Affable service, glam common spaces and lackluster rooms: My review of the Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World

What is Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World?

The Resorts World building stands out among the glittering surroundings of the Vegas Strip due to its bronze-and-red exterior, its towering height and its winged shape.

What it’s like staying at Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World

Staying at this property is like being on a self-sustaining island — you really don’t have to leave to find entertainment, food, drinks, shops, a gym and a spa. All these and much more can be found within the sprawling complex that is Resorts World.

In the mood for sushi, steak, seafood or pasta? You’ll find all of this on-site. There’s also Crossroads, a fully plant-based Italian-Mediterranean fusion restaurant with inventive menu items such as grilled lion’s mane steak ($36), calamari fritti ($20) and linguine scallops ($32). Though I didn’t eat here this time, I’d make a reservation in the future based on menu descriptions and online reviews.

No matter your preferences, this property seems to have something for every palate.

This extends to the slot machines, game tables and poker rooms you could choose from as well.

One thing Resorts World did really well was creating a contemporary space. Though other properties along the Strip are iconic, they’re dated — and it shows. At Resorts World, the hallways, art, casino floor, slot machines, table games, restaurants, pool complex and many other common areas are gleaming beacons of modernity.

One other thing to note is that though there was a faint scent of cigarette smoke on the casino floor, it wasn’t overwhelming and didn’t permeate the entire Hilton property. This was a welcome change from some of the other casinos along the Strip.

How to book a room at Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World

You can book a stay at Resorts World using the Hilton Honors app or online on the property’s website using points or cash. I opted to pay the cash rate, which was $643.69 for two nights in a deluxe Strip-view room.

I booked my stay with my Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card to take advantage of earning 14 Hilton Honors points per dollar spent on Hilton reservations.

This netted me just over 9,000 Hilton Honors points and helped me get closer to achieving the minimum spending threshold needed to earn the 175,000-point welcome offer that was featured on my card during my application period.

Location

Resorts World is at the north end of the Las Vegas strip. Other areas of interest nearby include:

• The Adventuredome Indoor Theme Park (16 minutes walking, three minutes by car)
• Fontainebleau Las Vegas (12 minutes walking, four minutes by car)
• Peppermill Restaurant and Fireside Lounge (recommended by a local as a great brunch spot; 13 minutes walking, four minutes by car)
• A 7-Eleven (convenient for picking up basics like bottled water for a fraction of what the same items cost inside the Hilton Las Vegas convenience store; 11 minutes walking, four minutes by car)

This property is on the Strip, but it’s not quite in the heart of the action like Caesars Palace and the Bellagio, for example.

I personally enjoyed having a bit of distance from the center of the bustling Strip, which is akin to walking through Times Square on a Saturday night. If you enjoy high-energy crowds and like all the sights and sounds that come with being in a congested area, you may want to reconsider a stay at Resorts World for a property farther down the Strip, such as The Venetian, Harrah’s or The Cosmopolitan.

For those flying into Las Vegas, Resorts World is a 14-minute ride from Harry Reid International Airport (LAS). This is especially convenient if you’re relying on ride-hailing services to get around instead of renting a car.

My Lyft ride from LAS to Resorts World at 10:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning cost $33.55, and the ride from Resorts World back to LAS on a Monday at 12:30 p.m. cost $24.72.

Checking in

Thanks to the complimentary Diamond status I get as a Hilton Aspire cardholder, I was able to check my party in using the designated Gold and Diamond member line, which was empty upon arrival. This was a welcome sight, especially because the regular check-in line was quite long.

I had to wait a few minutes before I was able to check in at the priority guest desk, as it was unmanned when I arrived. The wait was brief; it was about three minutes before someone appeared to get me sorted. Because I arrived before the 4 p.m. check-in time, the keycards I received were to grant me elevator access to the pools but not my rooms as they weren’t yet ready.

