solai

i've stayed at both. bellagio wins in every category. yet, i would stay at the venetian again for one reason; the food courts. when at the Bellagio, my husband and i wanted to grab a quick meal late one nite. many had long lines or were very pricey or required a tie. we searched for better than an hour and were then tired and hungry..ended up taking a tram to monte carlo and eating there. very inconvenient and annoying. if you're a good planner this may not happen to you, but we're more casual with our plans and between long lines or other nuisances it can get frustrating. at the venetian there are food courts right off the room elevators (very convenient). so if you want a meal to be special, you can arrange that. but if you just want something to eat quickly - or something to take back to your room, this is a great convenience. i hate the lines and the waiting that go with popular vacation cities. this won me over

TedTurner

Bellagio has some of the better room service food I've ever had. That would have been one easy solution.

Also, as you figured out, Bellagio doesn't offer any Krispy Kremes or Pizza Hut Expresses, probably because they're trying to maintain a certain image. Most marketing experts will tell you that if a Four Seasons hotel offered a McDonald's on site, it would do more harm than good, because many people who frequent very nice places would be tuned off.
A good compromise might be an easy in/easy out 24 hour bistro at Bellagio.
Someone should suggest it to them.

LoriNY

There is a coffee shop (for lack of a better word) just off the conservatory which offers 'quick' meals.

AES

I pick Venetian for different reasons. I love the Bellagio's public spaces - the casino, restaurants, shopping, etc. - but I have found the standard room to be less than ideal and found the staff to be barely courteous. I also thought the gift shop & lower-end cafe type places were expensive for the sake of being expensive. I mean really, do you need to charge $3.50 for a soda? I agree it would be different if there was a McDonald's, but some modicum of reasonableness would be appreciated.

On the other hand, in our 2 visits to the Venetian (most recent one at the Venezia tower), the casino & hotel staff have been friendly and the rooms outstanding. The food courts have a nice selection. Overall, I've enjoyed those stays better than I did the one stay at Bellagio.

Little_Man

I'd choose the Venetian, because of the rooms and incredible bathrooms! (Try the newer Venezia tower) It also felt less crowded than the Bellagio.

Patrick

I think those who miss the inexpensive dining options or the lack of a food court at Bellagio are missing the basic point of the hotel. The Bellagio doesn't want people staying there who would prefer a food court to a fine dining establishment. It's the whole point of the hotel and why would they want to change that? It's no different that a fine clothing store not offering the option of a bargain table of cheap clothes, or a fine restaurant, not offering an inexpensive sandwich option instead of dinner. People who want to eat in food courts are not expected to stay in Bellagio, and basically aren't really wanted there. I know this sounds extremely elitist, but of course, that's what the Bellagio is -- elitist. So it makes perfect sense.

I could be wrong, but I think that coffee shop back by the conservatory is open all 24 hours -- or certainly very late at night.

andy

Patrick- you are correct on the Coffee Shop--It is open 24 hrs a day, is extremely reasonable to eat there and we have never had to wait in line to get it...

Also ROOM SERVICE at this hotel is terrific and NOT expensive...

I ,personally ,hate food courts and would rather have someone serve me...

And the restuarants we went to in the Venetian ( an italian restaurant on the 2nd floor) was sooooooo bad that if that is an example of Venetian dining, they can keep it..PLus that Italian restuarant was very expensive for what you got--including indifferent service..

Give me the Bellagio any day....

Patrick

andy says "I personally hate food courts and would rather have someone serve me." He also mentions how good the room service is.

See, Andy is the type that the Bellagio is trying to attract and they couldn't care less about those who really do like food courts or don't like ordering from room service.

Doug

Bellagio if for nothing else more than its location...more central on strip than Venetian.

Frank

Andy: I wouldn't call the "Coffee shop" in the Conservatory "extremely reasonable". A standard breakfast ran us $25 per person. When the tram was running, we used the Monte Carlo as our moderate priced dining destination. The Market City Cafe was reasonably priced and served well prepared southern Italian food.

Having said that, we love the hotel and always stay at the Bellagio when we are in Vegas.

TedTurner

Patrick: you more accurately phrased what I was thinking. The restaurant and clothier examples are good analogies.

andy

Frank--
I am not a breakfast person on a daily basis--but I do the club sandwiches for lunch when in Las Vegas...

I could not remember paying $25 pp for breakfast at the Bellagio...that is high, even for me..............
But I know that lunch did not run me more than $12 for a club sandwich that was large enough for 2 people to share..

I am just not a food court type of person....and my comments on the Venetian restaurants were NOT in the food court but IN the regular dining at the hotel..The service there ran a lot to be desired...