u/The_Traveller1

I rarely fly Delta and I never even flown Delta first class ever in my life until this one trip where I found Delta Airlines First Class cheaper than Spirit Airlines with all the extra add-ons for the big front seat. Below you will find which airline wins in every single category. (I flew on A321s for all routes, Delta from Atlanta --> Denver, United from Denver to Chicago O'Hare, and American from Chicago O'Hare to DFW.)

Ground Experience: It is important to note that all airlines don't have lounge access for domestic flights, and in the states, the only airline that does is Alaska that I have flown. There might be a few others like Hawaiian or Jetblue (Have flown Jetblue but not in First), so please correct me if they also do have lounge access. Anyway, American comes in dead last here because the lines were incredibly long at O'Hare, and the premium counter just felt like a normal economy line. Delta comes in second for an efficient check-in service at Atlanta but the boarding took a long time which delayed our flight 20 minutes. I wish the staff on both American and Delta communicated more on the ground. United Airlines takes the win here because I loved the easy, effortless check-in process at Denver though the airport was really busy. Bonus to United for the easy check-in to security process and the boarding was smoother and quicker though there were more boarding groups before First Class. It's always hard to measure the ground experience as many factors vary but United so far is the winner.

Seat: To me, American Airlines once again comes in dead third for having the most basic seat out of the three. This aircraft is just two years old and has a comfortable gray recliner with tons of leg room. In fact, this aircraft had the most leg room in First Class compared to the other two. The seat though was less private compared to the other two and while it did feel pretty wide, it just felt lacking and there was no in-flight entertainment onboard. Delta comes in second for a lovely, high-technology design onboard. The in-flight entertainment is large with the most options out of the three airlines, and the seat feels the most private. However, there is two major cons and flaws with the product. The major one is because of the seat design the seat feels a little more cramped and offers the least amount of legroom among the three. Not only that, but the seat is pretty narrow compared to the other two. What it excels well in privacy makes it fall last in comfort. United Airlines easily gets first place for having the most modern cabin with a huge entertainment screen. The seat does feel cramped but is the balance between American and United, offering decent privacy and comfort. I really like the cushioning on this one though I will say Delta's felt a lot more well-padded. Overall the seat is comfortable and spacious and there was plenty of space to store bags, so I was pretty happy.

Food: I booked on 2 lunch flights and 1 dinner flight, and I have to say United Airlines comes dead last with the catering. Both United and American offered cold items and United's tasted horrible. Really the only good thing I liked was the dessert, whatever was on my plate I didn't even bother touching after trying one or two bites of it. United really needs to step up their catering game but I can see the effort and progress. The dessert was really good. American Airlines comes second for having a delicious seafood dish though I don't like the idea of cold seafood. The crew however went out of their way to provide passengers ice cream on a short two hour flight which was very sweet of them. They said that due to turbulence on the previous flight from LAX they couldn't serve any ice cream out so they ended up giving it to us! That was a real bonus! Delta comes in first for having the most flavorful and gourmet meals out of the three. Delta was the only one to serve a hot meal, and the local flavors were really tasty and flavorful. Overall, very delicious catering service from Delta and they run away with this category.

IFE: This was a very close call, United's seatback entertainment system was spot on and is the best out of the big three, but I'm going to give the best entertainment to Delta since they had much better, faster Wi-Fi. It might've been because of the plane that I was using but Delta was way faster in connectivity. United worked but seemed slow at times. Both have a great screen though United's was a lot cleaner, Delta had lots of fingerprints on it. Content selection is pretty identical. American has a great IFE selection and a great Wi-Fi system, but sadly they place third because of a lack of an IFE.

Service: American's first win is the service category. The crew onboard this flight (Chicago O'Hare based) were super kind and friendly. Before, I used to have a hostile interaction with O'Hare based crews but overall it was a very easy flight because of the crew. Delta Airlines comes in second place because the crew were very professional but they weren't so friendly compared to Delta. United comes in dead last because the crew felt like they didn't want to be there. No welcome, no pre-flight beverage, no smiles. Very dead crew who were mainly on their phone and in the galley for most of the flight.

So who wins? For me, it is a tie between United and Delta. American's lack of an IFE screen and an updated product places it in third place, but they have a flagship first product which I'm excited to see roll out! If you prioritize a better IFE, Service, and Food, Delta is your choice. If you prioritize a more comfy seat and better ground experience, United is your category. For me, Delta edges it out for being more well rounded.

What do you think about the big three?

So this is like a part two continuation story if you saw what happened at the Encore. Long story short the room was smelling and there was a leftover meal in the mini-fridge. Staff gave me half of the money back and told me to keep the room or leave the property, so I left.

