Hotel Review: The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
The year 2020 has been a rocky year to say the least, with the global pandemic (COVID-19), lockdown or travel restrictions, and everything else going on. Eight months after my last visit to Las Vegas where I stayed at Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas barely a day before the city went into total shutdown, I returned to the ‘Sin-City’ to check on a few other hotels to see how safely they’re operating.
When it comes to Las Vegas hotel bookings, the American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts has always been my go-to. This is one of the many perks I have personally enjoyed for being a Platinum Card from American Express member. And since I wanted to be in the heart of Las Vegas Strip during this stay, The Cosmo (as popularly called) was a perfect option. Not only because it’s an Autograph Collection brand which operates under the Marriott Bonvoy umbrella, or because of my Marriott Titanium Elite status, but because The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is a contemporary and over-the-top luxury hotel with a different kind of classical-modern vibe.
BOOKING:
Having initially booked a City Room, 2 Queen Beds for $170 per night, about 2 weeks before arrival I saw the price had dropped even further. And since I was still within the cancelation window, I cancelled my first reservation and then rebook a Terrace 1 Bedroom (Newly Renovated) room at the same rate of $170 per night. I personally can’t stress enough as to why you should always check your flights and hotel bookings should in case there has been a price drop.
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CHECKING IN:
While this was my first stay at The Cosmo, I have visited the hotel lobby / restaurants a few times in the past and I knew how busy the lobby and the casino areas can get sometimes. With a 3:30pm arrival at the hotel, there were quite a few people in line waiting to check in. I didn’t have to wait in the long line though, instead, I proceeded to the Autograph Lounge which offers elevated / skip-the-line benefit for Marriott Bonvoy elites, Identity Rewards members, and Invited Guests.
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When it comes to upgrade, Fine Hotels and Resorts has a room-to-room or suite-to-suite policy, which actually worked perfectly well for me since I wasn’t expecting a significant upgrade other than the world-famous ‘Fountain View’. I was assigned a room in the Boulevard Tower with the fountain and Las Vegas Strip view. it’s worth noting that, while The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is one of the most sort-after hotels in Las Vegas, this property is not family-friendly in my opinion. The cigarette smell coming from the casino tables coupled with pictures of naked women in the room may be offensive for kids.
THE TERRACE SUITE FOUNTAIN VIEW ROOM:
Located on the 21st floor, the one-bedroom terrace suite (Room 2195) is a generously-spacious and well-appointed room. A 910 sq ft room with spectacular view of the popular Bellagio fountain and the best of Las Vegas Strip view. The 160 square foot private terrace made for a perfect spot to have in-room breakfast (more on that shortly).
The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas is living up to the Marriott’s clean-commitment standard by providing amenity kit in each guestroom. This amenity kit consists of 2 face masks, 1 hand sanitizer, and a stylus pen. Honestly speaking, this is a great touch from the property as this truly signifies that nothing is more important to the hotel than the health and safety of its’ guests. This type of amenity kit has actually become a normal thing for many hotels in Vegas since Bellagio also had a similar amenity kit in the room I was checked in to. The review of Bellagio coming soon.
There were many things that towered the Cosmopolitan Hotel above its’ counterparts, and if you are tech savvy, or maybe you just want to contact Rose (The Resident Mischief-Maker), you’ll find the tablet to be very useful. The 2 LED TVs and a fully-stocked minibar are some of the other features of this one-bedroom terrace suite with fountain view.
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Some bathrooms have a bragging right than others, and all bathtubs are not made equal. Being able to enjoy the show from the fountain through the floor to ceiling window of your bathroom while soaked up and covered in bubble bath did set the mood for an adventure during my stay. The bathroom also featured a separate walk-in shower, double-vanity, and lighted makeup mirror. Five Wits bath amenities were also provided.
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The private terrace featured an armchair, a couch, and some stools. The unobstructed views of Las Vegas from the private terrace were indeed desirable to behold.
