AAA Names The Villas at Caesars Palace Best Casino Hotel

^{The Villas at Caesars Palace have private terraces with sitting areas, plunge pools, and spa tubs. (Photo: courtesy of Caesars Entertainment)}

The Villas at Caesars Palace are the top-ranked casino hotel among 161 measured by AAA in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, and the Caribbean in the organization’s inaugural Top 10 casino hotel list. The Villas also received a AAA Five Diamond designation for the second consecutive year. AAA awards Five Diamond status to fewer than 1% of its nearly 23,000 rated hotels.

AAA makes unannounced visits to hotels across North America, the Caribbean, and Costa Rica to create objective reviews for its Diamonds list based on four core principles, called the “Four C’s”: cleanliness, comfort, cuisine, and consistency. The only casino hotels that make the list have the best accommodations, personalized service and world-class amenities.

“These exceptional hotels have distinguished themselves through an unwavering commitment to guest satisfaction, combining luxury accommodations, personalized service, world-class amenities, and memorable resort experiences,” said Chris Andersen, director of the AAA Diamond program.

In addition to The Villas’ top ranking, Caesars Palace and Nobu Hotel Caesars Palace retained their AAA Four Diamond designations. In just three months of operation, The Vanderpump Hotel (formerly The Cromwell) earned the AAA Four Diamond designation.

These are significant awards for Caesars, as only one other Las Vegas hotel-casino made the top 10 list. Surprisingly, the off-Strip Durango Casino & Resort made the list ahead of luxury stalwarts on the Strip like Bellagio, Wynn, and the Venetian.

Further, The Villas at Caesars Palace are one of three Las Vegas hotels to receive Five Diamond status this year. Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay and Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas, in front of Aria, also took home the honor.

Las Vegas Loaded With AAA Four Diamond Hotels

With all the talk about finding value in Las Vegas, it’s easy to forget how many high-end properties there are all over town. In addition to the Caesars properties, Las Vegas is home to 17 Four Diamond hotels.

There are Four Diamond hotels throughout the Las Vegas Valley, from the Strip to downtown and the surrounding areas:

Four hotels in Henderson and three in Reno also made this year’s AAA Four Diamond list.

While these aren’t the peak of luxury hotels, they’re among the best in the country and are more affordable than one might think. Base prices for rooms at Mandalay Bay, Resorts World, and Virgin Hotels are often close to $100 per night. Additionally, guests can get discounts or comp rooms at many of these properties through casino rewards and hotel loyalty programs.

Inside Caesars Palace’s Luxury Villas

Caesars Palace features six distinct hotel towers offering options across various price points. For the most exclusive luxury experience, there are fewer than 20 ultra-luxury accommodations, with The Villas at Caesars Palace spread out atop the Augustus, Colosseum, Octavius, and Palace towers. Nobu Hotel has its own beautiful 10,300-square-foot rooftop villa.

^{The luxury bathroom and terrace inside Nobu Hotel's villa. (Photos: courtesy of Caesars Entertainment)}

The Villas were once reserved as comps for high rollers. That changed in 2014, when Caesars opened all of its suites and villas to cash-paying guests who may not gamble.

Today, anyone can reserve The Villas if they have the cash. Only a handful are available to reserve online.

Each of The Villas has three or four bedrooms, but these aren’t typical hotel rooms or suites. The experience starts at Harry Reid International Airport with private transportation to Caesars Palace, where guests are greeted at a private porte-cochere by a dedicated butler or concierge, who coordinates their entire visit.

The amenities range from Vegas suite basics like billiard tables and media rooms to extravagances such as plunge pools and exotic fish tanks.

During a panel at G2E about how hospitality drives success, James Hogg, executive director of luxury hotel operations at Caesars Palace, said customers are driving the push toward luxury, which is why Caesars pursues Forbes and AAA ratings.

“If it doesn’t make you feel like an emperor, don’t do it," Hogg said. "We’re Caesars Palace, not Caesars Hotel.”

The guests aren’t just wealthy older gamblers from the U.S. The Villas have staff members who can speak 17 languages for visitors from around the world.

Many guests pay cash and don’t ask for comps, even if they visit the casino. The staff is trained to provide guests with “Instagrammable moments” that live forever online or in their heads.

There are luxury hotels and restaurants throughout Las Vegas. The Villas at Caesars Palace are one of the few ultra-luxury hotel experiences aimed at the most affluent visitors, regardless of whether they gamble.