While it’s usually cheap to fly to Las Vegas, finding accommodations on the Strip is anything but. Between exorbitant nightly rates and resort fees, it can feel almost impossible to find an awesome and affordable place on the Las Vegas Strip, unless you’re a high roller or plan on blowing all those hard-earned credit card points.
But I’m here to let you in on a little secret- the Jockey Club. Here’s 4 reasons why you need to book your stay at the Jockey Club, Las Vegas’s best hidden gem, right now.
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What is the Jockey Club?
I want to start off this article by being completely transparent.
I’ve personally stayed at the Jockey Club multiple times and if you’re looking for a room with an infinity pool overlooking the Strip or a helicopter pad or whatever else fancy things that suite had in The Hangover, it probably isn’t the right fit for you. But if you’re looking for a comfortable and affordable place that’s right on the Strip, this option is hard to beat!
The Jockey Club was originally built in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip in the 1970s, in hopes of providing more affordable housing for local workers. After a few years, though, the Jockey Club became a timeshare resort and now, its hundreds of suites are owned by approximately 14,000 timeshare owners and about 100 fullshare owners.
While you can now rent out some of the suites on platforms, like Booking.com, like any other hotel, staying here is a bit different- the decor of each suite varies a bit from room to room, depending on its owners. Additionally, while the experience is akin to a normal hotel experience, with check-in and check-out and a host of amenities, like a pool and hot tub, the actual rooms themselves feel more like a full-blown stocked apartment, complete with your own living room and kitchen (more on that below!).
All in all, the Jockey Club is a bit of an odd duck in the land of super pricey themed hotels- but the perfect option for those who would rather spend their money out enjoying Vegas than on a room itself.
Why You Should Stay at the Jockey Club
So why should you spend your hard-earned cash on a 1970s timeshare resort? Let me count the ways.
1. It’s REALLY affordable.
Despite the fact that I don’t gamble (like, at all), I frickin’ LOVE Vegas- in fact, I’ve been eight times in the past five years. And my favorite part about it is the Strip- all of the crazy neon lights, the over-the-top themed hotels, and the best people watching on the planet. So naturally, when I’m planning out my Las Vegas itinerary for each trip, I always wind up wanting to stay on the Strip.
That being said, all those over-the-top hotels I love so much, like Paris, the Venetian, or the Caesar’s Palace are usually pretty pricey- usually costing, at a minimum, about $400 a night most weekends for the most basic room (with a view of a concrete wall, to boot) and can easily be double that on popular dates, like New Year’s Eve.
And on top of that? You usually need to pay a resort fee, an additional nightly fee that’s supposed to go towards your enjoyment of the pool and other hotel amenities. The average resort fee in Vegas is about $32 a night, but, for the popular hotels in the heart of the Strip, you’ll usually pay closer to about $45 a night! (Sounds like a ripoff? We think so too.)
The Jockey Club, on the other hand? Nightly room rates generally cost between just $150-$200 for a one-bedroom suite- AND there’s no resort fee, making it one of the cheapest hotels on the Vegas Strip.
So staying at the Jockey Club can quite literally save you hundreds of dollars on just a single night and thousands on even a short weekend stay- which you can instead spend on seeing Britney Spears or on the roulette table or whatever else might float your fancy.
2. It’s got the perfect location.
If I had to pick the beating heart of Vegas, it would probably be the famous Bellagio fountains in the center of the Strip, an array of over 1,000 fountains that shoot water up to 460 feet high and are beautifully choreographed to popular songs, located right in front of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino.
The Jockey Club quite literally is right next to the Bellagio Fountains, less than a four minute walk away and with a good chunk of its rooms overlooking the fountains.
Another unique fact? In 2010, the three towers of the Cosmopolitan, an edgy and sexy resort with the glittery three story Chandelier bar and home to some of the best restaurants in Vegas, were literally built around the Jockey Club.
This unique construction is all thanks to the Jockey Club’s unusual history- given that its suites are owned by thousands of people, there’s really no way for the Cosmo’s developers- or any other developers- to buy the property. So you can actually take an elevator directly from the Cosmopolitan’s casino floor, down into the lobby of the Jockey Club.
TL;DR: if you want to stay in a hotel right in the heart of everything, the Jockey Club definitely checks that box.