I had previously called to ask about early check-in and was told I’d likely incur a $50 early check-in fee even with Diamond status. When I asked again in person at the check-in desk, I was told to leave a phone number and that as soon as my rooms were ready, I’d get a call.

The good news is that two rooms were ready about an hour after all of this, and the better news is that the hotel held all of my luggage so I could check out the surrounding area while waiting to be notified that I could access my rooms. The best news? I wasn’t charged an early check-in fee for either of the two rooms I had reserved.

The room

The view from my deluxe Strip-view room was spectacular, though the room itself felt a bit drab.

I loved that I could see all of the on-property pools — including a peek at the adults-only Athena Infinity Ultra Pool — but I didn’t love the streaky, dusty windows or the musty curtains.

I appreciated that the room was spacious enough for two adults traveling with two carry-ons and two backpacks.

The closet — in addition to extra storage space provided by deep drawers — was a decent size for hanging up clothes, and the king bed was slightly plush but firm enough that I didn’t completely sink into it, making for a good night’s rest.

The TV was mounted on the wall opposite the bed, which allowed me to switch between different Olympic games as I unpacked and settled into the space.

The carpet looked worn and old, but that may have just been its design. Another offputting fixture in my room was a gray chair with a mysterious oily-looking stain.

A round table made for a decent workspace, though there were no nearby outlets for my laptop. Generally, the dark decor throughout the room felt a bit heavy and at odds with the bright, sunny Las Vegas weather I experienced during my stay.

The floor-to-ceiling windows alleviated some of this during the daytime, but the room felt especially dark in the evenings.

I also had access to a digital in-room safe in addition to a standard minibar that sat atop a weight-sensitive shelf and automatically charged items to my room if I removed them from their spot for more than 30 seconds.

Like the room, the bathroom also felt quite spacious, with enough counter space to unpack toiletries with room to spare. It was also especially helpful to have double outlets on both sides of the vanity for things like hair tools, clothing steamers or chargers.

The brass bathroom fixtures dated the space and contrasted with the otherwise modern-looking design. The Byredo toiletries in the bathroom offered a nice touch of luxury and smelled fantastic (the scent, Mojave Ghost, was the same for the hand soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner and body wash).

The water pressure in the bathroom sink was excellent, but the shower water pressure could have been stronger.

On-site food, drinks and things to do

Resorts World has tons of places to eat, including bars and lounges and casual and fine-dining full-service restaurants.

I didn’t eat much on-property but did order delectable toro ($34) and spicy tuna ($15) rolls from Nori Bar, which I’d highly recommend for sushi lovers.

Room service at Resorts World is powered by Grubhub and delivered by the hotel staff to one of three locations you can designate: your room, the pool complex or the resort’s poker room.

You will have to create a Grubhub account if you don’t already have one, and the hotel recommends downloading the food delivery app via QR code for easy ordering.

My group enjoyed tasty cocktails at the Golden Monkey Tiki Lounge that included inventive drinks such as: the Guava Gal ($16), which was a fruity but not overly sweet concoction of No. 3 London dry gin, Lillet Rouge, guava syrup and lime; and the Category 5 ($16), a bourbon-based drink with pineapple, lemon, spiced Demerara, grenadine and bitters.

The Golden Monkey is a great spot for preshow or predinner drinks thanks to its moody but warm ambience, attentive service and eye-catching decor. This lounge also earns bonus points for fun drinkware, including the fish-shaped cup that held my Guava Gal cocktail.

Sports aficionados will enjoy dining in Dawg House Saloon, a large sports bar with massive flat-screens taking up more than half of the available wall space.

During my stay, this was also the only restaurant on-site that accepted the Hilton Aspire $15 daily meal credit for myself and also for a registered guest ($30 total).

The front desk confirmed that I could roll the credit over for the duration of my stay, which meant that for two nights, I had $60 in credits I could put toward the cost of a meal at Dawg House. I used this to cover most of the breakfast bill (not including the tip) on my last morning at Resorts World.