It was hard finding a taxi or uber so I ended up walking with my luggage all the way across the bridge that connects the Wynn/Encore to the Palazzo. Anyway I managed to get there praying that they had some availability at Palazzo. Unfortunately, they did not have anything under $500 per night but one of the staff members at the front desk noticed me dragging my huge, bulky checked-in bag down the escalator from the Grand Canal Shoppes and questioned why I took it up. I explained the situation and she called The Venetian's front desk to check if they had any availability under $500. The Venetian side said yes and she told me to leave the luggage here at The Palazzo front desk and she offered a bell hop to bring the suitcases from the Palazzo front lobby to the new room at The Venetian.

I ended up finishing the walk to the Venetian through the Grand Canal Shoppes and the line for check-in was incredibly busy. However, one staff member asked my name and offered to check me in personally and bypass the line. I'm assuming its because of the staff member at Palazzo who called The Venetian desk and said I was coming. It's also probably because I didn't have my luggage with me. Anyway I ended up booking the new room for $548 for 2-nights, one of the newly renovated 2-queen bed rooms that The Venetian had. I was so grateful and thankful to the staff at Venetian.

I went up to the room on the 29th floor of The Venetian and I loved the new, modern, vibrant Italian feel which was amazing. I like what they done with the design, it feels fresh and charming though slightly smaller than The Palazzo. However, it is hardly noticeable. Bags came up to the room after 10 minutes which was speedy quick considering how big this property is. Then since it was around 9PM I ordered chicken wings and a pizza up to the room and they comped the chicken wings since it took an hour and a half to get the food delivered to the room.

Overall, I can't stop thanking The Venetian for saving me out of this mess, I can't imagine lugging suitcases even farther. If The Venetian was sold out I'd be desperate and go to Treasure Island or Harrah's instead of backtracking and trying Resorts World or Fontainebleau. I'm glad things worked out and thank you for all the staff at Venetian. This is why Palazzo/Venetian is my favorite Vegas property.

For paying $350, you'd expect your room to be clean, this was not the case with The Encore. There was three socks still in the trash can and a leftover meal in the fridge.

I called management here to ask if we could get a different room, they said that there was none available and they called someone to remove the meal from the mini-fridge. Room still smelt like a raccoon and I had to sleep like this for 2-nights.

I looked at many other reviews on The Encore and so many people complaint about things leftover by another guest that hasn't been cleaned out.

Skeptical to stay back at Encore, maybe might go for Wynn but still unsure. Anyone had any similar, negative experiences staying at The Encore?

Edit: I went and fought with the GM for an hour and he agreed to give half of my money but still kept me in the same room. I got pissed and walked with all my luggage to Palazzo which was sold out. Luckily, Venetian next door had a two queen renovated room available so I took that even though I would’ve liked a king but still so grateful for Venetian.

I was on an Emirates flight from DXB to DFW. The flight was delayed by around an hour in the air because the crew hasn't finished breakfast service yet so they went around the airport and circled for a little bit. Anyone had this happen?

Below you will find my ranking of all of the 19 5-star hotels in Las Vegas. I will be excluding the Skylofts at MGM and Red Rock Casino since I haven't stayed at these two properties. This list includes all luxury properties on the Las Vegas strip as well as two another properties which are the Trump and The Signature at MGM.

19th Place | Trump Las Vegas: I haven't really been impressed at all with the Trump. This was actually the first property I've stayed at in Vegas and it turned out to be a big mistake. Tired rooms, old furniture, hit or miss service, terrible location, terrible dining choices, and some inconsistent cleanliness make this property fall dead last. It is such a shame considering there are other nice Trump hotels like the Trump Chicago.

18th Place | The Signature at MGM: The Signature at MGM isn't necessarily a bad property, it is just that it isn't as good as some of the others on this list. I haven't had a bad experience with them but the rooms are starting to feel slightly dated and the location is just a little off the strip. This is a really good family-friendly hotel with spacious rooms but for Vegas which is all about the party atmosphere, this is average. Hence, it places 17th.

17th Place | Mandalay Bay: The Mandalay Bay is such a great property but on this list it falls sixteenth because it doesn't really give me any elements of luxury. I mean apart from the gold facade, the beautiful bathrooms, and the lovely waterpark this really doesn't scream anything special. It has a very nice, quiet atmosphere but a major con is it is very south of the strip and you can't really get anywhere by walking. Another con is that I find the rooms dusty and they are starting to get a bit tired, but they are still modern nonetheless. It isn't a bad hotel, it is just there are better properties on this list.

16th Place | Caesar's Palace: Now I know a lot of you are going to get mad that I put Caesar's Palace at 15th, but hear me out. It is a REALLY good hotel for Las Vegas standards, but it completely falters on a LUXURY scale. The property is big, cool, and very roman themed which is the biggest pro that this property has. It is a spacious property with tons of dining options, however this property often gets incredibly crowded. Not only that, but there are a variety of different room types and some of the rooms at the Caesar's Palace are so bad that I'd prefer staying at the Luxor or Harrahs over it. Some of the room types are getting outdated, though there are a few rooms that are very nice. Because of the inconsistency in the product, Caesar's falls in 15th on the luxury scale.

