Gay Las Vega Las Vegas City Guide

Curation by Yasmina Rodríguez, words by Laura Tucker

A dazzling den of vice and decadence at the base of the Mojave Desert, penned in by mountain ranges on all sides, is Nevada’s capital Las Vegas. While blinking neon signs advertise big-budget shows and dice-jingling high rollers take five at swanky restaurants, Las Vegas’ desert setting, on the doorstep of The Grand Canyon, allows visitors to balance debauchery with appreciation of its unrivalled natural wonders. Uncaged and sprawling, Las Vegas’ vibrant districts warrant days of exploration, by helicopter, from the rooftop infinity pool or on foot at strip level. Non-judgemental and inclusive with a young nightlife scene taking much advantage of the pink dollar, Vegas is an LGBTQ+ dream. In addition to liberal laws, Pride week celebrations and a gay rodeo, the city pack numerous gay icons onto its stages, including big names like Celine Dion, Elton John, Britney Spears and even Lady Gaga. Wanna know what to do in Las Vegas? Let our definitive Las Vegas gay travel guide give you the lowdown.

The best hotels in Las Vegas

Las Vegas has mastered the grandiose, and nowhere is that more evident than in its hotel landscape. Encore at Wynn Las Vegas sets an almost impossible benchmark: an immaculate world of velveteen interiors, vibrant floral installations, and sun-drenched atriums, seamlessly connected to the Wynn via a shared gaming floor and the celebrated Encore Beach Club. The spa is award-winning, the golf immaculate, and rooms begin at a generous 745 square feet. Most compellingly for queer travellers, the resort offers a dedicated Pride Concierge — your personal guide to navigating Las Vegas’s gay scene in the most fabulous manner imaginable.

For an antidote to Strip excess, the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas offers something close to radical in this city: discretion. Nested within the CityCenter complex at the heart of the boulevard, this non-gaming, smoke-free tower operates at a boutique scale of fewer than 400 rooms — each framed by floor-to-ceiling windows with cinematic skyline views, and ranging from generous suites to sprawling villa configurations. The two-floor spa is nothing short of extraordinary: unhurried, immaculately staffed, and the kind of restorative that makes the idea of casino floors feel like someone else’s holiday entirely.

Those drawn to a more brooding, European sensibility will find their match in The Reserve at Park MGM. Occupying the top four floors of the Park MGM tower at the southern end of the Strip, this smoke-free enclave channels the atmosphere of a Parisian pied-à-terre or a storied New York estate: rich velvet textures, dark wood panelling, bespoke furnishings, and original artworks throughout. It is designed for the traveller who finds neon underwhelming and prefers an environment of low-lit, contemplative elegance. A hotel-within-a-hotel of considered sophistication, it partners with Marriott Bonvoy and operates entirely on its own terms.