Stratosphere Hotel and Casino

Located on the far northern end of the Strip, not far south of downtown, the Stratosphere Las Vegas Hotel and Casino is most well known for its observation tower, which, at 1,149 feet (or about 350 meters) is the tallest such tower in the United States.

Stratosphere Tower

Opened in 1996, the hotel, tower, and casino was originally planned to have a giant ape (a la King Kong) that would move up and down the tower as a sort of ride/elevator.

The tower was also originally supposed to be taller than Toronto’s CN Tower (which is over 1,800 feet tall). However, concerns about the safety of aircraft landing at the nearby McCarran International Airport caused the plans to be revised and the tower shortened.

The tower as it was built eventually became one of the most visited landmarks in the city, and it still offers perhaps the best views of the whole Strip and of downtown too.

The hotel is a separate structure built beside the tower, Though it is dwarfed by the tower structure, the hotel is actually 26 stories tall. It has 2,427 rooms and an 80,000 square foot casino.

Oddly enough, the Stratosphere, being the northernmost of the Strip hotels and casinos, is the only one actually located within Las Vegas city limits. The rest of the Strip resorts are all in an unincorporated part of Clark County.

The Stratosphere has become one of the most popular family resorts in Las Vegas, due in part to the Tower and the rides at the top. The hotel is generally given somewhat high marks for quality (around 3 and a half stars).

The resort includes a 15,000 square foot swimming pool, complete with waterfalls and hot tubs. There is also a fitness center for hotel guests.

Overall, this is not a bad place to stay. It is close enough to downtown and to the rest of the Strip to visit both. However, if you plan on visiting a lot of the newer resorts on the Strip, the Stratosphere is  bit out of the loop and requires hopping in a car or a lengthy bus ride to see other hotels.

It’s a good hotel for people that plan on staying put with the kids, enjoying the tower and the rides on top, and not spending much time casino hopping.