Even in the event you’ve been to Las Vegas dozens of instances, it’s possible you’ll not know there is a secret, ultraluxe lodge hidden inside the MGM Grand.

Known as The Mansion at MGM Grand, this hotel-within-a-hotel consists of 29 “Mediterranean-themed residences starting from 2,400 sq. toes to 12,000 sq. toes” all inside “an enclave of privateness and pleasure the place the sensual riches of Tuscany attain their fullest expression,” based on the web site.

Translation: There’s a bit of Tuscan village, completely for the wealthy and well-known, beneath a glass dome within the shadow of the well-known inexperienced resort on the Las Vegas Strip. And company staying in that VIP village get unique perks resembling non-public butlers, limousine transport, extremely personalized non-public eating, an unique pool and extra.

Focused on a keep? “Certified company solely,” the web site warns. However what makes somebody certified?

A consultant for the lodge remained tight-lipped about who qualifies, however a name to the reservations desk answered a couple of questions.

You technically do not must be a excessive curler or a Grammy winner, as I assumed, to e book a keep in one in every of these villas, however a reservation request needs to be accredited by administration, the cellphone agent defined to me. That is as a result of these managers give precedence (and possibly free stays) to the precise excessive rollers who’re droppings a whole bunch of 1000’s of {dollars} within the on line casino.

However in the event you’re playing is extra modest, and even nonexistent, anybody who can afford the Mansion — I used to be quoted $6,000 to $7,500 an evening for a two-bedroom villa — can put in a request and, assuming they are not all blocked off by the upper powers, there is a honest likelihood the keep is yours.

One phrase of recommendation: Do not attempt to e book a keep right here when there is a large occasion on the books, like a battle on the MGM Grand Backyard Enviornment.

Additionally, do not attempt to e book greater than 90 days prematurely, as these larger-than-life villas (together with the four-bedroom villa with an indoor pool) appear to be largely put aside in case a real VIP pops into city.

Whereas The Mansion at MGM Grand is actually one of the crucial top-tier experiences in Sin Metropolis, it isn’t the one hotel-within-a-hotel on the town. In reality, there are fairly a couple of on the Strip.

And now the development of placing one other totally separate lodge, hidden or not, inside one other lodge is beginning to unfold outdoors the confines of Las Vegas.

Accommodations hiding in plain sight

In its simplest type, a hotel-within-a-hotel is precisely what it seems like: a separate lodge tucked away inside a much bigger or better-known lodge. In idea, there aren’t any set guidelines and a hotel-within-a-hotel could be no matter a hotelier desires it to be, from a set of luxurious villas with a non-public reception space to a wholly totally different model or chain in the identical constructing.

“A hotel-within-a-hotel is a extra elevated expertise providing elite interiors, designated check-in areas, unique providers, devoted workers and upgraded facilities which might be fully totally different from the host lodge,” Benjamin Kott, vp of lodge operations at Aria and Vdara in Las Vegas, instructed TPG. Kott added that MGM has lodges like this in its portfolio, together with NoMad at Park MGM and Delano at Mandalay Bay.

The NoMad Las Vegas within the Park MGM is a good instance of a widely known model establishing store inside a bigger host lodge. The Sydell Group, the drive behind manufacturers like Line and Freehand, initially created the much-loved NoMad New York, which closed in 2021. Taking part in off the success of that lodge, Sydell Group, which owns Park MGM, introduced a style of New York to the Strip within the type of a hotel-within-a-hotel, the NoMad Las Vegas, which has its personal porte cochere, or non-public entrance.

However that is not the one one. The 4 Seasons Resort Las Vegas is tucked away within the Mandalay Bay advanced and the Nobu Resort Las Vegas, the very first within the Nobu lodge empire that is sweeping the globe, is present in Caesars Palace.

Whereas every of those lodges is totally different in what it provides, one of many large perks is that company within the extra unique (usually costlier) lodges can nonetheless use the facilities of what Kott known as the “host” lodge. On the 4 Seasons in Las Vegas, for instance, company can swim within the non-public 4 Seasons pool or make the most of Mandalay Bay’s huge pool advanced and its real-sand seashore.

However there’s one other sort of hotel-within-a-hotel — one which’s created by and inside the host lodge to supply an elevated, luxurious expertise for somebody in search of one thing past only a place to sleep at evening.

