I’m back from several days at the Crockfords Las Vegas LXR property. It was recommended to me by Michael Trager of TravelZork. When I was looking for a long weekend in Vegas, Michael is the expert I knew would be able to answer what’s the best overall value in Las Vegas right now and this was his answer. He was correct.

The real sweet spot for value in Las Vegas seems to be the Resorts World complex comprised of three Hilton brands: Hilton, Conrad and LXR. The $4 billion property opened in mid-2021 at the end of the strip on the site of the old Stardust hotel, just past the Wynn, the first new strip resort since Cosmopolitan opened in 2010.

• It’s a new property, opened during the pandemic, so hasn’t fully built its customer base yet.
  
• At the end of the strip, and without attractions like a fountain or an aquarium, it doesn’t seem to draw as many guests of other hotels.
  
• So it’s not nearly as busy, doesn’t attract as much of the Las Vegas crazy, but does offer some crazy deals.

For paid stays there’s nothing like what these properties are offering through the Hilton Impresario Program. (Some of you will want to book a single night using Amex Fine Hotels and Resorts and the once a year $200 Platinum rebate.)

The rates are generally better here than you’ll find at similarly-situated properties elsewhere on the strip. There are less expensive places! But you’re going to pay less than if you were staying at Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, Wynn, etc. And the value they’re packing in is great.

• Conrad One Bedroom Suite (~ 1100 sq ft) can run $150-190++ midweek with a $25 resort beverage credit and $50 Hilton Gold/Diamond credit. Base rooms can be $90-120++ are are ~ 500 square feet.

• Crockfords Las Vegas is the elevated property, where regular rooms seem to run about what a Conrad suite will cost, but with an upgrade to a suite if available. Hilton Impresario seems to deliver upgrades, while Hilton status does not based on reports I’ve seen.

Here’s what I got booking through TravelZork With Hilton Impresario:

• Daily breakfast credit $66 for 2 people ($33 each) at either The Kitchen or SUN’S OUT BUNS OUT

• Resort Experience Credit USD $100 credit per stay

• Upgrade of one category, based on availability at time of check-in

• Double Hilton Honors Points

• Stackable with Hilton elite benefit of $25pp ($50 daily) all day at Dawg House.

• Early check-in/late check-out, subject to availability

I could see on the Hilton website that my Crockfords Las Vegas reservation was upgraded prior to arrival, which meant that I could check in at Crockfords rather than the Crockfords desk at the Conrad.

This is an odd quirk of the property, that the Crockfords lobby is for Crockfords Suites guests and not for those booked in regular rooms. That’s a controversial cutback from when the property opened, though not one that affected me since I was upgraded a couple of days prior to a suite. When the hotel opened I understand there was a tea ceremony at check-in, but that’s no longer in place. So I’m not really sure why the restriction. It’s a beautiful lobby but just a standard check-in.

Switching Rooms And The Difference Between Crockfords And Crockfords West

We arrived at the property and I walked up to the desk. I was handed materials both for the Crockfords Las Vegas Impresario benefits (available even on a one night stay!) and Gold benefits. And I was told my suite was on the 5th floor, the same floor as the pools complex – which would both be convenient for going to the pool, but I worried also meaning additional foot traffic – in Crockfords West.

The hotel is actually in two towers, with rooms on the 5th floor and also at the very top of the hotel, floors 60-63, placing it above the Conrad and above the Hilton.

The standard rooms and some suites are in the main Crockfords Tower, and Crockfords West is all suites. I understand Crockfords West was at one point going to be part of the Hilton, but they realized so many suites did not make sense for the Hilton. It’s a plus to be amongst the quiet all suites wing, but to get there you have to walk from the Crockfords lobby through a long hallway and across the (small) Hilton lobby.

I didn’t think I wanted that, so I asked whether they had any suites in the main Crockfords (East) tower, and they assigned me one on the fifth floor.

I went up to that room and was… disappointed, because while the suite itself was beautiful, the view looked directly out at hotel HVAC and engineering systems. It was a depressing view.

So I called down from my room and asked whether we might change again? A few minutes later I received a callback letting me know that they would move us to a suite on the 62nd floor of Crockfords West, and ultimately I didn’t actually mind the West tower at all.

Here’s the original suite I was assigned, the living room was smaller than the room I ultimately stayed in but there was a walk-in closet off of the bathroom that was huge. It would have been fine, but looking straight out onto mechanicals just wouldn’t have made being in the room pleasant and the new room was much more special.

This was a heated massager on the bedside table, but honestly I thought it was… something else.

