Not your average Vegas list

July 3, 2012 9:33 AM

What Vegas hotel has the best wifi, easy access to convention center, in-room coffee - in that order? Oh and a pool would be nice.

I'm a CES geek and I've always stayed at MGM Grand. I liked it for the great service and the monorail access. But, last year the service was way less than great, the wifi sucked and room service coffee is not in room coffee.

I don't care that much about whirlpool baths, or a great view, or fabulous buffets, or a wow casino.

I'm not particularly looking to do this on the cheap. I'm fine with paying extra for good, solid, dependable wifi.

Which hotel is my best bet? What are some also-rans I should consider?

posted by susandennis to travel & transportation around Las Vegas, NV (5 answers total)

As far as the connection goes, I carry a Clear Modem (the larger one with a built-in WiFi) across the country. It's month to month, and in aggregate, saves me a lot of money because I never buy hotel or airport WiFi. It's $50 a month and I can stop at any time.

In pretty much any metro area you will have a decent T1 or better type connection. Last time I stayed at The Grand I had a 7mbps/1.5mbps connection (or something close to it) but that may have been the luck of the location of the hotel room. I've also plugged it in at a Starbucks in a pinch. Just add power and you have unlimited, unmetered internet.

For coffee, I have a kit with me: ground coffee in a bag, a pour-over ceramic with wedge filters, and if I have room, a small electric kettle. The only thing I have to find is creamer and sugar, which usually isn't a problem.

I'd sort those two things out and pick the hotel based on location and price. It's tough to find any hotel with all three at a good price.
posted by deanklear at 10:14 AM on July 3, 2012 [2 favorites]

I have stayed all up and down the strip and I have found WIFI to be semi-reliable at best just about everywhere. Obviously it often depends on your room's proximity to the source.

You may want to look into Signature which is MGM's upscale property and connected to MGM directly via a gerbil tube. No casino, no buffet.

If you get stuck with a flaky connection, here's a guide to free spots.
posted by dzot at 10:17 AM on July 3, 2012

Last time I went to a convention in Vegas, I stayed at the Paris. The monorail was about a 5 minute walk from my room, no issues with wifi, and I don't remember if they had in-room coffee. The Wynn is almost always where the conventions block rooms for attendees, so that's probably a solid bet as well. I've never stayed at Wynn, so I can't comment beyond that.
posted by tealcake at 10:19 AM on July 3, 2012

Check out the Trump International across from Planet Hollywood. They have kitchens! No casino. So nice and quiet.

Very few strip hotels have in-room coffee, mostly because it's one more reason for you to get up and out into the casino.

My former boss loved the Trump, cheap and cheerful.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:26 AM on July 3, 2012

Taking my own wifi access (mefi or equivalent) is an option I will exercise but would rather not rely on.

I ended up with reservations at the Wynn mainly for it's geographic proximity to the convention center and its luxury. I was unable to ascertain which rooms are closest to an access point (for best reception) and they have no in room coffee but I conned my baby brother into going with me and he's great about slipping out first thing and bringing back.

I'll come back here next January and report for future searchers.
posted by susandennis at 2:58 PM on August 2, 2012