15th Place | The Reserve at Park MGM: The Reserve at Park MGM is a really nice property, and it really feels like your getting amazing exclusion from the rest of Park MGM. The staff are friendly and the hotel is very navigable, and the rooms are spacious. However, the furniture is getting dated and while the staff are super friendly, this hotel really has nothing much to offer. Compared to other properties on this list, The Reserve falters though it is very exclusive and for that reason, despite being a non-smoking property, it falls into 13th place.

14th Place | Resorts World (Conrad, Crockfords, Hilton): The order that you see the three hotels in Resorts World listed in is the order of best to worst. Conrad is by far the best being the middle ground, having very nice rooms and a decent touch of luxury for the price. By far one of the best value luxury hotels. Crockfords has nice rooms and service but the price isn't justified. Hilton isn't really as luxurious compared to these two though I prefer the rooms here compared to the others. Resorts World is kind of dying and the staff don't really pay attention to you much unless you stay at Crockfords. The main letdown is the service, this property feels like it is dying because the staff aren't interactive with guests.

13th Place | The Cosmopolitan: The Cosmopolitan is a beautiful property, especially parts of the lobby and the decor is spot on. This property has some amazing balconies with beautiful views of the Bellagio fountains. So why did it land 13th? First off, I hate the room design, especially if your traveling with kids. The bathroom has a semi-transparent glass in the shower and the room overall is modern but the design doesn't feel very premium. The room is nice but there aren't nice furnishings, and this is the Cosmo's biggest draw. On top of that I felt that their dining is very lacking though the desserts are very good. While the location is amazing I feel like the property could do a lot better when it comes to the guest rooms part. The Cosmopolitan is great as a hotel and it is memorable visiting, but it is not so memorable staying.

12th Place | The Aria: I always feel like The Aria and The Cosmopolitan go hand in hand, and it is very hard to break it out. Previously, I preferred the Cosmopolitan but now, Aria is hands down better. With upgraded rooms, this property has a very nice, unique feel. The whole property is very contemporary and modern, and the feeling of this property feels like a very nice commercial hotel. The dining at this property is spot on and the location in City Center is great. This is a really tough hotel to beat but there are still multiple other properties that can come near.

11th Place | Nobu Las Vegas: I don't know why many people are hating on The Nobu, but this is my preferred hotel to stay at if I want to stay at the Caesar's Palace. The Nobu has better, more refined rooms than anything at the Caesar's Palace, with great elements of Japanese accents. I love the space that you get in the rooms and though the hotel is very boutique, I don't mind since it is directly connected to the Caesar's Palace, so it almost feels like its own private mini-tower. I found the rooms clean and overall it is a beautiful property.

10th Place | Vdara Las Vegas: The Vdara is great if your looking for a non-smoking option on the Las Vegas strip. While it isn't the best non-smoking, the rooms here are all suites at around 500 sq, and are well spread out and very spacious. The bathroom is impressive though there aren't many dining options located in the hotel itself. There are some dining options surrounding the Vdara like in the Aria and there is a skytrain. This property is great but it only has valet which is a bummer. It is a nice all-suite hotel but there are some aspects that could be better. Service is really nice here also.

9th Place | W Las Vegas: If your looking to stay at the Mandalay Bay, there are only really two options you should consider. One of them is the W, which use to be the Delano. I like the new W takeover as the service has improved from the last time I stayed in Delano (2022) till date (2026). The rooms are this property are HUGE. Though the living room is a bit dusty (standard room btw), the main bed area is amazing with a large quilted headboard and a lovely, luxurious bathroom. The entire hotel feels big, but more quiet and secluded from the Mandalay Bay proper. This hotel i

s by far one of the most family-friendly options out there and I'd pick this any day.
8th Place | Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas: This is by far the best non-gaming hotel in Las Vegas. I love this property just because of the rooms. This property use to be a Mandarin Oriental but after the Waldorf takeover, I love the new rooms. The wooden floors and glamorous and the bed is super comfortable. Everything feels really high-end and the bathroom is certainly impressive. The room is incredibly modern and the dining options feel high-end to. This place is over the top posh though it isn't really the best for Las Vegas. I love the rooms here which are by far standout though they are not suites, and the lobby is on the 23rd floor. Great hotel, but not the best in Vegas.

