Hotel Review: Four Seasons Hotel (Strip View Room), Las Vegas, NV

Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas Strip View Room Introduction

I’ll preface this review by admitting I didn’t really want to go to Las Vegas. Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, or maybe because I’m boring, but there just isn’t much about that city that appeals to me. If you asked me 10 years ago, I probably would have considered Vegas the best place on earth, where anything goes, but I suppose times have changed. However, I realize life isn’t always entirely up to me, and both Brittany and Brad really wanted to visit. Vegas is one of Brittany’s favourite places (I think because it’s only a 2-hour plane ride), and Brad wanted to be there for his 30th birthday. Fair enough. I’d take one for the team. When looking at places to stay, there was really only one option that made sense: The Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas Strip View Room.

I’ve really come to appreciate The Four Seasons brand for their understated luxury and impeccable service. We were staying at The Four Seasons Scottsdale Resort on this trip too, so it made sense to book the sister property in Vegas to see how the two compare. Hotel rates in Las Vegas fluctuate dramatically, and nights at this hotel can range from $250 – $1,000, depending on the time of year, conferences in town, day of the week, etc. Thankfully it was the dead of summer, and rates were on the lower end. I booked through American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts using my Platinum Card to get late checkout, a room upgrade (based on availability), daily breakfast for two, and a $100USD spa credit. The total cost including tax was approximately $350CAD per night.

We took an uber to the hotel after dropping off our Audi A4 Silvercar rental just a few minutes away from the airport. The Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas is located on the top 5 floors of the Mandalay Bay complex on the south end of the strip, and is really close to the airport.

The airport is close enough that the hotel is able to offer complimentary airport transfer at checkout in their Audi A8 house car (based on availability).

The Four Seasons has a completely different entrance from The Mandalay Bay and at no time did it feel like we were sharing the property. The interior is impressive, with lots of marble and rich woods. The overall aesthetic of Las Vegas isn’t my personal favourite, and I appreciated the understated luxury at this hotel.

Unlike most Las Vegas hotels, check-in took about 2 minutes, at which point we were informed of our upgrade to a strip-view room on the top floor of the hotel (39th floor). We were also directed to the concierge to pickup some show tickets I had asked them to get, and given a brief rundown of the American Express FHR benefits. All of the staff were friendly and professional, which is fairly consistent at any Four Seasons property I’ve visited.

We made our way up to the 39th floor where we found our room near the end of the long corridor. The elevator lobby was nice, and the hallways had recently been modernized with new carpets and wallpaper.

Four Seasons Las Vegas Strip View Room

We had received suite-upgrades at both the Four Seasons Resort and The Canyon Suites Resort in Scottsdale, and I was a bit relieved when I opened the door to find a standard sized hotel room. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good suite, and appreciate the extra space, but it’s a lot of work photographing them for the review! I really liked the style of this room. It was definitely a little bit over the top compared to other Four Seasons properties in terms of colours and textures, but when in Vegas I suppose.

The door opened up into a small foyer with a closet and minibar on the right, and a bathroom on the left. The main area featured a large king bed, small sitting area, office desk, and a dresser with television.

The linens were of the highest quality, and the pillows were amazing. We have actually considered buying Four Seasons bedding after many comfortable sleeps.

Beside tables on each side provided lamps, telephone, notepad and alarm clock/iPhone docking station.

There was a small seating area under a funky lamp in the corner which provided partial views of the Las Vegas Airport (I think I was more entertained by this view than the strip-view).

The concierge knew it was Brad’s birthday, and had a cake and welcome card waiting in the room upon arrival. Nice touch!

The views from the room were quite stunning, and because of the hotel’s location on the southend of the strip, there were unobstructed views from this top-floor room. Breakfast was included daily and we opted for room service on all three mornings to take in the view.

My only complaint about the room was the lack of storage space. The closet was tiny, and hardly stored our carry-on luggage, with a dresser offering alternative storage options (though I like to hang most of my clothes to save ironing).

Located beside the closet just inside the room was the well-stocked minibar with a selection of overpriced snacks and beverages and a Keurig coffee maker, which was a bit disappointing (though at least the room did have in-room coffee unlike the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas where Britt stayed).

The fridge was not a sensor variety, but was fully stocked with items for purchase. Upon check-in, the observant bellboy noticed we had a few bottles of white wine and offered to bring up a second fridge for personal use (no charge, surprisingly). We also ordered a fan as Brad and I both like a little bit of white noise while sleeping.

I generally love a Four Seasons bathroom, but found this one to be a little bit dull compared to others. Not that anything was wrong with it – it still featured separate walk-in shower and large soaking tub, separate water closet, and high-end L’Occitane amenities, but the colours just felt a bit drab (especially compared to the rest of the room).

