This Is What A 2-Star Hotel In Las Vegas Looks Like

In Las Vegas, one thing you won't have to worry about is finding accommodations. It's a tourist town, so naturally, the hospitality industry will go to great lengths to ensure visitors they'll all have roofs over their heads.

But in terms of where you're going to stay, the options are as massive as the odds against a windfall at the slots. Arguably the most luxurious suites in town are the MGM Grand Skylofts, and if you have to ask the price for an overnight stay, you obviously can't afford any of them (OK, it's about $1,500 US a night). There's also a wide array of less palatial digs all the way down to the two-star motels, which seem to be most attractive for thriftier travelers.

Like anything else, when it comes to the booking cost of a hotel, you get what you pay for. Two-star accommodations in Las Vegas obviously aren't particularly ritzy, although most of them have the basics for a nightly stay. In the daytime, there are few amenities outside the suite aside from the in-suite flatscreens, outdoor swimming pools, and self-serve laundry facilities. After all, you're in Las Vegas to check out the strip and all the bells and whistles that come with it. A two-star hotel is meant for little more than sleeping.

That said, while quite a few of them are structurally sound, clean and safe, a few of them leave a bit to be desired as if staying in them are adventures in themselves.

Oh, cool! They all have air conditioning!

Here's the good news about two-star hotels, at least those found on Hotels.com. All of them have air conditioning since the presence of molten guests would not only be bad for business but would result in a messy task for housekeeping. Parking is also conveniently also available, although curiously, a few of them don't have that amenity available for free.

Of 17 two-star hotels we found that were available for booking a month ahead of time, about three-quarters of them had swimming pools, all of them outdoors. And regarding online services, all of them either had free Wi-Fi or at least a business center where guests could access a computer.

All bed, but no breakfast

Many of the two-star hotels profiled in Hotels.com also lacked in-suite kitchenettes, such as a small refrigerator or microwave, but at least most of them had free coffee pots and a couple of packets of java to help kick off your day. Very few of them offered a continental breakfast or had a restaurant on the premises, although a handy map indicated a number of eateries nearby.

Less than half of them were pet-friendly and even fewer had fitness facilities. And to top it all off, none of them had a full-service spa or an in-house casino. But what all these two-star hotels had in common was that all of them were a considerable distance from the Las Vegas Strip. If a hotel lists "Great for walking" as an amenity, chances are you'll be hoofing it to casinos at the Flamingo or Bellagio.

...and the verdict is...

For the most part, when you do book into a two-star hotel, it's the equivalent of getting a boarding pass onto a no-frills airline. Even the accommodation exteriors hardly make for the eye candy you'd expect from bigger establishments like Caesar's Palace, suggesting you're getting the basics, but nothing more.

Most of them were well-kept, although one place, in particular, Arizona Charlie's Boulder, had negative TripAdvisor reviews about cockroaches and bedbugs as well as stained mattresses and cigarette burns everywhere. Almost all the hotels received a couple of reviews concerning offensive odors, dirty furniture, blood-stained towels, and unsanitary bathrooms.

But several complaints had little to do with the facilities, but more with their locations. At places near the airport, aircraft noise was a common complaint on TripAdvisor. Guests at hotels in more unsavory neighborhoods expressed alarm about the surroundings. "The area was a little sketchy as it was back off the strip and some shady people," reported one reviewer about a Travelodge hotel downtown.

But deals are available everywhere else

Interestingly, prices varied considerably among two-star accommodations. Arizona Charlie's Boulder was going for less than $40 a night, while the Siegel Select Flamingo was charging more than $90 per evening.

And given the frequency of pop-ups that took place during the course of this assessment, hotels in this category are quite popular. Even with deals offering up to $20 off the regular rates, spots like Aviation Inn and the Siegel Select Flamingo were reporting only a handful of suites available for the first week of March.

But those still wanting a decent place on a budget and with a lot more amenities will find a few higher-ranked hotels willing to offer deals within the same price range as many of their two-star equivalents if they search hard enough. A four-star establishment like the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino posted a discount on Hotels.com knocking the price down to less than $45 US a night. Others in that same category with similar incentives included the Sahara ($45 US), Tropicana ($55 US) and Palms ($70 US).

Even in a city whose livelihood depends on how much money you lose, you can still leave with some cash in your pocket if you know where to look for accommodations.

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