Whether it’s your first time in Vegas or your 101st, it can be difficult to decide where to stay. All the resorts have a lot in common, and some key differences too. Price is a factor, but prices everywhere swing wildly depending on the dates you book.
Then there’s location. Planet Hollywood is right in the middle of everything. Not just at the center of the Strip but it’s also in the middle of the resort hierarchy of price, quality and reputation. Check the rates for your dates online.
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I booked a four night stay as part of a longer Vegas trip May 26-30. Three of those were comp nights with the Thursday date coming in at $69. Resort fees at Planet Hollywood are currently $54.95/night.
Typical prices including the fee are about $95- $300 although any resort can go sky high on any given weekend. Planet Hollywood has an Expedia rating of 8.0. Check the Expedia rates for your dates.
Why did I choose to stay here? Can’t beat free. I’d like to stay at as many Vegas resorts as possible and this is my first visit here.
Planet Hollywood Location
Most people consider Flamingo Avenue to be dead center Strip but Planet Hollywood is actually right on the dividing line between North Strip and South Strip. Being on the East side of the street it’s very walkable up to Harrah’s or down to MGM Grand.
If you like to walk you can even wind your way around to Hilton Elara’s ride share area via the indoor Miracle Mile Shops route which will “shorten” the walk to Virgin and Ellis Island if you want to go off-Strip.
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Whichever end of the Strip you prefer it’s hard to find fault with this location. It’s even fairly simple to arrive and depart by car without getting tied up in Strip traffic if you stay to the east of Las Vegas Boulevard.
Planet Hollywood Property
Planet Hollywood started its life as the Aladdin in 1966. At the time it was state of the art and was a fixture during a large part of the golden age of Vegas. Its current life with the PH brand started in 2007. Fortunately the property has held up much better than the name. Everything here is quite lively and well maintained. It’s got more than I can get into here including everything you’d expect at a large scale Vegas resort.
Also on the property is the circular shaped Miracle Mile Shops mall. It’s a little downscale compared to some of the other shopping experiences on the Strip but there’s certainly nothing wrong with it. It would fit in as a mall in Anytown, USA.
The mall is great for budget food choices with sit down restaurants like Flights and La Salsa Cantina that really try to keep prices at rock bottom and have some great happy hours. There’s also cheap staples like Chipotle and Sbarro. Having an ABC Store onsite for cheap booze and snacks is fantastic. But be careful wandering into the mall. You can get stuck in the circle and end up walking further than planned
I enjoyed the gym here which wasn’t crowded at all, but the pool was a bit of a disappointment. There are two pools, with one being family friendly and the other 21+. That’s a good concept but the kids are loud at one pool and the music is loud at the other. Rental cabanas and rental loungers take up a lot of space and free loungers are hard to come by. Most of the free seating is located on a large concrete deck between the two pools, but isn’t really facing either one of them. This is particularly frustrating when it’s off-peak times and all of that rental space sits empty.
Planet Hollywood Guest Rooms
For my first stay I selected an Ultra Hip King Room which is the basic king bed option. Overall this is a pretty great room. It’s clean and modern without any obvious wear and tear. The bathroom is one of the best I’ve seen anywhere with a deep tub, separate glass-door shower and water closet.
I really appreciated having a table separate from the desk, a working fridge which is usually a premium cost feature in Vegas, and a chaise lounge with a separate side table. While I prefer a couch to a chaise, you can rest your feet on the bed from this one making it quite comfortable.
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Most rooms in Vegas have pretty good view and this one was no exception. My 26th floor room had a clear view of the whole east side of the city as well as the eastern mountains. My only complaint is that the room was quite dark, even with all lamps on. The windows are large and let in lots of light (with the blackout curtains open) but it doesn’t get brighter than ‘dim’ after dark.
About The Strip
Most Vegas visitors prefer the Strip to downtown. Virtually everyone prefers staying somewhere on the Strip vs at a hotel off-Strip. Moving up and down the Strip is fairly straightforward but going from a location on the Strip to just about anywhere else is a hassle, with Uber being the best option by far.
The Strip is a real melange of the high and the low. It’s got world class restaurants and nightlife, some of the most luxurious spas and hotels, and millionaires and celebrities sipping cocktails and hitting the tables. It’s also got the great unwashed masses, homeless street freaks and scam artists of every description. Along with some of the corniest and tackiest novelties and tourist traps this country ever conceived.
I think it’s fantastic. I wouldn’t have it any other way. The more you come back, the more you learn about the ins, outs and intricacies of the casinos, the industry and Las Vegas culture.
Bottom Line
For several years now the Cosmopolitan has sort of been top dog on the Strip. At least among the under 50 crowd who can’t spring for Wynn and Bellagio. If you want to stay at Cosmo but can’t quite swing it on your budget Planet Hollywood is the best choice. It’s just a two minute walk across the pedestrian bridge and you have access to all of the restaurants and amenities as well as Cosmo’s see-and-be-seen casino.
Planet Hollywood is a great Vegas experience in its own right. Particularly if you’re a Vegas first timer you’ll enjoy the location and the budget food options on site.
I haven’t stayed at every Strip property yet, but so far I’d slot Planet Hollywood between MGM Grand (which I like more) and Flamingo (slightly less). If you’re seeing it come in at similar rates to Paris, Park MGM, Flamingo and New York New York you should definitely consider booking here.
