Where to Stay in Las Vegas (2026): The Best Areas, 12 Hotels, the 13.38% Room Tax and Resort Fees

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A Las Vegas room rate is only the start of the bill. Near the Strip the room tax is 13.38%, and most big resorts add a mandatory daily resort fee on top: the five hotels in this guide that publish theirs charge between $37.42 and $55 a night. On a $150 room, that can add more than half again. Where you stay decides how much of that you pay, and how you get around.

This guide covers six areas, from the Strip’s three stretches to Downtown, an off-Strip hotel without a casino, and Summerlin, 12 hotels, the airport links, and the tax and fees. The hotels are researched picks, chosen for location, what each property publishes and consistent guest feedback, and each was checked as operating in October 2026. No hotel pays to appear here.

The short answer

Not sure which area? Rank these areas for your trip: pick what matters and see the reasons.

Las Vegas’s room tax and resort fees

Two things are added to the room rate here: a room tax, and at most resorts a mandatory daily resort fee.

The City of Las Vegas’s room tax guidance, revised March 2026, sets two combined rates:

The two rates differ by the stadium share: 0.88% inside the corridor and 0.5% outside. The guide says a property close to the Strip may be inside the corridor, and that the tax should be shown as a separate charge, not folded into the room price. SAHARA and Alexis Park both state 13.38% on their own sites; the Plaza, Downtown, quotes 13%.

Resort fees are set by each hotel. Here is what the five that publish an amount say on their own pages:

The other seven hotels in this guide show no amount on the pages we could read, so the total appears at booking.

Since 12 May 2025 a federal rule has covered this. The Federal Trade Commission’s Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees applies to short-term lodging, including hotels. The FTC’s own guidance uses a mandatory resort fee as its example: it must be included in the total price, and the total must be displayed more prominently than other pricing information. Taxes and other government charges are the exception and may be left out of the upfront total. We make no judgement about any hotel’s compliance; the practical point is that the total shown before you pay should include the resort fee, and should be compared with the tax added.

A worked example, our arithmetic. Take a $150 room with a $55 fee at 13.38%, assuming the tax applies to the room and the fee, as the Plaza says it does for its own fee. The room and fee come to $205; tax is $27.43; the total is $232.43 a night, $82.43 above the headline rate, or 55%. Three nights come to $697.29. At the Plaza’s terms, a $150 room, $39 fee and 13% tax comes to $213.57 a night.

Getting in from the airport, and around

Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) has two terminals, T1 and T3.

• By taxi, fares are regulated by the Nevada Taxicab Authority, which lists flat zone fares between the airport and the Strip: $22.25 for Zone 1, Sunset north to Tropicana; $26.25 for Zone 2, Tropicana north to Flamingo; and $30.25 for Zone 3, Flamingo north to the Stratosphere. The Authority also lists a $3 card fee and says a 3% excise tax is added to all rates and fees. Taxis wait at the east side of T1 baggage claim and near door 52 at T3.
• By app, pickup is in the parking garage: Level 2 at T1 and the Valet Level at T3. The airport warns of lane closures in the connector tunnels through December 2026, so allow extra time.
• By bus, Route 108 and the Red Line, formerly Route 109, stop at T1. RTC’s published fares list local, residential routes at $2 a ride or $3 for two hours; confirm which fare your route uses.
• Along the Strip and Downtown, the Deuce and SDX buses cost $6 for two hours, $8 for 24 hours and $20 for three days, by RTC’s fare table.
• By monorail, seven stations run from MGM Grand to SAHARA. A single ride is $5.75 as an eTicket, or $6.25 full fare; a one-day pass is $13.95 as an eTicket, or $15.50.

The Center Strip: the first-trip base

The middle of the Strip is where most first-timers end up: Bellagio and its lake, the Venetian, the Cosmopolitan, and monorail stops at Horseshoe/Paris, Flamingo/Caesars Palace and Harrah’s/The LINQ. It is loud, bright and built around casinos, and all three hotels here have one.

Where to stay on the Center Strip

How the hotel links work: a hotel’s name goes to its own website. “Check rates” opens it on Booking.com through our partner Stay22, which pays us a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.

• Bellagio, splurge. Overlooking a lake with fountains, with rooms of 510 sq ft in categories such as the Fountain View King, and “O” by Cirque du Soleil in the building. Choose it for the fountains and the full-service resort. Watch out: the hotel says rooms are non-smoking except certain accommodations on the 19th floor of the Bellagio Tower, and the casino has designated smoking areas; the fee amount is not on the pages we could read. Check rates on Booking.com →
• The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, splurge. Every room is a suite; the Luxury King Suite is 650 sq ft with a living room, and the Palazzo’s Luxury King Suite is 720 sq ft. Choose it for space. Watch out: the hotel’s fee page states $55 plus tax a night, payable at check-in. Check rates on Booking.com →
• The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, comfortable. Rooms range from a 460 sq ft City Room Queen to Terrace Studios of 730 sq ft with private terraces. Choose it for a room with outdoor space on the Strip. Watch out: the hotel pages we could read give no fee amount, so check the total at booking. Check rates on Booking.com →

The South Strip: shows and pools

The southern end is the Mandalay Bay complex and the Luxor, with the monorail’s southern terminus at MGM Grand. It suits travellers who will spend evenings in the complex, at the shows and the arena, rather than walking the length of the Strip.