Like other Four Seasons properties, L’Occitane amenities were offered. Though nice, I’ve yet to try a variety that I like.

Overall, I really liked the room, and appreciated the understated luxury and high quality finishes. Best of all though was the bed, which I’m still considering purchasing for my bedroom!

Four Seasons Las Vegas Hotel Pool

We knew we were going to be spending a lot of time at the pool when we booked this trip, so I thought why not go all out and rent a cabana for the day. Like hotel prices, cabana prices vary depending on a number of factors, but we lucked out and got it for the bargain bin price of $150 for the day. Included in the rate was a private cabana with seating, television, safe, mini-fridge, fruit platter, and Evian facial mist. While we ended up spending most of the time in the pool, we did use the space for a bit of shade mid-afternoon.

The pool area was easily one of the highlights of this property, and featured lots of seating both around the pool and near the cabanas. At no point did the pool feel crowded, and it was never difficult to get service from one of the friendly staff. While we were there, staff came around with complimentary frozen treats, drink samples, sunglass cleaning services, and more. It was really incredible.

There was a full-service bar with a variety of beverages (actually reasonably priced given the venue) and a stand with towels, sunscreen, aloe, and ice-cold fruit infused water.

Guests of The Four Seasons Hotel are invited to use the Mandalay Bay pool area in addition to the hotel pool (though Mandalay Bay guests are not permitted to use the Four Seasons pool). The Mandalay Bay pool area is quite neat, with a large wave pool and lazy river. We did go and enjoy it for an hour or so but soon found ourselves wanting to escape the mass crowds and made our way back to what felt like a private oasis at The Four Seasons.

I actually had a strange encounter with one of the pool attendants at The Four Seasons when inquiring about tube rentals for the lazy river at Mandalay Bay. According to Britt, you used to be able to rent these tubes for a small fee, though apparently that was recently discontinued as people simply weren’t bringing them back, and now you must purchase them outright (seems silly on vacation) or bring your own. I assumed if Mandalay Bay had them for sale, Four Seasons would be able to get their hands on a couple for us to rent. My conversation with the pool attendant went something like this:

Me: Hi, we are wanting to go try out the lazy river, but understand you need to purchase tubes now. Any chance you have a few kicking around we could rent or borrow for an hour (there were plenty of tubes in and around the pool area that would have worked).

Worker: Let me go check, I think most of the ones we have in storage belong to previous or current guests of the hotel.

A few minutes later…

Worker: I’m sorry, all of the tubes we have in storage belong to our guests. We don’t have any extra.

Me: The Mandalay Bay sells them though, can you just borrow a few for us? What about those ones over there that nobody is using (pointing to a corner of the pool).

Worker: Unfortunately those ones belong to previous guests, so you can’t use them.

Me: Can you please get creative, or maybe see if one of your colleagues has a creative solution? We really don’t want to purchase tubes we will throw out in an hour. How wasteful.

A few minutes later…

Worker: We found these tubes you can use! Have fun!

Now, I don’t want to come across as entitled or anything, but isn’t this the Four Seasons?! I don’t think asking for a couple tubes for an hour was a large request given the number floating around the pool, and I’m just not used to being told ‘no’ at high-end hotels when solutions can usually be found for any requests (within reason). I’m happy I pressed a little bit, as we wouldn’t have shelled out $40 a piece for a tube, and we ended up having a blast floating down the lazy river! Apart from the pool, we didn’t have much interaction with other staff at the hotel as we always seemed to be away from the property, but everyone we did interact with was friendly and professional and eager to anticipate needs for a memorable stay.

Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas Strip View Room Bottom Line

I can’t picture myself going back to Las Vegas for a personal trip, as it just isn’t my type of holiday. Generally speaking, I don’t like to waste money, so gambling with large sums is out of the question, which seems to be the main draw. Outside of gambling, it seems everywhere is committed to separating you with money, either at fancy shows, luxury shopping, or partying.

I could picture coming back for a night or two to take in a couple of shows, and in that case would not hesitate to stay in a Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas Strip View Room again, or maybe try a stay at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where Brittany had a phenomenal stay.

What I like most about these two properties are:

• They feel really removed from the casinos, and typical Vegas scene
• Both properties are completely smoke-free
• Both offer true 5-star luxury standards in a hotel market where other ‘high-end’ properties sell for $39/night
• Both offer some much needed peace and quiet from a city that can be very exhausting

 

Both of these properties participate in The American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts program, and offer similar benefits including room upgrade and early check-in based on availability, guaranteed late checkout, $100USD spa service credit, and daily breakfast for two. Furthermore, both properties regularly participate in 3rd or 4th night free promotions with American Express, though I do notice it tends to be more 4th night free offers (and I can’t imagine many people want to spend 4-nights in Vegas).

Where do you like to stay when visiting Las Vegas? Let us know in the comment section below!