Long check-in lines are de rigueur in Las Vegas. People go to Vegas for a break, and the start of their trip is a queue – probably first for the ride from the airport to their hotel, and then to get into their room. What could be more of a mass experience, and what could make an upscale hotel feel more like Circus Circus than this?

Resorts World is a complex at the end of the strip with 3 Hilton brands under one roof: Hilton, Conrad, and Crockfords. They all share the same restaurants and casino facilities, and the rooms are surprisingly similar. You only check in at Crockfords if you’re booked into a suite there, and the check-in lobby is generally lowkey and peaceful.

Crockfords standard room guests check in at Conrad, which isn’t what you think a Conrad-branded property is like (way too mid). Hilton’s lobby is exactly what you think it’s like, except you stand there for seven hours:

People sometimes claim that Resorts World Las Vegas is *empty" but that's not true. In fact, eager hotel guests are waiting in line for up to 7 hours to check in! pic.twitter.com/kvXbd6ga21

— Las Vegas Locally (@LasVegasLocally) February 22, 2025

Here’s Hilton check-in on a normal day.

I really like the property. The restaurants aren’t amazing. Elite breakfast is lacking. The casino is often quiet, and the food hall is excellent.

No hotel is worth standing in line for seven hours for. Who would do that? Who wouldn’t just leave? Except that this is more common in Vegas than you’d think. You might book a room somewhere else and find check-in is just as bad!

Long check-in lines are a problem across Las Vegas, though a bigger problem generally Caesars hotel properties than at MGM hotels, and something that really accelerated in earnest during the pandemic due to insufficient staffing.

Hotel check in wait times are out of control in Las Vegas, especially at Caesars owned resorts like Horseshoe, Paris, Planet Hollywood and others. Its no secret that these videos put me at odds with the two major corporations who own the majority of the resort hotels on the… pic.twitter.com/QlK02dAMVR

— Jen G. (@vegasstarfish) August 15, 2024

Waiting in line to check in at Caesar’s Palace. I first tried checking in at 7 pm. The line was approximately 3-4 hours long. I left (and hopped around town with luggage) and came back at 1.40 am. It’s 2.50 am. Still waiting. pic.twitter.com/jk3Vl8Cxhs

— Benjamin Lee (@blankcheckben) July 11, 2023

Bizarrely, Vegas-goers seem thrilled online when they only have to stand in line half an hour to check into their hotel.

Some suggest using a chain’s mobile app or kiosk for check-in, but reports are that those assign the worst rooms (low floor, view of the HVAC), whereas when you check in with a person they’ll usually try to give you the best thing they can within your category (and you have the opportunity to slip them $100 for an upgrade).

Status helps. You will still wait in a line but you will skip the worst mess.

Las Vegas has interesting economics. They could charge you more, and provide proper staffing, but then they wouldn’t fill the rooms. And filling rooms is the goal, more than the rate, in order to earn off you because you are there in their complex – from shopping and dining to gambling. Yet while you’re standing in line that’s time you aren’t gambling or shopping.

A check-in experience like this one may help contain costs, but in the long run surely it costs the hotel revenue. It’s a good reason not to return to a hotel, and indeed when guests share what check-in is like it’s a reason for others not to book in the first place. But since it’s infrequent guests bearing the brunt of this check-in process, perhaps the bet is there’s not much future business to lose?

If you’ve made the trip to Vegas, maybe you’ve paid to park, and you’re faced with a super long check-in line my advice is:

1. Use a mobile kiosk or app for check-in
   
2. Take the keys to the inferior room you’re probably assigned
   
3. Then call down from the comfort of your room to complain.

You may have to wait on hold for a bit, but that’s far better than standing around like a schmuck in the lobby.