My first Las Vegas trip taught me a lesson I still use whenever I book with points: a free hotel night is not always worth your time.
Three hotels, six nights.
We booked two nights at Conrad Las Vegas using Hilton certificates, two at The Palazzo with Capital One Travel credits helping offset the cost, and two at The Cosmopolitan using Marriott points and a certificate.
On paper, it looked clever. In reality, the Conrad nights added little to the experiences we wanted from the trip.
The suite and the view.
The Palazzo was the highlight for the hotel itself: the suite, lounge access and breakfast. The Cosmopolitan had the unforgettable Bellagio fountain view from our balcony.
Four nights across those two hotels would have given us the moments we valued most. Six nights were not automatically better because two were covered.
Points can cover a hotel room. They cannot give vacation time back.← Back to all stories