Although it is no longer the Playboy Suite and the big bunny-head sign has come down off the tower, what's now the largest of the Sky Villa Suites at the Palms is still Las Vegas’ most expensive, at $35,000 a night on the weekend (you can bag it for $20k on a week night, if there's nothing major going on in town). That gets you a cantilevered pool with an al fresco aquatic view of the Strip, private balconies, a rotating bed, and round-the clock butler service in the two-story, 9,000-square-foot villa, accessed via a private glass elevator.
Next-most expensive are the Mansions at MGM Grand, which rent for a princely $20,000. That, at least, is their nominal fee, since their reputation is one of being comped to VIPs and high rollers (for whom they were originally built and exclusively reserved). The allure of the 290,000-square-foot palatial mansion complex (which is modeled after an 18th century Tuscan villa), includes a dedicated concierge service, a separate spa and restaurant, a top-secret private admittance, far from the madding crowd at the regular check-in desk, and little touches -- like an indoor pool, baby grand piano, and heated-tile flooring in the 'his' and 'hers' bathrooms. However, you must obtain prior approval from the casino-marketing department to stay at the Mansion, just in case someone more 'important' is planning to visit.
Third on the list is an oldie-but-goodie: the Sky Villas at Westgate Las Vegas (formerly the Las Vegas Hilton). Originally ordered by Barron Hilton himself in the mid-'90s, with the objective of creating the most lavish suites available anywhere in the world, these three exclusive suites make the Palace of Versailles look understated.
Accessed via a private elevator, in square-footage terms the Villa Verona -- the largest of the trio -- is the equivalent of five or six decent-sized homes. Basic amenities include a private rooftop pool, five Jacuzzis, and an exercise room, with "little touches" like heated towel rails in all five bathrooms; remote-controlled draperies, lighting, and fireplaces; a state-of-the-art media room; hand-painted, Venetian-style murals on every wall and ceiling; TVs that emerge, as if by magic, from wooden chests at the base of each bed; a koi pond, and a telescope for enjoying the panoramic view of Las Vegas.
While, like the MGM Grand Mansions, these were originally the exclusive preserve of high rollers (or the Hilton family), as the market changed and the Hilton began to attract a conventioneer crowd, the property moved with the times and began renting them out. Today, any of the three can be had for the princely sum of $15,148 per night, we were informed, although from past experience that's the normal going-nightly-rate for the Villa Verona's smaller Conrad and Tuscany siblings, while what was Barron's personal suite traditionally came with a higher price tag, in the region of $17,500.
Right on the heels of Westgate (and, on a slow weekend, ahead of it) is Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas, where a Presidential Suite goes for $15,000. It includes a dining room, two bedrooms and a fitness center.
Both the three-bedroom Penthouse at MGM Grand and the top-line suites at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas would seem to qualify for inclusion in the top five, with prices peaking at $10,000. However, both are known to go for as low as $5,000 and $1,000 a night, respectively, depending on timing and demand. (The Cosmo probably doesn’t see that $10K very often, outside of New Year’s Eve and maybe SuperBowl weekend.)
So fifth place goes to – drum roll, please – Wynn Las Vegas/Encore, where a three-bedroom duplex costs $10,000-plus on weekends. In addition to a private driveway and registration, you are assigned a "personal ambassador." Villas come equipped with such goodies as a massage room and a Blu-Ray player to complement the 52-inch TV set. Not quite making the cut were the Palazzo suites at The Rio, which are listed at $8,800 each (and are sometimes used to house Caesars Entertainment talent like Britney Spears and Elton John). Close behind are the three-bedroom villas at Bellagio, which retail for approximately $8,500 apiece.
The cachet of having been on MTV’s "The Real World" continues to rub off on the Hard Rock Hotel’s Real World Suite, which goes for a gold-plated $7,800 a night (the Palms' version of the same is available for $5,000 on week nights, $10,00 on the weekend). A Presidential Suite at the Venetian or Palazzo commands $5,000 a night … impressive when you consider all the rooms that Las Vegas Sands has to fill. The Four Seasons’ Presidential Suites can cost as little as $3,000 or as much as $3,500, depending on how many people will be occupying the room.
There are several hotels with suites in the four-figure range, but nothing as dramatic as the twelve listed here. So, if you hit the jackpot, or just feel like spending your life’s savings on a Vegas junket, now you know where to stay.