3. You get a full-blown equipped suite, with a living room and kitchen.
Having stayed in a number of Vegas hotels, I can confirm that you usually just get a small refrigerator that’s stuffed with overpriced tiny bottles of booze and candy. And if you move around said tiny bottles of booze and candy to actually use the fridge to store leftovers or drinks purchased at Walgreens, you just may be charged $237 because the sensors in the minibar will be triggered (yes, that actually happened to me!).
Comparatively, the Jockey Club suites are like small full-blown apartments that you could feasibly live in. They each have a kitchen, complete with an oven, fridge, dishwasher, and yes, dishes; living room, including a sofa bed; one to two bedrooms; and bathroom. So if you’re really trying to save money while you’re in town, beyond just staying at one of the cheapest hotels on the Vegas Strip, you can also do everything from making coffee to a full-blown gourmet dinner in your room.
Even If you’re not into that, you’ll still get a lot more space than a typical Vegas hotel room to spread out and make yourself at home. This makes the Jockey Club perfect for groups trips, like a Vegas bachelorette party or a big family outing.
4. You get access to some of the Cosmopolitan’s amenities.
The Jockey Club is a resort and thus, has amenities, like a pool, hot tub, sauna, and grills. And while they’re perfectly nice, they’re not exactly what I’d call “bougie”.
For example, the pool is on the smaller side, permanently sits in the shadow of the Cosmo’s towers, and literally has a baseball net over the top to catch random things chucked off the Cosmo’s balconies from hitting and possibly killing people in the pool. So… not exactly the fanciest.
BUT if you’ve made it this far into the article, Imma let you in on a big ol’ secret- the Jockey Club and the Cosmopolitan have a relationship that goes WAY back. In fact, over the years, the Cosmopolitan has invested millions of dollars into the Jockey Club- from what I can gather, this may have been part of the deal to allow the Cosmopolitan to essentially build its towers on top of the Jockey Club’s buildings.
I’m all about those kumbaya vibes, but more importantly for you, as a Jockey Club guest, their good relationship means you get access to a few of the Cosmo’s luxurious amenities, like:
- Free self-park parking at the Cosmopolitan’s garage or $5 per day valet parking
- Access to the Chelsea pool, one of the Cosmo’s bougie rooftop pools on the 14th floor, with in-pool lounge chairs and boozie Dole Whips for purchase (please buy one and thank me later). We all know that soaking up the sun is one of the best things to do during the daytime in Las Vegas and at the Cosmopolitan, you definitely get to do so in style.
While this is a HUGE perk, in my opinion, note that you’ll need to make a reservation with the Jockey Club concierge 24 hours before you want to use the Chelsea pool, which cannot fall on either your check-in or check-out day, and is always subject to availability. - Access to the two rooftop tennis courts (which also requires a reservation with the concierge)
So, in other words, for one of the cheapest hotels on the Vegas Strip, you’ll get an incredible location AND get to use a fancy Vegas pool without having to pay for a resort fee (you can spend the money instead on those aforementioned boozy Dole Whips).
Pretty rad, right?
With that, I hope you love the Jockey Club, Las Vegas’s best hidden gem, as much as I do. Do you have any questions about staying here? Let me know in the comments below!
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So is this located inside the cosmopolitan
Hey there! The Jockey Club isn’t located inside of the Cosmopolitan- rather, the Cosmopolitan was built around it (you can directly reach the Cosmopolitan by taking an elevator from the lobby area of the Jockey Club). So you get easy access to the Cosmo, as well as staying in the heart of the Vegas Strip, but at a way lower cost. Hope that helps!
Do the Jockey Club rooms have a microwave and coffee maker?
They sure do! Every room we’ve rented at the Jockey Club has had a full kitchen including a microwave, fridge, oven, cookware, utensils, and yes… even a coffeemaker 🙂
Thanks for reading. Let us know if you have any other questions.
hi, thanks for a great article. I was wondering how high up do you actually have to be to actually see the fountains , and if your booked room is not high enough, do you think the $20 trick can get you there ? Thanks !
