Narrowing down the best hotels in Las Vegas is no easy task, for many are spectacular and imprint lasting impressions of service and grandeur. The top hotels on our list have unsurpassed commonalities, numerous accolades and prestigious awards. All the upgrade extras in other hotels are not only status quo here, they are assumed and expected. The finest service, the most luxurious sheets and linens, towel warmers, heated floors, 24-hour demands at the push of a button, impossible-to-get show tickets and dining reservations, on-demand business services, lines of credit, spa treatments, on-site doctors, state-of-the-art gyms, jet and chauffeur services, and world-class retail boutiques — your endless list of Vegas-quality incidentals continues to grow by simply “asking.” Really. – Marco Medrano

Mandarin Oriental

3752 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89158
(702) 590-8888
www.mandarinoriental.com/lasvegas

Simply put, Mandarin Oriental properties set the standard decades ago. Because some guests actually own their hotel suites, the standards for excellence are at their highest. Where else can you check in on the 23rd floor? This Sky Lobby boasts expansive views of the Las Vegas Strip and is the gateway to Mandarin Oriental’s limited, but uber-chic venues the Tea Lounge (as in High Tea), Twist restaurant by Pierre Gagnaire and the Mandarin Bar showcasing multi-level floor-to-ceiling windows.

Wynn-Encore Casino, Resort & Spa

Wynn
3121 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 770-7171
www.encorelasvegas.com

Encore

3131 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 770-7000
www.wynnlasvegas.com

It is for good reason that people the world over choose Wynn-Encore as their only destination in Las Vegas — in their minds, there is no other option. Many consider these twin towers of slick bliss the most refined, playful, indulgent hotels on the Strip. Grand to scale and exquisitely decorated, the Wynn-Encore duo manages to feel like a set of elegantly hip boutique hotels. Even gambling feels beautiful here.

Wynn-Encore could also use its own gallery to host what’s considered more awards than any other, including the only hotelier to receive the Forbes Five Star award in every category — Hotel, Restaurant and Spa — for three consecutive years. While dramatic fare is the norm for all Wynn-Encore’s dining establishments (including one of the chicest displays of vegan menus throughout), Alex restaurant is in receipt of the Forbes Five Star dining award for its fifth consecutive year. What to wear for such an occasion? Shopping at Wynn-Encore is beyond “beyond” — hand-picked haute couture Dior, Chanel, Alexander McQueen and Oscar de la Renta, Cartier, Graff and Brioni.

At Wynn-Encore, your presence and comfort is paramount. Crave excitement? Cirque du Soleil’s La Reve (a visually spectacular dreamland), XS Nightclub, Tryst and the hot-ticket nightclub Surrender, which literally spills into the glamour-sexy Encore Beach Club, should keep you busy … until you check in to The Spa, where opulent tranquility shields you from all the excitement. Wynn-Encore’s Web site is smartly detailed. Start your journey there.

Palazzo Casino Resort

3325 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 607-7777
www.palazzolasvegas.com

Welcome to over-the-top luxe grandeur. As if the recreation of Venice’s Piazza San Marco wasn’t enough, Sheldon Adelson, owner of the Venetian Resort, has outdone himself with Palazzo. Truly a marble and stone monarch on the Strip, the best of The Venetian is now bigger, better and more detailed in its service and splendor with the opening of Palazzo.

To keep things simple and flowing, The Venetian, Palazzo and Sands Expo Convention Center are graciously connected by a three-level galleria topped with skylights and feature a decorative glass and iron dome fit for a pope. The famed Barneys New York anchors the two properties’ fine shopping extravaganzas, The Grand Canal Shoppes and The Shoppes at The Palazzo, making dining, shopping and epic shows seamless between the properties. After all that, don’t forget the Canyon Ranch SpaClub!

With the nationally popular SushiSamba and Dos Caminos as its anchor restaurants and the Laguna Champagne Bar as a spillway into three heavy-hitting stage productions (“Jersey Boys,” “Blue Man Group” and “Phantom of the Opera”), The Venetian-Palazzo is the perfect backdrop for large crowds and discerning business guests that need some room to spread out to indulge themselves. While you’re at it, LAVO is one of the must-see destinations of decadence on The Strip, mixing up dancing, sexy lounges and lavish Italian cuisine. When people come to Vegas to “tear it up,” Palazzo is what they’re trying to say.

The Mansion at MGM Grand

3799 Las Vegas Boulevard South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(877) 225-2121
www.mgmgrand.com

Originally designed for MGM Grand’s VIP whales, The Mansion was a private Fort Knox of solitude and splendor. Semi-public nowadays, a night’s stay starts at $5,000 to $15,000 and up, provided you pass the sniff test. With a private connection to MGM Grand, which houses more best-of-the-best venues than any other property in Las Vegas, it’s understandable while The Mansion is such a refuge. While each “hotel room” is really a series of interlinked brownstone townhouses, you could go an entire day without seeing another guest. Here, you don’t even have to pick up the phone — just mouth your needs to the video cam in the fountain, and a mariachi band could appear in four minutes flat with a lobster roll flown in from Iceland. Or those Louboutin flip-flops that just hit the runway. You have arrived.