This consisted of three entrees for my group: biscuits and gravy ($18), Nashville chicken and waffles ($18), and a Wake N Bake breakfast sandwich ($14) with two refillable coffees ($12).

Guests can spend their time at Resorts World shopping in one of the many stores on the premises, including Fred Segal for vintage designer goods, Corso for artisanal jewelry and Nectar Life for handmade bath and beauty goodies.

If you’re looking for entertainment, Resorts World is also home to Zouk Nightclub, Ayu Dayclub and the Resorts World Theatre.

Zouk offers up DJ sets and shows featuring artists like Saweetie, Lil Wayne, DJ Snake, Fuerza Regida and Deadmau5. Ayu Dayclub offers similar sets from artists like Lil Dicky, Kaskade and Akon.

The Resorts World Theatre has previously hosted huge concerts for headliners including Carrie Underwood, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan, and performances by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

Amenities

Reasons Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World might not be for you

There are a few reasons why Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World may not be a good fit for you:

• As mentioned earlier, if you want to be in the busiest part of the Strip, you’ll likely want to move farther south. While Resorts World was busy during my weekend stay, the immediate surrounding area was calm and featured less foot traffic than the middle and southern portions of the Strip. This might not be the most “happening” spot in the area.
• If you want to take a budget-friendly trip, you can certainly find good deals on rooms at Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World. Nearly everything else, however, is pricey — I paid almost $9 for a single bottle of water at the on-property convenience store and just over $20 for two Starbucks coffees.
• Finally, if you want a quiet, uncrowded hotel to return to at the end of a busy day, the Hilton lobby was consistently packed and busy, regardless of the time of day, though the corridors along the rooms were quiet during the evening hours.

Accessibility

All three Resorts World hotels feature accessible rooms and the pools offer chair lifts for assisted entry and exit.

The Hilton property features elevators spacious enough for those using mobility equipment such as wheelchairs, and the Hilton lobby threshold is unobstructed by a lip or steps, making for easy entry and exit.

There are Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant rooms across all three properties within Resorts World, including :

• King guest rooms
• Double queen rooms
• One- and two-bedroom suites

Accessible rooms feature roll-in showers, grab bars, shower benches, roll-up bathroom vanities, lowered room controls, lowered door peepholes, easy access countertops in suites that have bars and pantries, and lower closet rods.

There are also rooms for the deaf and hard of hearing with a doorbell outside that sets off a chime and strobe-light alert inside the room.

Guests requiring additional accessibility information or accommodation can call 702-676-7000 for assistance.

Checking out

Checking out is easy if you’re tech savvy — you’ll have the option to check out via the Hilton Honors app or the in-room TV — but if you have questions about certain charges made to your room (like the $60 Champagne-flavored gummies erroneously added to my bill) or if you simply prefer a face-to-face experience, you can check out in the main lobby.

If you have hotel status with Hilton and need a later checkout time, it’s worth asking the front desk staff if they can accommodate you.

I requested a late checkout the night before I was set to leave, and even though I was told the hotel was at capacity, I was informed that my request was granted and that I could check out an hour later as a courtesy for being a Hilton Diamond.

I would stay at Resorts World again, though I’d opt to book a room at the Conrad or Crockfords upon returing. My room at the Hilton didn’t make a lasting impression, but it was comfortable for a short two-night stay.

The Hilton’s common spaces feel luxe and glamorous, and there are seemingly endless options for spots to catch a game, grab a drink, try new cuisine or roll the dice. If you checked in and decided not to leave the resort for a weekend, I doubt you’d be able to shop in every store, eat at every restaurant and enjoy every amenity available.

Las Vegas Hilton at Resorts World offers affordable accommodation depending on when you plan to visit, and Hilton cardholders will find that elite status is a huge boon if you’re hoping for perks like early or late check-in or checkout.

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