• W Las Vegas, comfortable. An all-suite hotel with 725 sq ft Premier King and Two Queen Suites, and access to the BATHHOUSE Spa, the WET Deck and Mandalay Bay’s venues. Choose it for a large suite and the pools. Watch out: the hotel says its suites do not include pullout couch beds. Check rates on Booking.com →
• Luxor, budget. Pyramid rooms of 420 sq ft with slanted windows, or Tower rooms such as the 449 sq ft Tower Premier King. Choose it for a room inside the pyramid at a lower price. Watch out: the Pyramid rooms have slanted walls, and the fee amount is not on the pages we could read. Check rates on Booking.com →

The North Strip: towers and the monorail

The north end has a different feel: Wynn and Encore, Circus Circus, and SAHARA at the end of the monorail line, with the Convention Center and Westgate stations on the way back south.

• Wynn Las Vegas, splurge. Rooms with Wynn Dream Beds, which the hotel calls among the most spacious standard rooms in Las Vegas, plus Tower Suites, and Encore’s all-suite accommodations. Choose it for polish. Watch out: the $55 daily fee plus tax; the hotel says smoking is allowed on the casino floor and on designated hotel floors. Check rates on Booking.com →
• SAHARA Las Vegas, good value. An official monorail station inside the hotel, with free valet and self-parking, and check-in at 4 p.m. Choose it for monorail rides along the Strip. Watch out: the fee is $54.95 plus 13.38% tax. Check rates on Booking.com →
• Circus Circus Hotel & Casino, budget. Rooms in a Hotel, West Tower or Suite, the Adventuredome’s indoor rides under the pink dome, and “Free Parking Always” on its home page. Choose it for a family stay on a budget. Watch out: the hotel’s pages list a “No Resort Fee Room Special” but state no standard fee, so read the total before you pay. Check rates on Booking.com →

Downtown: Fremont Street and old Las Vegas

Downtown is the older centre of the city, with the Fremont Street Experience and its own hotels and casinos. It is a separate place from the Strip; the Deuce and SDX buses link the two.

• Plaza Hotel & Casino, good value. At 1 Main Street, at the beginning of the Fremont Street Experience, with rooms averaging 325 sq ft, a rooftop pool deck with pickleball courts, and a $39 fee that includes covered parking. Choose it for Fremont Street at a lower price. Watch out: North Tower rooms face Fremont Street, and the hotel says the party atmosphere runs to 1 a.m., or 2 a.m. on weekends. Check rates on Booking.com →
• Circa Resort & Casino, comfortable. At 8 Fremont Street, with Stadium Swim, to which each room gets two complimentary passes a night. Choose it for a modern Downtown hotel. Watch out: Circa is 21+, hotel guests included, and self-parking is $25 a day. Check rates on Booking.com →

Off the Strip: a suite without a casino

Most hotels in this guide are casino resorts. For one without a casino, there is Alexis Park, which describes itself as the largest off-Strip, non-gaming resort in Las Vegas.

• Alexis Park All Suite Resort, good value. All-suite, with a kitchenette, microwave and mini-fridge in the Parlor, Monarch and LOFT Suites, three pools, complimentary parking and basic Wi-Fi. Choose it for space and no casino. Watch out: the hotel puts itself three minutes from the Strip, but says it runs no shuttle, and the fee is $37.42 a night plus 13.38% tax. Check rates on Booking.com →

Summerlin: a quiet option

Summerlin is an area of the valley away from the Strip. It suits a trip built around the desert rather than the resorts.

• Red Rock Casino Resort Spa, comfortable. At 11011 W Charleston, with 515 sq ft Luxury King rooms with a choice of Strip or Red Rock Canyon views. Choose it for the canyon and a quieter evening. Watch out: it is a casino resort, its booking page requires guests to be 21 or older, and you will need a car or ride into the Strip. Check rates on Booking.com →

How to book Las Vegas

• Count the tax and the fee. Add 13.38% inside the Primary Gaming Corridor or 13% outside it, and the resort fee: a $150 room with a $55 fee is $232.43 once tax is on both.
• Check the total. Under the FTC rule the resort fee belongs in the total shown, so compare totals, not headline rates. Hotel booking sites compared goes through where to book, and direct booking against online agencies covers the choice.
• Watch the dates. On 19 October the calendar on Circa’s own booking page ranged from $169 to $849 a night over the next 20 days, and SAHARA’s from $74 to $404. We did not confirm whether those include fees.
• Check parking. SAHARA’s and Wynn’s fees include parking, the Plaza’s includes covered parking, and Circa charges $25 a day.
• Check the rules. Circa is 21+, Bellagio and Wynn both say smoking is allowed in parts of the resort, and Circa bills a cleaning fee if smoking occurs in a room.

All 12 at a glance

Before you go

• Before you fly, sort out mobile data (the best eSIM for the USA) and cover (the best travel insurance).
• Heading on to California? Read where to stay in Los Angeles, and hotel taxes around the world for how other cities add up.

Frequently asked questions

Sources & further reading

• City of Las Vegas: transient lodging room tax instructions and guidelines (PDF, revised March 2026)
• Clark County: transient lodging tax rate increases
• Federal Trade Commission: the Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, frequently asked questions
• Federal Trade Commission: the rule takes effect on 12 May 2025
• Harry Reid International Airport: taxis
• Harry Reid International Airport: ride share
• Harry Reid International Airport: public bus
• Nevada Taxicab Authority: approximate fare information
• RTC of Southern Nevada: fares (mobile page)
• Las Vegas Monorail: ticket information
• Official websites of each hotel named above, checked in October 2026

Prices, fares and hotel terms change. Every detail here was checked in October 2026; confirm rates, fees, room types and cancellation terms with the hotel before booking. These are researched picks, not reviews. This article contains affiliate links: hotel rates on Booking.com and other booking sites through Stay22, and tours, transfers and eSIMs through our partners; if you book through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. No hotel pays to be included.

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