In the early to mid-2000s, the Bellagio was THE most luxurious hotel in Las Vegas. But Vegas is all about bigger, better, newer. Nowadays, The Wynn, the Waldorf Astoria, Aria, etc., have given Bellagio a run for its money. Well, I recently stayed at The Bellagio under an absurd $50-per-night “mistake rate” to test out precisely how The Bellagio has fared amidst major luxury competition. Read on for a recent Bellagio Las Vegas review.
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Overall: Bellagio Las Vegas is still luxurious, at the right price
Pros: Location location location!, big bathrooms with separate tubs, great views
Cons: Resort fees, dated decor, crowded common areas, few Hyatt benefits
We paid: $50/night plus $44.22/night in resort fees
Typical cash rates: $300 cash per night, including all taxes and fees
Typical points rates: 25,000 Hyatt points/night (no fees on awards)
How to stay here without paying full price:
Note, I paid such a low rate only because I happened to be reading the right travel blogs at the right time. This isn’t something you can count on. Instead, here’s how to book an award stay at the Bellagio, using Hyatt Points:
- Get the Hyatt credit card and link it to your account. You can also get a card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and set it up to link to your Hyatt account.
- Hit the minimum spend required to reach your bonus – as of this writing:
- $3K spend on the Hyatt credit card in the first 3 months gives you 25,000 Hyatt points; AND
- $6K spend in 6 months (total) gives you another 25,000 Hyatt points;
- $4K for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card gives you 60,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points.
- Wait for your bonus points to land in your Hyatt account. Transfer points from Chase Ultimate Rewards to your Hyatt account as necessary.
- Once your bonus points/nights hit your Hyatt account, search the app or website for award availability. Standard Nights at Bellagio Las Vegas cost 25,000 points per night. This is a Category 6 hotel, so “free night” awards cannot be applied.
- Book online through the Hyatt app or website.
- For a full guide, see my 5-step Guide to Booking Hyatt Hotels for Free.
Full Bellagio Las Vegas Review
I was very happy with what I paid for my stay, even with the $44+ daily resort fees. I’ll go step-by-step through these topics.
Check-in process
I stayed at The Bellagio over a long Thanksgiving weekend, which ended up being very busy. I thought it made sense to try the mobile check-in process. And boy, was I glad I did.
I’m a Hyatt Discoverist due to my World of Hyatt credit card, and MGM and Hyatt are partners. As such, I figured I could just check in through my Hyatt app like I always do with Hyatt hotels. But nope, it was a totally separate process.
I found the mobile check-in process confusing. You clicked a link through an email, which wasn’t connected to Hyatt. The link asked you to enter about 20 different fields into a non-mobile-optimized page. Hard to do on your phone, when you have to keep opening your Hyatt app to pull up the confirmation number, loyalty number, etc. Once I finally completed the check-in process, I learned that I should go to a separate line upon reaching the hotel to receive my physical key.
I’m really glad I went through all that, because I saved myself waiting in THIS line:
I walked straight up to a “key only” line and got my key in only 2 minutes.
The deal I had booked only allowed me to get a $50-per-night rate if I had booked 3 adults in a room. As such, I could only choose a 2 Queen Fountain View room, which is a little odd for me and a partner. Still, I was excited for the great views.
First impression of the room: Bellagio Las Vegas Review
Upon first glance, I was really pleasantly surprised with my room. In Vegas these days, rooms are HUGE, and my room was a “mere” ~500 square feet. This was fine for us though.
My first impression: OMG the view.
And, the view on a less-overcast day:
The view at night during a fountain display (hard to capture on camera):
The room had that early-2000s, gold-everywhere decor. It appears dated now, but there wasn’t anything inherently bad about the furnishings. They could stand an update, though!
The bathroom was pretty great, with a large, separate Jacuzzi-style tub and a stand-up shower. Only one sink, but you can’t have everything.
The toiletries weren’t anything to write home about. I hadn’t heard of the Lanovera brand before and it smelled like, well, soap. Bonus points for providing a razor, shaving cream, and a dental kit though!
It’s obvious this hotel was built in the era before smartphones, because there were not enough outlets anywhere. Only two outlets on the tiny desk, and one of them didn’t work because as soon as you plugged something in, the plug fell out.
Reports say that some of The Bellagio’s rooms have been renovated to remove that dated gold motif, and hopefully to add more outlets?! In any case, I didn’t see the updated rooms.
All told, this was a good first impression. Especially given the price paid.
The location: Bellagio Las Vegas Review
This location cannot be beat, if you’re looking for a quintessential Las Vegas trip. The Bellagio fountains are right here. You’re in the center of the Strip, within easy walking distance to Caesars Palace, The Forum Shops, The Venetian, and The Mirage. Uber is pretty easy from the Bellagio too, just head out to the main entrance and follow the Uber signs, which take you a short walk away from the taxi line.
Truth be told, I’ve been to Vegas so many times that I’ve seen enough of The Strip. For that reason, I normally stay somewhere downtown. But, there aren’t any luxury hotels in the cool neighborhoods I want to explore, and I got such a great rate at The Bellagio. Just be aware, Las Vegas has some really great things to do off The Strip. Check out the 6 best Downtown Las Vegas Activities here for some ideas.
