they are currently offering rates incl. tax and incl. resort fee about 15% below cheapest offer on kayak/trivago/expedia. Couldn't believe my eyes, always thought bookings through regular airline websites are rip-offs.... In essence I ended up with a mixture of poker room rates (for some weekends) and BA bookings... Hope this is helpful.

For anyone who has stayed in a Vdara Suite that had a W/D, did it come with one-time use detergent or do you have to buy your own?

Housekeeping will bring it to you and dryer sheets no charge. They'll also bring you a full kitchen set and a whole comforter set to convert the sofa into a bed. They even set it all up for you.

Has anyone tried Golden Nugget?
Prices on the strip are so high end of June, could GN be a good alternative?

I haven't, but you might also consider The D. It's like a block away from GN, brand newly renovated, and a great overall casino. Room rates are really low but they don't have many rooms so I've noticed a lot of weekends sell out pretty often.

I stayed at Golden Nugget last August in the "new" Rush Tower. Buddy I was with stayed in the Carson Tower but I didn't check out their room, and can't compare the two. Carson Tower is usually cheaper, and from what I understand a farther walk to Fremont.

I was pleased with the Rush Tower room. Plenty of space, really comfortable bed, nice and spacious shower/bathroom. I'd put it as better than Harrah's and MGM (although I've been told I had one of the few crap rooms at MGM), comparable if not better than TI, and not as nice as Venetian (but not a huge drop off, honestly).

If I stay at encore, do I get free access to encore beach club and XS nightclub or do I have to pay cover just like everyone else...?

Or is the cost / lineup to get into these places going to be the same whether I am staying at encore or the Venetian?

You have to pay like everyone else.

When I stayed there last year (18days stay) I could get in Surrender for free during the week days. 100% success (tried twice)
Of course when there is a big DJ playing u should get presales (avoid the queue) and it makes no difference if u are a hotel guest or not (only difference is that you can crawl back to your rent at the end of the night ^^)

There is currently a nice deal at Venetian and Palazzo
Tommy LaRosa posted on twitter a discount code :
"DSE III Suite Rates of $109 weekday / $169 weekend. Call 877-444-3777, use code CP35A1"
I couldn't get a Bella Suite for my whole stay, but definitely a great deal and no poker attendance required.
Enjoy

Unfortunately not entirely true, they require (on average) either 6 hours of cash play per day or one tournament buy-in per day of at least 400 USD for CP35A1. Check the fineprints of DSE III for reference. Cut off time for time/buy-in measurements is 9pm the evening before checkout at latest.

Check out Tommy LaRosa's reply to one of my twitts, "Use group code CP35A and you will get our lw Suite Rate for your entire stay regardless of play"

If this holds to be true, then it is the best deal on the strip for a top tier venue. Especially since you can decline to pay the resort fee at Venetian.

When I spoke to the Venetion Poker Room last week, they told me that the requirements are in fact as mentioned in my post above (6 hours of play/400 Tourney per day), but they might have changed their policy in the last days on that matter.

Unfortunately I already booked everything for my WSOP stay and the cancellation penalties force me to stick to these bookings now.

Without play requirements that deal is highly recommended, no doubt (still better double check with Venetian Poker Room if you wanna book it though).

So has anyone determined if this is a scam or not? I'm headed out around 4th of July and the room rates seem to good to be true.

When in doubt, my man, something is probably off

If it seems to good to be true...

I wouldn't risk it. Make alternative plans imo

best hotel to play a couple wsop events, play cash games, party, save money?

syntax error... fold pre if serious...

jokes aside, check out British Airways website... rates for Rio are incl. tax and resort fee and come up cheaper than the WSOP rate from Rio itself...

Rumor Las Vegas - a boutique hotel - 3/5

Booked 3 nights, stayed for 1. It's okay. Imagine a motel 6, or college style 80's apartment complex with big courtyard and nice pool. Now decorate the rooms with artsy stuff, rain showers, interesting colors, and decorate the property with the same and you have Rumor Las Vegas. I think it'd be a nicer place to stay long-term, but it still feels like a level below my comfort - mainly bc the cleaning wasn't great: some pubes in the bathroom and some hair in the bed...not the worst case, but definitely something I'm more used to in motels that you stop over for 1 night on the road, not Vegas. Room also has a individual AC unit, not central. I travel with my dog, so it's a nice touch bc you see a lot of dogs in the humongous courtyard.

wow thank you so much. British airways is like 500 dollars cheaper for me. unreal

You owe me a beer, mate