Iconic Hotel Review: Bellagio Las Vegas

Background + History:

Ever since I was a child, I’ve always visited Bellagio on my many trips to Las Vegas. Bellagio has iconic fountains and the Conservatory + Botanical Gardens. When it opened in 1998, it was the first “five-star” mega-resort in Vegas and the level of luxury started the trend for other Las Vegas resorts to become more upscale. It was built at a cost of $1.6 billion, which was the world’s most expensive resort at that point.

Steve Wynn opened the Bellagio, and you’ll see similar designs at Wynn itself with the rows of high-end shopping and Wynn’s gardens.

A perfect opportunity came up for me where I would stay at Bellagio for a night before moving to the Wynn for the remaining two nights. I was excited to compare the two five-star mega-resorts. In short, after staying at both, I believe Wynn is the clear winner but both properties have their pros and their cons, especially when it comes to location preference. Personally, I don’t mind being a bit removed from the center of the action at the Wynn, and I do like the calmer crowds at the Wynn versus the Bellagio.

Quick Takeoff Points:

Date of Stay: May 2023
Room Type Reserved: Resort King
Pros: Common grounds are iconic, and a very convenient location.
Cons: The resort is very crowded, and cleanliness could be improved.

Fora Travel Benefits:

I work with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays. Fora is partnered with Virtuoso. With Fora’s partnership, you can get special perks when booking with me. This specific property features:

• Upgrade on arrival, subject to availability (Certain room categories excluded)
• Daily continental breakfast for up to two guests per bedroom, served at Sadelle’s, The Buffet, Bellagio Patisserie, Pool Cafe, Palio or Cafe Gelato
• $100 USD Food & Beverage credit, to be utilized during stay
• Early check-in and late check-out, subject to availability

If you are interested in getting these perks and want to stay at the Bellagio Las Vegas, feel free to email me at takeofftotravel@fora.travel and I would be happy to help you plan your trip.

Booking:

I reserved my room at the Bellagio via the myVEGAS Slots app. Over the years, I’ve earned some myVEGAS Slots Loyalty points on the app by playing slots for free. The app offers complimentary nights at MGM properties and a weeknight at the Bellagio goes for 150,000 Loyalty Points, which is what I used to book the Thursday night. I was booked into the entry-level Resort Room.

Check-In and Arrival:

I arrived at 8 pm, and the hotel was packed! I took a Lyft from the airport, which is only about 3 miles away and it was a nicely priced $18 Lyft before taxes. Once I arrived, I quickly made my way to the reception desk, and there was a line for the standard check-in line. The lobby is famous as it features Chihuly’s stained glass display “Fiori di Como”. Thankfully, there is a Priority Line for MGM Rewards Gold and higher which had no line at all.

I was quickly checked in and asked if there were any renovated rooms available. The Bellagio renovated its main tower in 2021, and now it’s renovating the Spa Tower which should be complete by the end of the year. I was excited to try a renovated room, as prior to the renovation, Bellagio had been described as being tired and not living up to its former glory. The associate said that due to the incoming long weekend, only non-renovated rooms in the Spa Tower were available. She did ask if I wanted to pay $280 for a Salon Suite upgrade though, to which I politely declined as I would only be in the room to sleep and check out the next day.

With MGM Rewards Gold benefits include a Free Enhanced Room Upgrade (upon availability it seems, maybe not on long weekends), and a waived resort fee which was nice (even on the myVEGAS stay). Normally, the resort fee is $51.02 per night including tax.

Heading to the Spa Tower:

Bellagio’s two towers combined have 3,933 rooms. The Spa Tower contains 928 rooms, so it is the smaller of the two. It doesn’t involve you walking through the casino to get to the guest elevators which is nice, and less smoky but it is a further hike from the casino and restaurants. Also, if you want a close-up Fountain View, you’d want to be in the Main Tower instead.

I was assigned a room on the 28th floor, and I liked how my set of 3 elevators only served floors 27-33, so the elevators were never crowded.

My first impressions of the hallways were that they were a bit dark, but still looked luxurious.

The Room:

The room is listed on the website as 510 square feet, which felt accurate as the room was a good size for a standard room.

Bathroom:

When walking into the room, the bathroom was to the left. It had double sinks and a separate bathtub and shower. There was no separation for each of the elements, so it did lack some privacy (especially for the toilet). The tiles in the shower did seem aged, so a renovation would definitely be appreciated.

Toiletries were provided by Lanovera and were a decent scent. Additionally, mouthwash, a sewing kit, and cotton swabs were provided too.

Bedroom:

Past the foyer, there is a closet with iron/board, as well as slippers which was a nice touch. Two robes for use were also provided. I did like the fact that the wooden hangers seemed to be of good quality, which added to the luxurious feel.

The room itself had a large king-sized bed and was actually quite comfortable and to the “Vegas” five-star level. The bedding was better than what I experienced at Aria, so I definitely think Bellagio is the flagship luxury property for MGM. I got a great night’s sleep.

However, right when I entered the room, I did notice a very large hair on the bed which made me question the cleanliness. Ew! I was too tired to switch rooms since it was late at night, so I removed the hair with a napkin and put a towel over the area.

There were two chairs near the bed, and they looked quite tired. Thankfully the desk area seemed intact and was perfectly comfortable to work from.

A minibar was provided in the room, and there were snacks for purchase as well. No coffee/tea makers, which is on par with Vegas resorts.

I had a view of the freeway, so nothing special on that front.

Overall, I think the room had good bones, but a renovation would help considerably. And I think cleanliness needs to be checked up on.

Service:

On the service front, the front desk associate seemed a bit rushed and transactional, but the housekeeping staff I encountered were all very professional and friendly. Additionally, when I called to request a late check-out, they answered quickly and were able to extend from the standard 11 AM checkout to 1 PM.

Casino, Dining, and Attractions:

The Bellagio casino is quite large and has a lot of the latest slots. Generally, mornings were quite calm, but once the afternoon hits all the way to the evening, it is quite packed!

Bellagio has over 20 restaurants, and on this trip, I got a quick lunch at Noodles, the Pan-Asian Restaurant. I had a really good meal and enjoyed the Thai Iced Tea and the Hong Kong Egg Noodles.

The hotel also has a world-class art gallery, beautiful conservatory, spa + salon, and fountain show.

The Conservatory and Botanical Gardens always change up every season to something new, and it’s always a cool sight to see. I visited during a season change, so on Thursday they were working on the new edition, and associates said it would be complete on Saturday. Pretty spectacular!

Additionally, the Bellagio has its famous fountain show every day (weather permitting). As of this posting, the fountain display is every 15 minutes from 7:00 PM to midnight daily. And, from Monday-Friday, the display is also every 30 minutes from 3:00 PM to 6:30 PM, and every 30 minutes from noon to 6:30 PM on Fridays, Saturdays, and Holidays. It’s certainly a nice show to watch and an iconic Las Vegas attraction.

I didn’t have a chance to check out the fitness center, or the pools on this trip. But, I did see part of the pool area from inside, and it seemed quite nice.

The Verdict:

Overall, my first stay at the Bellagio Las Vegas fell a bit short. However, I would definitely consider staying here again, preferably in a renovated room in the main tower, or once the Spa Tower rooms are remodeled in October of 2023. The location and common areas are certainly great, but if you want a less crowded experience, the Bellagio might not be the best property for you.

 

Have you stayed at the Bellagio Las Vegas before? How was your experience? Share below!

 

 

Happy Travels,

Ty

---

Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!