Am interested to know what you would consider a Vegas resort as opposed to just a Vegas hotel?

And what amenities must a Vegas resort have? For me it's a spa and decent restaurants and casino.

So far I have:

Bellagio
TheHotel at Mandalay Bay
Wynn
Green valley ranch
Red rock casino resort and spa
Venetian
Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas
Paris

Welcome to TalkVegas! (or, should I say g'day mate?) I see you just registered.

It's an interesting question.

By your list, just about all of the Vegas hotels would qualify. Heck, I stay at the Imperial Palace and they have a spa and a casino and decent restaurants (excluding the buffet) - but I've never thought of it as a resort.

To me, a resort means all of the above plus some significant, attractive outdoor feature - an extensive pool like Mandalay Bay, or a golf course, or tennis courts.

Since I don't play golf or tennis, I'm not sure which places have those last two amenities.

I find it interesting also so I searched the dictionary to see what it had to say about "resorts" and here's the answer I got .....

"A place to which people frequently or generally go for relaxation or pleasure, esp. one providing rest and recreation facilities for vacationers."

So I would guess that the entire town of Las Vegas could be a resort and not just the more enjoyable hotels as you mention above

So I guess it's "Degrees of Resortness" we're interested in here and I think that each one you mentioned are among the best in LV except for Paris which I would not include among the others.

My personal favorite among those you mentioned is definitely The Hotel at Mandalay Bay.

Here's yet another opinion.

A hotel is where people go to primarily spend the night or nights. It will have a check in area and room for rent. It might have a range of amenities to include a pool, various parking facilities, restaurant, etc.

A casino is where people go with the primary purpose of gambling. It may have amenities of it's own.

To me, a resort is a place that could be a one stop property to vacation and not have to rely on the "local flavor" to sustain their visit. I think Las Vegas is a very unique situation in that it has so many resorts so close to each other, that almost nobody stays on one property for their entire stay.

I think a Las Vegas resort would have...
a hotel and possibly more than one hotel tower with different levels of comfort.
a casino, with the most popular games.
a variety of dining options, that might include a 24/7 coffee shop, some high end dining, and maybe a food court.
a variety of entertainment options, such as a 6 minute wonder, a small showroom, a big showroom, an arcade, displays, etc.
a variety of activity options that might include a spa, golf course, pool, or shopping.

I think the resorts might could be classified to differentiate them, such as The Riviera being a low end resort and the WynnDot as a first class resort.

Thanks for your great replies :-)

How about 24hr room service?

I'm not talking a cold sandwich made the afternoon befor either!

Las Vegas totally blurs my line between a hotel and a resort. Normally, I would think of a hotel as somewhere to sleep while visiting an area. A resort would be a destination in itself, with no need to wander outside the property to be entertained, fed (24 hrs/day!) or pampered.

Any of the places mentioned would be a destination - anyplace but in Las Vegas where there is just too much green grass to be checked out over the fence.

The two big names on the strip that aren't on the list are Caesars Palace and the Mirage.

For the young but off strip are the Palms and Hard Rock.

Eric