Crockfords Suite

I was assigned room 350 on the 62nd floor, across from the elevators.

There was a large living room in my suite, with a fold out couch that my daughter found comfortable. The room had a dining table and wet bar. In addition to the refrigerated (and countertop) minibar, there was a small empty refrigerator for guest use.

The bedroom wasn’t large, but the bed had plenty of outlets on both sides (both standard and USB) and the alarm clock featured wireless charging. This is a real advantage of premium newer hotels. The bed had six pillows.

But the real highlight of the room was the bathroom, which was both large and gorgeous, with two sinks and a tub as well as separate shower and toilet rooms. And those amenities!

If there’s a criticism I’d say it’s that there were no separate lighting controls in the bathroom, e.g. you couldn’t turn on a light for the toilet room only (and no night light) which makes it awkward if you get up in the middle of the night and don’t want to risk waking your partner.

There were also a bunch of little scratches and scuffs throughout, a bit more wear than I’d expect from a two-year old room.

But I’d also highlight the spectacular views from both the bedroom and the living room, panoramic across landings at the airport, the Wynn and Venetian, and even off-strip to the Trump hotel.

Is Crockfords Las Vegas A Luxury Property? Is The Conrad?

One of the comments I’ve seen a lot about the Conrad is that it disappoints compared to expectations for the brand. This isn’t the Conrad Tokyo or Koh Samui. In Asia this is a real luxury brand. Resorts World is a 3500-room hotel, and Conrad isn’t their most elevated brand within the complex. Think of it as an upscale hotel brand offering great value, not Asian luxury. Attune your expectations correctly and I think you’ll be happy.

Crockfords, where I stayed, is elevated along some dimensions. They have proper room service, and not just GrubHub delivery in paper bags from the hotel’s restaurants. The Byredo Mojave Ghost toiletries are wonderful. Housekeeping is twice daily, including chocolates and bottled water at turndown.

At the same time, bath towels aren’t soft! And they use cheap toilet paper. I asked in advance about having extra waters in my room on arrival and was told two waters are placed daily (they’re mini-bottles), and was told to pick up any additional bottles myself in the lobby. Definitely not five star! I then received separate follow up offering me bottles at $7 apiece. I picked up a flat of water on the way to the hotel, to last the three of us across our four night stay, and in Vegas heat that hit 108 during our time there (really about the same temp as home in Austin). I did note that the Crockfords VIP pool offered bottled waters complimentary.

Ultimately the hotel’s facilities are shared across Hilton, Conrad, and Crockfords guests and I didn’t experience any sort of priority based on staying at Crockfords. My wife wasn’t super-impressed with the hotel’s salon. So I’m not sure the upcharge for Crockfords is worthwhile over Conrad. Put another way, I probably wouldn’t pay a $150++ premium for Crockfords, and I’d choose a Conrad Suite over a standard room at Crockfords. Still, it was a very nice stay overall and this opinion is a testament to the overall property and that I’d be happy as a Conrad guest too.

One thing that Crockfords did provide was coffee, pastries and fruit in their lobby in the morning, though selection was quite limited.

And I’d add that the casino was never busy. Some people like crowded action, I’d prefer not to be winding through a maze of people. You could play almost anything you wished. And while there was a smell of smoke, the property is new so it isn’t deeply ingrained in the walls the way it is on some floors.

Crockfords Las Vegas Location At The End Of The Strip

I didn’t mind a location at the end of the strip, in fact in many ways it’s ideal traveling as a family because it tends to keep away the Las Vegas crazy. Location and that the property is just a couple of years old mean it doesn’t yet have a full following and represented a real value.

In fact, all things equal I preferred it. You’re not going to go between connected hotels, like you might use the tram from Aria to Bellagio. But once you’re leaving the hotel to go to another property the distance down the strip isn’t as much of a big deal. I used to think that the Wynn was too far afield when it first opened, but it’s not, and this is right beside the Wynn. Higher floors also provide an amazing view of the strip.

Resorts World is near the Convention Center, so convenient for many as well. And it’s right by the new Fountainbleau project that should be opening late 2023 or early 2024 and that’ll help keep pressure on rates as well as continue to pull the center of gravity out towards this hotel.

Famous Foods, The Hotel’s Excellent Food Hall Concept

I didn’t eat at any of the fancier restaurants on property, but I was really impressed by the hotel’s ‘street eats’ food hall concept, Famous Foods.

If you’re in Los Angeles maybe you have access to good char kway teow and won’t be super-impressed. But living in Austin the food options here were actually really exciting. The dumplings I had were perfect. So were the hand-pulled noodles. And I accompanied a couple of lunches with interesting boba options.

