My standard hotel reviews include a breakdown by the following topics. Feel free to skip to whichever section you find most interesting.
- Highlights
- Lobby
- Room
- Hotel Space / Ambiance
- Food & Drink
- Fitness
- Miscellaneous
Highlights: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
This is one of my favorite resorts in Las Vegas, and I’m so thrilled to be back here for Christmas 2018. It was just two nights of my huge 11-night trip, but it was my favorite part. I recorded a podcast for Pizza In Motion from my studio suite, and had great fortune gambling on the property. I enjoyed the food (as always) and was able to score two comped resort fees for some minor issues.
Highlights include the pizza from the Secret Pizza Place on the third floor, and the fact that the entire stay was comped! I leveraged a comp offer from Mandalay Bay to Cosmopolitan for two nights in a studio suite, and got resort fees waived off as well!
LOBBY & CHECK-IN
Lobby is off Las Vegas Blvd next to the Chelsea Tower, a far walk in from the Strip and adjacent hotels (Aria, NYNY). Of course, if you have Marriott status take advantage of the Autograph lounge for some complimentary beverages and a much quieter check-in area. Status also grants $10 free food credit per stay, which is nice.
ROOM
As we arrived late we were not given an upgrade, and the studio suite was only slightly larger than a basic hotel room. It did have a balcony overlooking the Strip, and a small desk. The bathroom was glorious, with a large tub, and separate sinks – useful for couples or groups. Room internet was one of my highlights as well – one click sign-on, no ridiculous requirements, charges, or device limits. Just click and go.
HOTEL SPACE / AMBIANCE
As we checked in a couple days before Christmas, it was filled with adults and children, young and old. We saw plenty of groups of revelers, ready to enjoy themselves. It was lively at all hours of the day, and especially so around midnight when we were hunting on the casino floor.
FOOD & DRINK
This time around we enjoyed the Las Vegas Advisor coupons for Buy one get one at Wicked Spoon with our parents. It was decent as always, but not as good as Bacchanal. Don’t forget that Marriott Platinum gets access to the VIP line and an additional 15% off. Comes to $107 before tax for 6 people! Not bad at all. The lady and I also enjoyed the Secret Pizza Place. For $5-6 a slice, it was decent, but I’d still prefer Pin-Up Pizza at Planet Hollywood for better value.
FITNESS
The fitness center, located in the Chelsea Tower, hasn’t changed. It’s a very long gym, with different sections for different types of machines, a weight room, yoga room, etc.
MISCELLANEOUS
I feel I should write more about casinos and making money, since that is such an enjoyable topic. This trip netted a final count of $1,828, where probably close to a thousand of that came from the Cosmo on the last couple nights. We discovered a couple new Advantage Play games, which were very lucrative. This hotel is also very close to the Aria, connected by a skybridge through the Shop at Crystals, so it was easy to check the machines there too.
God, I can’t wait to go back. I may actually work to earn their status levels (known as Identity) to get to Sterling. I earned about 30% towards the next level, and easily can make up the rest through more gambling/spending next time. If you haven’t been to or stayed at the Cosmopolitan, I highly suggest that you do. Also, according to their site, it has won numerous awards for top hotel and best place to visit. Of course, I can totally see why!
Fee-Free!
However, we did have some minor room issues – the sinks didn’t drain properly, and some towels we got from housekeeping had black stains, which looked like oil slicks. I let the front desk know before checking out, and they waived one resort fee and about $10 of room charges. Upon actually checking out (on Christmas Day!) I let them know about the issues again, and asked for the second resort fee to be waived (because it’s Christmas!) The agent checked with her manager, and he waived it – because it is Christmas! That sealed the deal for this trip – of the entire eleven-night stay, all eleven resort fees were waived! Amazingly, this saved me about $80 for the Cosmo alone.
Featured Image of the view from my room. Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links which, should you click through and/or make a purchase, grant me a commission. Also, I only post in the best interest of my readers. Lastly, thank you for supporting my blog and my travels.
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I’m interested in your slot play on this trip. I have an upcoming stay at Vegas later in Jan and I’d love to read about your latest strategies. Your original advantage articles introduced me to the subject and I’ve been hooked ever since. Please share tips!
Fantastic! I’ve been super lazy about writing an update to AP (advantage play) from two years ago on the machines I found, but suffice to say there’s about 6-8 machines we just check religiously from casino to casino, Scarabs being one of them (in the photo above). We’ve taught our friends and family, but I haven’t written more on them yet.
Sphinx 4D, Flying Dragon Dancing Phoenix, Golden Egypt, Oceans Magic, Harley Davidson…Any others?
If you haven’t had a Verbena at the Chandelier Bar, you need to. It’s not on the menu but it’s a staple of the Cosmo.
I don’t know what a Verbena is but it sounds fancy and I will definitely try it next time!
It’s the signature (tequila) drink of the Chandelier Bar. Very much like Secret Pizza that is a “secret,” the Verbena isn’t on the menu but is well known. If you ask for it the bartender will know what you’re talking about. And let them know it’s your first time having one so they explain to you how to drink it.
I will be sure to include that in my next review. Thanks for the tip! Any others? I love learning more about my favorite places.
About the Cosmo or Vegas in general?
Both – I am by no means an expert but I love Vegas, casinos, and gambling, especially because we’ve been very successful at securing deals.
The big thing that I can think of right now is the CET status match they are doing to Diamond from Mlife Gold and up. But I’m sure you were already aware of that.
That one I didn’t know – I matched from Hotel status -> Wyndham -> CET diamond through end of Jan. But it’ll be gone soon, which is sad. Is that Mlife Gold -> Diamond still going on / available online / goes through Jan?
It is available in person at CET hotels starting in February through the end of December.
https://www.caesars.com/total-rewards/promotions/diamond-tier-upgrade
Both – I am by no means an expert but I love Vegas, casinos, and gambling, especially because we’ve been very successful at securing deals.