AMENITIES & RESORT FEES:
Since this was a stay during corona virus, some of the hotel amenities were unavailable during the stay. The Spa and Fitness Center are located at The Chelsea Tower, and although I was hoping to treat myself to a great massage at the hotel, not being able to spend the rest of the day enjoying other amenities at the spa made me forego the $100 Spa Credits for booking with Fine Hotels and Resorts. Luckily, the resort fee was waived for me during checkout.
Pictures were not allowed in the fitness center, but the gym is more of a premium size with plenty of state-of-the-art workout equipment, and social distancing was still being observed. Towels and bottled water were provided in the gym.
One thing that sets The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas apart is its’ WiFi. With download speed of 152.59Mbps and upload speed of 189.69Mbps, this WiFi speed pass The Points Engineer’s internet test. As a matter of fact, this is the best WiFi we’ve seen at a hotel.
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A review of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas is never completed until the pool is talked about. The Boulevard Tower pool (popular for day party with live DJ) wasn’t operational during my stay, but was instead converted into an ice rink arena. The Chelsea Tower pool in the other hand was fully functional. There were more than enough cabanas, loungers, and daybeds available, and I personally loved the shades of purple all around this rooftop pool.
BREAKFAST WITH A VIEW:
When you book via AmEx Fine Hotels and Resorts, you usually get a $60 breakfast per room per day. During this stay, The Cosmopolitan offered $75 breakfast credits per day. Quote and quote, per day literally means including the day of arrival. I asked the front desk attendant and she actually said yes, that’s correct. But no, I did not put it to a test.
For breakfast, I opted for In-Room Dining and gave room service a quick call. My $13 order of Organic Yogurt Parfait and $35 American Breakfast came up at a total of $77. That’s an approximately $30 more. In case you do not know, when you order room service, it usually comes with $5 delivery fee, about 20% gratuity, sales tax, and there could be additional charges in some cases. The breakfast, especially the organic yogurt parfait with berries was really good.
Some of the other hotel restaurants were open during my visit, and Eggslut particularly was very busy during breakfast the next day.
The Chandelier, Las Vegas casino bar, is an urban, chic, and contemporary multi-story wonder.
MY TAKE ON THIS HOTEL?
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas hotel still maintains that level of standard it’s known for. This Marriott Bonvoy Category 8 and a member of American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts property in the heart of Las Vegas Strip was a perfect choice, and I must say that I wasn’t disappointed in any way. The hotel was kind enough to have waived the $44.22 resort fee during checkout, and I found the amenity kit provided in the room a great touch.
Although there were a few rooms for improvement. The bathrobes in the room could be better, while the king size bed in the room was more of a queen size. It’s also worth mentioning that the Marriott Bonvoy Welcome Gift of 1,000 points did not get posted even a month after the stay. But regardless, this was a great stay and won’t hesitate to return to the hotel in the near future when the price is right.
Did you stay at The Cosmopolitan in 2020? What are your thoughts? Planning to stay at this hotel in 2021? What are your expectations?
Nigeria-born, California-based.
Kayode currently holds higher status on multiple airlines and hotel programs. He has visited 4 continents, 30 countries, and 35 of the 50 US states.
He began his adventure journey after selling his first cellphone ever, and used the money to apply for his first passport. He said to himself, “I’d rather have a passport than a cellphone”. And since then, he has been globetrotting.
Thanks for the Cosmo review. Was the spa open or not open? I’m not totally clear. if open, maybe it was massage only? Thanks for clarifying.
JP, the spa was open during our visit, though with limited services like massage and manicure/pedicure.
Thanks for reading.
New to using FHR w/ the Amex platinum. How do you use your Marriott status (I’m gold status if that matters) in conjunction with your reservation to use the invited guest check in line?
Your Marriott Bonvoy Gold status does matter, however I wouldn’t expect to get a suite upgrade of any kind. Though you may receive room with a better view. You can insert your membership number during the booking or at check in. But FYI, this will only get you 1000 points as Welcome Gift
Thank you for responding! Just to clarify, I booked through amextravel. So when I get to Cosmo, I just go to the invited guest line and ask them to add my Bonvoy membership number to my reservation?
That is correct