need your help

[Christopher]

Hey there,
I'm looking for a nice hotel on the Strip. Bellagio or TI. I know that Bellagio is more luxurious but is it really worth the extra $$$? TI=$79/night and Bellagio=$156/night. Location and pools are not the most important things, the room is.
Thank you and greets from Belgium :)

[LearningVegas]

....

I think Bellagio is worth the extra money. I've never stayed there, but I've stayed at TI and the Venetian, and felt the Venetian was worth the extra money.

I ended my last trip to Vegas on a more positive note when I stayed at the Venetian for two days after using Priceline to lower the rate to $159. I got upgraded to the Venezia tower, had a really elegant room with a great view of the private pool and gardens, met some interesting and successful guests, and generally felt much better about myself.

I've heard that Bellagio rooms aren't quite as nice as those at the Venetian, but in my opinion the rest of the hotel, including the casino, is classier than the Venetian. That could be important if you get stuck there on a hot afternoon. And yes, hot afternoons, anywhere from 40 to 49 degrees Celsius, are the reason summer rates are generally lower in Vegas.

So I recommend Bellagio.

[Heathcat]

TI does not have a good pool. The Bellagio pool is quite luxurious, beautiful scenery and pretty mellow, and great rooms too. I thought the rooms at TI were pretty nice, but in my opinion there are better on the Strip:
Aladdin Resort Room
Paris rooms (P rooms in particular)
Venetian rooms (all are very big)
Mandalay Bay rooms

Of these, Mandalay Bay has the best pool complex- one of the best in the city. The others, while having great rooms, don't exactly have grat pools. Have you looked at the Mirage- a sister property of TI? Great pool! Many people on this board love the hotel, but I've never seen the rooms so can't comment on that. Good luck!

[Heathcat]

Oops- I missed that "not" in pools are not the most important....oh well, I hope I still gave some good info for you!

[BizTrip.com]

Your talking about two different classes of hotels. If you've got the budget and quality of rooms are important, stay at the Bel.

[cterral]

Location and pools are not the most important things, the room is.
I'm sure that I will be in the minority on this but I would go for TI. I have stayed at both on the same trip and stayed in standard rooms at both hotels. The size and layout of the rooms I had were identical. Here is a link to the TI standard room. What you see is what you get. We had a king room with view of the mountains and fashion show mall.TI standard room (http://www.treasureislandlasvegas.com/pages/accom_guestrooms.asp) The website photo makes it look small but it really isn't. The room was clean, smoke free and did not take forever to walk to like some other hotels. To me, the furnishings seemed a bit more luxurious comapred to the room at Bellagio. All the staff we encountered were friendly and helpful. There were not tons of kids running around even though it has/had a pirate theme. The crowd in the casio ranged from late 20s to mid 50s or so. This is a great hotel and definately worth staying at.
Now my opinion on Bellagio: While I love to go into the Bellagio because it always smells so good, I would probably not stay there again unless it was comped. The room was identical to TI in layout and pieces of furniture. We also had a king room here. Bellagio room (http://www.bellagiolasvegas.com/pages/frameset_noflash.asp) However, it did not look anything like the website photo. Our decor was not as nice as that picture. Our view was of the mountains and pool area. We did enjoy our stay there but wouldn't pay to stay there again. The staff all throughout the hotel were freindly (even the fix-it guy we met in the hall). If you're a star gazer I would probably stay there. My husband was alone at a Blackjack table and Kevin Pollock sat and played cards with him for several hours.
I think the location of both hotels is good. So if it's a money issue. Bottom line - go with TI. you won't be disappointed. :D

[ken2v]

The Bellagio's rooms were all just remodeled. When did you stay there?

We've stayed at TI about a dozen times and three or four at the B. A standard TI room is right around 380 s.f. A standard room at the B is just under 600 s.f. Bellagio has better gadgets and a far superior bathroom -- tub, separate shower, big vanity and lotsa elbow room. TI has great service and a AAA Four-Diamond rating. Bellagio gets the fifth diamond, and it shows.

(A standard Venetian room is 650-700 s.f., and while more elaborately and ornately appointed the fit and finish just isn't there, IMO, and the service is nowhere on a par with the other high-end places in town.)

[ May 28, 2004, 01:32 PM: Message edited by: golfntravel ]

[LearningVegas]

Originally posted by golfntravel:
(A standard Venetian room is 650-700 s.f., and while more elaborately and ornately appointed the fit and finish just isn't there, IMO, and the service is nowhere on a par with the other high-end places in town.) I know exactly what you mean about service at the Venetian. It's quite an achievement to be both conceited and incompetent at the same time, but they manage somehow. And anyone there who answers a telephone is likely to be not only condescending, but downright rude.

That said, I was pleasantly surpised with service in the Venezia tower. They seem to try harder than in the main tower. Try harder to provide good service, I should add, since the others often try hard, in their own way, to ruin your stay at the Venetian.

And speaking of bathrooms, I've always been enormously impressed with the bathrooms at the Venetian. The green marble countertops are absolutely astonishing, and I doubt if Bellagio has their equal.

Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to staying at Bellagio...

[ May 28, 2004, 02:04 PM: Message edited by: LearningVegas ]

[weezal]

personally, it all really depends on what type of experience you are looking for. if this is a trip with a budget, then definitely stay at the t.i. you will get your money's worth and more with the great location. since you said you care most about the room, i'm assuming you are not only using it to sleep. in that case, i highly recommend the bellagio. the recently renovated rooms were just completed. i haven't stayed there yet but from the pictures and the listed amenities, room sounds like heaven. nowhere else in the world can you stay at a 5-star hotel at that price. you never mentioned how many days you'd be in vegas so if it's going to be a week or longer, i suggest you split up your stay (t.i first, then bellagio). that way you get to experience both but not double your room budget.