“Because the leisure capital of the world, Las Vegas sees quite a lot of guests from all around the globe who journey to town with particular tastes and pursuits,” stated Kott. “We’re seeing now, greater than ever, that our company need an elevated keep and experiences that showcase extra customer support and facilities and hotels-within-hotels provide all that and extra.”

At his lodge, Aria, there are literally two hotel-within-a-hotel experiences: Aria Sky Suites and Sky Villas, each of which simply went by head-to-toe remodels. At Sky Suites, there are 400 suites with one to a number of bedrooms that may be booked instantly on-line by anybody prepared to shell out upward of $1,100 per evening.

The Sky Villas are akin to The Mansion at MGM Grand, requiring administration approval to launch one of many resort’s top-tier rooms that will in any other case be given to a excessive curler. Calling to see what sort of value we is perhaps for one of many Sky Villas, a cellphone consultant stated he not too long ago noticed managers approve a three-bedroom suite for $20,000 an evening and smaller rooms (they begin at 2,000 sq. toes, so not that small) for between $10,000 and $12,000 an evening.

However hey, that is the value of exclusivity.

“Aria Sky Suites and Sky Villas at Aria are undoubtedly separate experiences from Aria itself in that they each provide complimentary luxurious transportation to and from the airport,” Kott defined. “Additionally they have their very own separate entrance and designated check-in space, a separate pool space and a 24-hour concierge that offers Sky Suites and Sky Villa company easy entry to among the metropolis’s finest choices.”

And in the event you’re curious if these hotels-within-hotels are competing towards their host lodges, the reply is an easy no, based on Kott. “It’s a special form of clientele so it doesn’t compete.”

Past Las Vegas

Although Las Vegas could maintain the crown for many hotel-within-a-hotel experiences, it isn’t the one place yow will discover the idea.

One place to search for it’s Miami, the place there are a selection of properties providing a secret (or not-so-secret) lodge inside one other.

On the storied Eden Roc Miami Seaside, which opened in 1955 to the sounds of a stay Harry Belafonte efficiency, would-be company can e book a keep at Nobu Resort Miami Seaside, which has a pool for company 21 and older and a non-public seashore space.

Marriott obtained in on the motion by opening The Resort Beaux Arts, a part of the Autograph Assortment, on the highest flooring of the JW Marriott Marquis Miami. There, company won’t have the identical unique perks as in Vegas, however company can have a extra boutique keep within the room whereas having fun with shared facilities between the 2 just like the Enliven Spa, a Nineteenth-floor pool, digital bowling and even basketball courts.

Up in Palm Seaside, Florida, company can all the time anticipate an opulent keep at The Breakers, a palatial oceanfront property that dates again to the late 1800s. However for a way more unique keep, test into The Flagler Membership, a boutique-like lodge on the highest flooring of the resort that comes with Telsa chauffeur service, a non-public lounge and rooftop terrace, a devoted group to assist with any wants and extra — all for about $1,000 extra per evening than an ordinary Breakers room.

On the opposite aspect of the nation, in California, San Diego’s Resort del Coronado simply unveiled a wholly new hotel-within-a-hotel expertise, alongside its different lodge choices, billed as “neighborhoods.” The latest lodge, The Shore Home, contains 75 one-, two- and three-bedroom residential-style lodging proper off the seashore of the Pacific Ocean.

Although the resort itself is a sprawling advanced with lodging varieties for each sort of traveler, The Shore Home is an elevated, luxurious expertise that feels extra like a trip rental with a devoted resort entrance, a zero-edge oceanfront pool with non-public cabanas, a poolside bar and entry to the resort’s different facilities, plus a VIP concierge unique to Shore Home company. Charges at The Shore Home begin at $1,299 an evening.

Backside line

Accommodations-within-hotels aren’t a brand new idea, nevertheless it’s additionally a rising development I hope we see extra of sooner or later, particularly at large resorts such as you’ll discover in Las Vegas and different standard trip locations.

Whereas club-level rooms at loads of lodges do provide particular perks like a lounge and a cheerful hour, having a wholly totally different hotel-within-a-hotel creates a very distinct expertise that may completely elevate a visit (and its price ticket).

So, the following time you are in search of a spot to remain, make sure to do some digging. Who is aware of, there would possibly simply be a secret lodge — or Tuscan village — hiding within the shadows.