If you’re looking to stay on The Strip, or if you’re just getting acquainted with this awesome city, The Bellagio is pretty much the best location ever.
Our experience: Bellagio Las Vegas Review
After a strong first impression, we realized there were some downsides to the room. After taking a shower or bath, there was a distinct mildew-y smell. I don’t think this was due to poor housekeeping – I think it was something about the air circulation in the bathroom. Maybe mold in the ceiling?
We saw some evidence of water damage on the ceiling, so I wonder if this is what was causing the damp mildew-like smell.
Another downside to this room was noise. You can hear everything when people walk around and outside your door, even if they’re not being obnoxious. For that reason, PRO TIP: Always request a “quiet room away from the elevators” on your reservations! I did so this time, and although we were far away from the elevators, it still wasn’t quiet. I don’t think I got a bad room, and we didn’t have a bunch of partiers nearby or anything. It’s just loud.
The $44.22 daily resort fee should’ve included a bit more, namely some coffee in the room. There wasn’t a coffeemaker, not even a cheap one. No tea, nothing to even boil water with.
Wi-fi was also terrible. One of the “included” items in the resort fee is high-speed internet service. I checked multiple times, and my speed never exceeded 9 mbps. “Good” is generally considered 20-25+, so the Bellagio Las Vegas is more than a little behind here.
There were some maintenance issues too. The hairdryer just plain didn’t work. My partner called downstairs to ask for another one, which they delivered promptly. It worked for about two seconds before burning out. We had a couple of other burnt-out bulbs in the room too, including the makeup mirror, the desk lamp, and a bedside lamp. Maybe there was something wrong with the electrical wiring in the room? Regardless, you would definitely notice a lack of attention to detail here.
We did get some lovely turndown chocolates and a turndown service around 6:00 p.m. though.
Hyatt benefits at The Bellagio
In a nutshell: There are very few, or even zero, benefits to having Hyatt elite status at this property.
As mentioned, the Hyatt app doesn’t connect with The Bellagio. Check-in and checkout followed a different process from Hyatt properties, and the Bellagio didn’t email me a detailed bill until I asked….several times.
I didn’t get an upgrade. I know I’m not entitled to one as a Discoverist, but still.
When it was time to check out, I asked for late checkout, which they offered to me for $80. I reminded them I’m an elite and entitled to late checkout when available (which it obviously was, since they offered it to me for a fee). They told me that nope, Hyatt elites aren’t entitled to late checkout at MGM properties. Being an MLife elite doesn’t matter either.
Finally, unless you enter your MLife number into your reservation, you won’t get Hyatt points. Yes, this is true even if you entered your Hyatt number into the reservation.
So in a nutshell, Hyatt and MGM are kinda partners, but they’re not integrated in any way, and Hyatt elite status means nothing at MGM properties.
Note: You can learn about what you CAN use your elite statuses for in Las Vegas in this post, in which I talk about using status matches and getting Las Vegas benefits out of them.
The Bellagio – Common Areas / Amenities
Caveat: I don’t like crowds. Which is funny, because I do like cities and cosmopolitan areas. I just don’t like feeling trapped in a mob, so parades aren’t my thing.
The Bellagio’s common areas are kinda like one big parade.
Which is to say, they’re great for pics! There are definitely some positives to parades! Oh wow, the gardens are amazing.
Everywhere you walk through this hotel is a spectacle, in a good way.
The downside is, when you’re a hotel guest at this hotel and trying to LEAVE The Bellagio, good luck to you. Especially if you’re like me and get a little pissed-off when you can’t get through a crowd and you’ve got an Uber waiting to take you away (yes please).
Like I said, this hotel is in an awesome location, which is why everyone wants to see it – for good reason! Just be aware that if you’re a fast walker like me, you will become frustrated with the crowds that seem to move at a snail’s pace.
We visited The Bellagio in late November, when it’s about 50 degrees outside, so we didn’t check out the extensive pools. Keep in mind, the pools are supposed to be great, if you’re going when the weather is nicer!
Bottom line
Would I stay here again? Absolutely, for the right price. I was very satisfied with my stay this time, given the great deal I got. Note, the rooms go for 25,000 Hyatt points per night, which I think is rather steep. However, if you’re trying to go on a busy weekend, it might make sense.
Be sure to factor in the high cost of resort fees to any stay. If paying entirely with Hyatt points, you don’t have to pay the resort fees!
Another hotel I might try out on my next Vegas trip is the Waldorf Astoria, which is a Hilton property. Although it also charges resort fees, if you pay with points you don’t have to pay them. Thepointsengineer reviewed the Waldorf Astoria here, just in case I don’t manage to visit it soon!
Is The Bellagio as luxurious as it once was? Probably not, but if you can get a good cash or points price, I’d still recommend that you go for it.
Hope you enjoyed my Bellagio Las Vegas review! Let me know how YOU feel about it.
