Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino

This is a very centrally located hotel and one of the first I ever visited on my first trip in 2001. Back then it was the Aladdin hotel. There have been various hotels in this location and the Aladdin I visited in 2001, was first opened in 2000, after the previous hotel was imploded in 1998.

The Aladdin comprised of the casino, hotel and the Desert Passage shops. I distinctly remember waking early with jet lag on my very first morning in Vegas and wandering thought the Desert Passage shops before they had even opened!

The hotel was sold to Planet Hollywood in 2003 and was slowly converted and rebranded to Planet Hollywood. Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino officially opened in 2007. As often happens with Vegas casinos, the change was gradual and the hotel remained open throughout the conversion. Visiting between 2003 and 2007 I remember seeing both old Aladdin features mixed with the modern re-branded areas.

One of the reasons cited for the problems with the original Aladdin hotel was the fact that the design meant that the entrance to the casino wasn’t obvious from the outside or even if you visited the shops. The shopping centre is a figure of eight shape with the casino in the front circle of the ‘8’ and the theatre, now PH Live, in the back part. Planet Hollywood re-designed the front to ensure that the casino was more obvious and accessible from both the strip and from the shops. The shopping centre was rebranded the Miracle Mile Shops, in 2007.

In a way it’s a shame that we lost the Arabian nights theming of the Aladdin. Although Planet Hollywood did a good job with the conversion, bringing in real Hollywood movie memorabilia to the resort, including in the guest rooms. However even some of this theming has now been lost, especially in the renovated rooms, where the memorabilia has been removed.

I’ve stayed here three times in total. The first time was in December 2010, and my latest visit was in November 2025. In 2010 I choose Planet Hollywood as it was my first New Year trip and I wanted to be out on the strip for midnight. Back then they were strict on only letting hotel guests into the hotels during the celebrations, so I wanted to be in a good location to watch the fireworks and have easy access to the hotel.

The thing I first noticed was how large the guest rooms were. All the rooms I’ve stayed in have been Resort rooms and they are huge!

Our latest room in November 2025 was room 1171, on the 11th floor. This had been renovated to a more modern style. The bathrooms are particularly spacious and it’s great to have two sinks, on opposite sides of the room, a bath and separate shower.

The rooms have everything you need, your own fridge, safe, large wardrobe and plenty of sockets by the beds. I’ve only stayed in front-facing rooms, and you get decent strip views if you are high enough, although the towers are a bit set back from the road.

Ultra Resort room 2 queens (November 2025)

One great thing about Planet Hollywood, is its location. You are very central to the main strip and have easy walking access to Paris, Cosmopolitan and Bellagio. You also have all the shops, restaurants and food options in the Miracle Mile Shops, right on your doorstep.

The pool is at the front, between the hotel towers and the strip. To be honest I’ve only visited once in pool season, so haven’t used the pool area much. There are two pools (one is 21 and over), a Flowrider surf machine and the usual cabanas and daybeds.

The casino floor is large and there is a good variety of slots and table games. There are also several bars, including the newly renovated Glass Bar (previously the Heart Bar), which is right in the centre of the casino floor and has plenty of seating. It’s great for cocktails and people watching.

So overall, Planet Hollywood is a good, slightly middle-range option. I think it often gets overlooked due to the brand being associated with chain dining, but the rooms are great and you can’t beat that location!

Last visited: November 2025