Each of the street food stalls offers delivery via the resort’s GrubHub integration, though it’s great for different members of the family to pick up food from different stalls. Doing that would mean a separate GrubHub room service order, so I recommend going down to pick up food in any case even if you don’t want to eat there.

Interestingly you order via touch screen, with all of the options available on each touch screen, so you don’t need to go from restaurant to restaurant. You place an order for each separately at the kiosk, and they’ll confirm the order and then let you know when it’s ready via text. You can choose packaging for eating there or for takeaway when placing your order.

Food Credits For Breakfast And All Day

I wish that the food credits were more flexible. Hilton Honors elites get $50 per day at Dawg House, their sports bar concept, and to be honest I’m sure the food is fine. If you want a burger, why not? But there are too many great meals to be had that I didn’t want to waste any there and didn’t actually use these credits during my stay.

I did try The Kitchen for breakfast one day, where I had $66 to spend (they comped my daughter’s buffet so this was enough to cover breakfast for three). But I wasn’t impressed. Now, the buffet is priced at $29 not the $60 or much more you’ll find for a buffet at other Vegas resorts. But it seemed more akin to an airport hotel buffet than a Vegas experience.

The Impresario breakfast credit was also available for use at the takeaway Sun’s Out Bun’s Out, but in either case there wasn’t a breakfast on property that’s crave-worthy and that struck me as a miss.

There’s food, you can eat it, and it’s fine. And The Kitchen lets you order off the menu or have the buffet. In most hotels in most cities I’d be happy with this as the complimentary breakfast, but I still felt like Resorts World could do better to provide a breakfast experience akin to the best Vegas has to offer rather than just providing food to eat.

Of course I also had a $100 resort credit to spend, and used that at Famous Foods – which doesn’t open until 11 a.m. (The Starbucks, though, is open 24 hours for those who want a coffee and pastry and supports their pre-order via app.)

Pool Complex

Resorts World offers a main pool, game pool (Bimini), family pool and cabana pool as well as their Athena Infinity Pool. Crockfords guests have access to a separate pool as well, with water feature and complimentary bottled waters. Staff were available to take drink and other orders, and spa staff member was on hand for massage services at the Crockfords pool as well.

A few things struck me about the pools. First, the sheer number of regular pool chairs reserved for pay at the main pool. Second, that the pools weren’t actually packed outside of truly peak times. And third that while the pools are on the 5th floor, there’s not really any walking past rooms on the fifth floor so despite my concerns otherwise a room on this floor wouldn’t be too disturbed by foot traffic.

There were actually plenty of unreserved pool chairs at 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Crockfords pool (and everywhere at 10 a.m.) despite Saturday being peak Las Vegas.

Crockfords VIP Pool

Crockfords VIP Pool

Crockfords VIP Pool

Admittedly many people were likely still asleep from late nights on Friday! But I think you’d want to do your pool time early considering it was headed towards 108 degrees that day.

Great Value At Resorts World Las Vegas

I knew I did not want to spend big money on this Vegas trip, but also wanted a bit nicer property and a suite. It is all about knowing what product you are trying to buy and then getting the best value for that product. That’s what made this a sweet spot, but I’d also suggest that if you are paying retail for a mid place on the strip you should consider elevating your experience for not much more.

There are a lot of online reviews bashing this Conrad because it isn’t one of the better Conrads in Tokyo. That’s their frame of reference for the brand. This isn’t a Peninsula. And you shouldn’t compare it to a luxury Asian hotel in terms of service – it’s part of a 3500-room complex. It’s a nice property that isn’t packed body-to-body the way you’ll find at Bellagio because of not just their own guests but all of the people from off-property visiting there.

It offers good rates for what it is, and Crockfords Las Vegas – the Hilton LXR hotel – gets $100, $66 and $50 for a ONE NIGHT STAY via Impresario. Meanwhile Conrad suite with Impresario (3 night minimum) – is an incredible deal for the price.

Overall I think Crockfords Las Vegas should use better towels and toilet paper! And should offer some extra priority in facilities other than at one pool. But Impresario benefits are great and stackable with Hilton credits and this will seal the deal for many.

Without the advice of Michael from TravelZork I wouldn’t have chosen the property – I wouldn’t have known to. But the combination of location, great rates, and stackable benefits booking through an agent (like Michael) who can set up Impresario benefits makes this the real sweet spot in Vegas right now for anyone whose preferences are like mine for overall value and an elevated experience.

Incidentally, I’m speaking at ZorkFest in October, bringing together experts in loyalty (as well as casino loyalty) and gaming.