7th Place | Four Seasons Las Vegas: The Four Seasons brand in general is known for being an ultra-luxury high end hotel chain. The Las Vegas Four Seasons mimics the concept no doubt. The Four Seasons is super nice, the room renovations really made the property standout. If the rooms weren't renovated, this hotel would've fallen way back on the list. However, this hotel is amazing because of the buffet. The food here and Verenda was excellent and I highly recommend this restaurant. Service here isn't the most personalized like other Four Seasons property but it was good enough. But for Vegas, this was a pretty average hotel but very exclusive and it is connected to the Mandalay Bay. I like how all the rooms are between floors 32-39 of the Mandalay Bay.

6th Place | Fontainebleau Las Vegas: There has been so much controversy and hatred on this property, but I love this hotel. The rooms are some of the best, with beautiful blue accents and the best bathroom in the entire Las Vegas strip, this has to be one of my favorites. The bathroom is luxurious and the room has hints of gold. The entire hotel is modern, contemporary, and magnificent. Dining options are slightly lacking but this entire property feels big and extravagant, perfect for Las Vegas. The service here is really good and I love this property a lot, highly recommend for anyone who is looking on the cheaper side for Vegas luxury hotels.

5th Place | Bellagio Las Vegas: This property wasn't my favorite until the renovation. While the hotel is still busy they have the famous Bellagio Gardens and Fountain Show. The rooms are amazing, my room had a great view of the fountains and the 1 king bed room was modern, opulent, and stunning. The buffet here is pretty underrated and I loved the new furnishings and room smell. While they did get rid of the soaking tub, I love the huge walk-in shower design as I am a walk-in shower fan. The bathroom is very elegant and beautiful and overall this is a strong property to stay at.

4th Place | Venetian Las Vegas: The Venetian is a beautiful property inspired by the streets of Venice, and I love this property a lot. The theming in this hotel is one of the best in Las Vegas, and the newly updated rooms are very refined. I stayed here during F1 and had a great time. My only drawback is the crowd, this hotel gets really busy. However, because it is such a large, grand property, it can take in a lot of people which makes the hotel feel less claustrophobic. The Venetian Las Vegas is very nice, especially with the renovated rooms, but because of the parking situation and the large spaces, it comes 4th.

3rd Place | Encore Las Vegas: I put Encore Las Vegas in 3rd place because although it has the biggest standard room in the entire Las Vegas strip, the rooms here are feeling tired, outdated, and old. While they are rolling out some very nice, high-tech in all of the rooms here I just don't feel that sense of luxury when staying at the Encore because things are dated. This property is a lot more smaller than Venetian but it also gets almost equal amount of foot traffic, if not a little less. The hallways feel very congested instead of the intention of being more easier to navigate. It is a beautiful property with lovely Asian decor but this isn't the best.

2nd Place | Wynn Las Vegas: The only reason why Wynn didn't secure the first spot place in my opinion is because it has become incredibly busy this year. It is so busy that now it lost its "luxury" touch. The rooms are opulent with luxurious amenities and beautiful technology, 100% the best room hands down in Las Vegas when it comes to technology and furniture. The bathroom is beautiful too. However, the service has dropped compared to last time I stayed and the staff don't give you that personalized treatment anymore. All the dining options here are super high-end and the hotel gets REALLY busy a lot of the times that most of these venues require reservations weeks in advance. Not only that, but the hotel has become super crowded it starts to feel like the crowded Bellagio. I love the floral decor and aspects that this property has but it still isn't as good as how it use to be.

1st Place | The Palazzo: The Palazzo has been in my heart for many years and I think it is the perfect Las Vegas luxury hotel. This hotel has a huge, grand lobby with amazing, opulent spaces. The rooms here are 720sq, with beautiful, classic Italian finishes and touches. These rooms are slightly bigger than the Venetian but still offer the sunken living room, and beautiful views of the strip. You get more activities like the gondola rides and easy sphere access, and better restaurant options from formal to casual. The staff at this property are very friendly despite this hotel being extremely large, and will go any extent to make your stay more comfortable. The Palazzo feels less crowded compared to its sister property The Venetian, and offers a more refined space. While the casino is a downgrade, everything else in this property is better than The Venetian and is the perfect Venice themed hotel. Hence, Palazzo secures spot number one.

Do you agree with this ranking or do you hardly disagree? Let me know, as I am curious to hear want the people of Vegas have to say.

I've been to London about 4 times so far for work and this is the first time I'm traveling for vacation. 3/4 times I've stayed at the Park Hyatt River Thames and loved my experience there, (Can't wait to go back!), but for this trip I was wondering if there were any other great hotel options in London to choose. Currently I'm deciding between a few hotels.

Four Seasons London Park Lane
Dorchestor
Hilton Park Lane
Intercontinental London Park Lane
Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
JW Marriott Grosvenor House (Stayed here before)
45 Park Lane
Shangri-La The Shard
Rosewood London

I'm also open to any other suggestions but these look the best so far :)!