Convention Convenience at the Westgate Resort in Las Vegas

With a staggering array of hotels and amenities, choosing a hotel in Las Vegas can be an overwhelming decision. From the decision to stay on or off the strip, at a casino or non-casino property, all the way to the type of room or suite you’re looking, many people admit to not having a clue where to start sifting through the choices.

If you’re in town for business at the Las Vegas Convention Center the Westgate Hotel and Resort is a good selection. The advantage in staying at the Westgate is convenience – it’s just a short walk from the hotel to the Convention Center and it is also a stop on the monorail line. You can jump on the monorail if you need to go somewhere else along the strip, but in my book, this is the hotel to stay at when you’re convention-going and not much more.

The Westgate has a snazzy Las Vegas history. The property is the former LVH, which was the former Las Vegas Hilton, which was the former International Hotel. That’s a lot of formers that give the property its old Las Vegas chops dating back to the city’s glory days, the days of Streissand and Sinatra, of Liberace and Elvis.

The hotel has 2,956 hotel rooms and 305 suites, and is currently undergoing a major renovation and upgrade. Not all rooms are finished yet, but its starting to take on a modern looking retro vibe.

My guestroom featured two very comfy queen beds, raised off the floor sufficiently high that it took a little hop for my 5’6″ sized body to get into it. The headboards were black leatherette and there was a matching bench at the end of each. The benches were too narrow for suitcase placement, and weren’t terribly comfortable for sitting either, so consider them more decor than utility.

The retro black decor of the room was dark, something that was not improved by the lack of lighting in the room. There was one tableside lamp between the two beds along with a floor lamp in the corner. During the day the lack of lighting was merely gloomy, but come night, it was so dark as to make it impossible to select matching clothes out of the dresser. Another lamp, or over-the-bed lighting would have made this a much cheerier place to spend my time.

Another issue was the lack of a desk or other work space. There was a narrow standing height table in front of the window, but it wasn’t wide enough to accommodate my laptop. There was a comfy chair in the corner, but without a proper workspace, it didn’t stay comfy for very long. And, there were no available plug ins. But there was a mini bar.

As I said, this hotel choice is all about the convenient location, not necessarily the convenience in the room.
This is a casino property, with the requisite gaming area, lounges and bars, coffee shops, and specialty restaurants on property. Much of the main floor area was still under construction during my stay, but it’s likely completed by now. Also, just days after my stay at the Westgate, the hotel opened the Elvis: The Exhbition, the first permanent exhibit of Elvis artifacts outside of Graceland (admission $22). The King performed here in the late 60s and 70s. If you’re an Elvis fan, this may be reason enough to stay here.

The Westgate Resort is one of many hotel choices in Las Vegas, but if you’ll be attending an event at the Convention Center, and don’t want to spend time and money on cabs, this is the best hotel choice to make. You can walk to the Convention Center in 5-10 minutes, much less time than you’d spend waiting for a cab to pick you up.

Promotional room rates start at well below $100 per night midweek. Expect to pay higher demand prices on weekends and during large conventions and trade shows. Check rates online at Booking.com.