Bellagio casino reviews

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The famed Bellagio has the best location on the Las Vegas Strip. It has sat front row and center in the middle of the Vegas action since 1998.

But while it has location squarely on its side, a 2019 visit landed me in a room that didn't quite live up to the resort's hype. There wasn't anything specifically wrong with my particular room, it just felt like its best days were behind it.

As a lover of all things Vegas, I started to wonder if the once-luxurious anchor of the center Strip was going to retain its grandeur or start down the slow slide of mediocrity that so many other once-great casino resorts have suffered over the years. While the bones of the Bellagio were still as solid as ever, it was clearly time for a facelift in the rooms.

Luckily, Bellagio clearly was thinking the same thing and began rolling out renovated rooms in April 2021.

These room designs are said to have been inspired by nature the Bellagio's fountains with the Premier King Room featuring a blue palette reminiscent of the sky just before sunrise and the Premier Two Queen Room inspired by yellow tones in the sky at sunset

So when the opportunity recently arose to take a trip out west to see if Vegas was really back (spoiler alert: it is), I was more than a little excited to experience a stay in a Bellagio Premier King room that underwent a renovation during the pandemic.

Would the renovation be enough for Bellagio to retain its spot among the best-of-the-best places to stay in Las Vegas, or would the new look be a bust, allowing for newer hot spots, such as Resorts World, to steal some of the mid-Strip thunder? There's only one sure-fire way to find out.

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Booking

First, a little bit of bad news. Not all of Bellagio's 3,950 rooms have been renovated.

You have to be careful when you book your stay to ensure you're selecting a renovated room if that's the type of accommodation you're after. The current plan is to renovate all ll 2,568 guest rooms in the resort's main tower, but my understanding is that renovations are ongoing.

It seems you need to read the room description carefully and choose the "Premier" or "Stay Well" rooms that say they have been renovated. The "Resort" rooms appear to be the ones that don't say renovated.

But regardless of which room type you want at Bellagio, it's likely the best way to book the stay is via the Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts (FHR) program benefit afforded by The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.

Booking a stay at the Bellagio via FHR gives you a $100 food and beverage credit for your stay, daily breakfast for two valued at up to $60, a 4 p.m. late check-out, $5 off the resort fee, space-available upgrades and early check-in. We didn't get an upgrade on the stay, but we enjoyed $200 in benefits by booking via FHR on the single-night stay.

The only downside to booking via FHR was that while I did earn Hyatt points thanks to having my M Life and World of Hyatt accounts linked, I didn't earn a night credit towards Hyatt's elite status.

Factoring in the $200 in perks we enjoyed, the $300 (including resort fee) we paid to stay in a renovated room wasn't too shabby.

The room

As we got off the elevator to the 24th floor, we were greeted by a wall of greenery, a chandelier and warm lighting.

I can't tell you for sure how much of this is unique to the stay well floor, and how much of it is standard across the renovated tower, but it was a fresh, welcome look for the 23-year-old Bellagio.

Our room on the Stay Well floor was in room 24-027, a Premier King room that overlooked the pool area.

Before I show you the inside of this room, here's a refresher course for my 2019 Bellagio room that didn't quite live up to the hotel's price and reputation.

When I opened the door to the newly renovated room I was greeted by a big, welcome change.

The colors are much more neutral and the style is significantly updated beyond the heavy green and purple ensemble of yesteryear.

This renovation thankfully went beyond new paint and bedspreads as the furniture has been changed out, too.

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(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)

The bathrooms seemed a bit lighter than before, especially when it came to the countertop, but this is a space that didn't feel completely different in my particular room. It certainly wasn't the nicest hotel bathroom I've been in lately (that award may have gone to the new Cloudveil in Wyoming), but it was fine. But, it's also possible this bathroom isn't finished.

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(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)

The photo that Bellagio released of a renovated shower looks nicer than what I had, so perhaps I drew the short stick or maybe this is still to come. The hotel's February 2021 press release describing the renovations states that an oversized shower with an open doorless entry replaces the traditional bathtub, so it's conceivable that's still on the to-do list for this particular room.

Related: What it's like in the luxury Skylofts at the top of the MGM Grand

Overall impressions

The Bellagio isn't suddenly a totally different hotel than it was before the renovation, but that likely wasn't the goal.

The mesmerizing dancing fountains in the front of the hotel, colorful glass sculptures that hang from the lobby ceiling and the conservatory and botanical gardens are just as nice and enticing as they ever were.

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(Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)

But you don't have to be a guest of the Bellagio or spend a dime to enjoy all of those public area offerings. The recent upgrade hit squarely where it was needed the most -- in the guest rooms for paying customers.

The renovation is not yet complete, and it only impacts the main tower. This means if you want one of these rooms, you'll still need to book carefully. But, with this updated look, the Bellagio retains its status in Las Vegas as one of the top resorts in town even as new options such as Circa, Resorts World and more jockey for their own positions on the best-of list.

As for me, I'm not betting against as regular a winner as Bellagio and I look forward to more stays to come in these fresh, new rooms.