Las Vegas is one of the most wheelchair accessible cities in America, and there is no shortage of adapted hotel rooms. In an effort to map out more of the city’s ADA accommodations, I spent a night at the Monte Carlo Las Vegas Resort & Casino. The hotel is situated between The Cosmopolitan and New York-New York on the south end of the Las Vegas Strip.
Opened 20 years ago, the Monte Carlo has grown to become a fixture on the Strip, and one of MGM Resorts’ most popular properties. Nearly 3,000 hotel rooms are spread across 32 floors, and the hotel has earned AAA 4-Diamond status.
In this article, I’d like to share details of my wheelchair accessible stay. I’ll take you from booking to check-out, with a peek inside my ADA hotel room.
Reservation & Check-in
As I am a member of the MGM Resorts MLife rewards program, I receive members-only discounts on the MGM Resorts website. Membership in the rewards program is free, and I strongly encourage you to sign-up. Don’t leave money on the table!
The special rate offered for my December stay was $30 per night plus tax and resort fee. Resort fees in Las Vegas are pretty significant – in the case of Monte Carlo, $33.60. The total cost of my reservation was $67.20 – a pretty good deal for a night in Vegas!
Monte Carlo’s website allows the booking of wheelchair accessible, ADA adapted hotel rooms. I selected a room with a queen size bed and roll-in shower. Check-in was easy, and I was provided with the room type requested. Because Las Vegas hotels do not offer early check-in without a fee, I recommend that you arrive early if you intend to check-in right at 3 p.m. window. The lines can become quite long.
Wheelchair Accessible Hotel Room #10-108
I was assigned to room 108 on the 10th floor, #10-108. After opening the door, a well-appointed room was revealed:
The bed was plush and comfortable. Nightstands flanked it on both sides, and power outlets were available on the wall. There were no power outlets on the nightstands, and reaching the wall outlets was a bit of a challenge.
Most important from an accessibility standpoint was the fact that the bed was ready for the use of a hoyer lift. Plenty of space was open beneath the bed frame, to allow for the easy use of a mechanical lift for transfers to/from a wheelchair. With many hotels moving to platform beds, even in ADA rooms, this was nice to see.
The nightstands each featured an easy-to-operate lamp, with a push button switch. Pictured above is the nightstand to the right of the bed, which had a telephone set atop it. The power outlet on the wall is shown here as well, to the right.
Directly across from the bed was a chest of drawers, topped by a large flat panel LCD television. The channel selection was great, and I was able to catch up on world news and sports from the comfort of my hotel room. A desk was also located along the wall opposite the bed, and it was tall enough to accommodate my power wheelchair underneath. The desk chair did not have wheels, so it was a bit of a struggle to move that out of the way.
A lounge chair was located next to the room’s window. Unfortunately, only being on the 10th floor, the view from the window was not impressive. Perhaps a higher floor room would yield a better view of the surrounding Las Vegas skyline.
ADA Bathroom
If you’re like me, the most important concern when booking a hotel room is whether the bathroom facilities will meet my accessibility needs. Here’s a look inside my bathroom at the Monte Carlo:
The bathroom sink was installed at a height which made rolling underneath in a wheelchair both safe and easy. I had no complaints about the sink’s position, and the toiletries offered were nice for such an inexpensive hotel.
The bathroom toilet was ADA-compliant, and there was plenty of space to park a wheelchair alongside. Grab bars affixed to the walls surrounding the toilet aided in making a smooth and safe transfer.
The one major disappointment I had with the room concerned the roll-in shower. The shower stall has a built-in bench at the rear, but that bench puts the user of the shower out of reach of the water controls and handheld shower nozzle.
Thankfully, the hotel had a portable shower chair that could be used, but it was one of the cheaper (and less stable) benches, without a seat back. In a city that is so uniquely accessible, I expected more. Hopefully, as the hotel continues its renovation, the ADA accessible roll-in showers will see a redesign.
Changes Coming
Change is on the horizon at the Monte Carlo Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. Renovation is currently underway to transform Monte Carlo into two new properties – Park MGM and NoMad Las Vegas. The brand transfer will occur sometime in 2018, but until then, business is as usual at the Monte Carlo!
Location & Transportation
Monte Carlo is situated on the Las Vegas Strip, which means it is close to many public transportation options. The popular bus route, known as “The Deuce,” operates along the Strip and connects Monte Carlo with other popular spots.
Wheelchair accessible taxis can be ordered on demand, and the typical wait is around 15-20 minutes, if not sooner. You can read more in my article on Las Vegas wheelchair taxis.
Final Thoughts
Booking your Las Vegas hotel room early (a month or more in advance) will allow you to secure the lowest and most competitive rates. Monte Carlo is a nice option on the Strip, and I would consider staying here again when the rate is $100 or less per night, inclusive of the resort fee. If you’re going to pay more money, there are properties that are a bit more appealing. If the Strip is not what you’re looking for, there are many nice hotels off-strip, including the Las Vegas Marriott, which I reviewed last year.
If you have stayed at the Monte Carlo, or any other Las Vegas hotels, let me know in the comments below!