Hey there! Staying at floor 9 and above in the main tower (where the lobby is in) and facing the Bellagio fountains should give you a good view of the fountains. Because some of the suites are used as individuals’ full-time residences, as well as time shares, availability is going to vary kind of wildly, so I’m not sure that the $20 trick is going to guarantee that you get a room with a fountain view (although I’m sure it doesn’t hurt!). For your best chances, I’d call or send an email ahead of time requesting a room with a view and check-in as soon as you can, requesting one at check-in as well. I’d personally recommend going in not expecting to get one (I’ve always checked in super late and thus, haven’t been able to snag one!), so you’ll be pleasantly surprised if you get a room with an awesome room. Thanks for reading and have so much fun in Vegas!
Thank you so much for your response!
Hey, thanks for the great article.
Are the sofa sleepers in the one-bedroom suites suitable for two adults, or even comfy? My family is considering heading to Vegas in September, but they only have the one-bedroom kingsize suite left with the sofa sleepers.
Thanks,
Julian
Hey Julian,
Glad you enjoyed our article. unfortunately, Jess and I don’t have any experience for the sofa sleepers. If you find out (or book the room and try them), please report back and let us know; we’ll update the article too!
Good luck and have fun with the family vacay to Vegas!
I have experience with this, as I own a 1bdrm and a 2bdrm timeshare at the Jockey Club. While the sofa sleeper can sleep 2 adults as they are Queen Size sleeper sofas, depending on the one you get, sometimes the mattress is a little thin and can be a bit uncomfortable. I’ve had it where the mattress is from very comfortable, to “metal bar sticking in your back” feeling. I did get help from maintenance one time though and they were able to bring me one a little more comfortable for my guests and it helped. Hope this helps in your decision.
Wow, such a helpful reply from someone with a lot of experience! Thanks for weighing in, K! We’re so envious of you… owning TWO rooms at our favorite Vegas accommodations.
Take care,
Justin 🙂
My kids are comfortably sleeping on them even as we speak, so yes.
Planning on bringing our own coffee to have in the mornings, any idea what kind of coffee maker they have? K-Cup style or drip kind? Thanks.
The units that I’ve stayed at had drip, but since it’s a time share, it’s possible it may vary from room to room. There’s several convenience stores on the Strip without super crazy prices, so if you want to be on the safe side, you can always pick up coffee at one of those once you check in. Have an awesome time!
Can you tell me which convenience stores are best of the ones nearest the Jockey Club?
There’s a CVS and Walgreens right across the street that are well-stocked, clean, and open 24 hours a day!
Great article and very generous of you to share your insights. We are flying in from Ireland and have heard it is quite hard for taxis to find – any tips? Also is it the normal to sort trips/excursions with the concierge? And finally! Is it possible to vist the Cosmopolitan’s restaurants and casino if you are staying at the Jockey Club. Thanks again.
Hi Donal,
Do you mean finding taxis from the airport or the hotel? For both of these, there’s approved pick-up/drop-off locations through Uber and Lyft, which you can easily find through either of the apps. If you’re staying at the Jockey Club, the closest pick-up spot will be in the Cosmopolitan’s garage, which is just a few minute walk away from the Jockey Club! I personally haven’t booked trips/excursions with the front desk at the Jockey Club, so I can’t advise on that- but there’s PLENTY of tour operators right on the Strip, so you won’t have a problem finding an operator yourself, if you’re open to that! Finally, the Cosmo’s casino and restaurants are open to the general public, so yes, you absolutely can go visit those- PLUS (if you’re staying at the Jockey Club and make reservations) those certain private areas of the Cosmo that I mention above.
Thanks for reading!
Jess
Thanks so much Jess that’s really appreciated. Have booked the Jockey Club and so looking forward to it. You’re blog really helped.
Dónal
I am a JC owner. They almost always have morning free coffee & popcorn in the lobby. The coffee in each room is usually drip, but there may be a K-cup among the group. Neither take up much luggage space so pack both. They also have a mini-gym near the pool and hot tub, too. Also have several outdoor gas BBQ (& tools) & free ice machine, hot sauna, & ping pong. The City bus has a drop off & pick up between the JC and Bellagio – quite convenient.
Thanks, Stuart! We’re always so impressed by the Jockey Club and wonder how it hasn’t been discovered by most Las Vegas visitors yet!
We stayed at the Jockey Club years ago when the Cosmopolitan was being built. No pool and some inconvenience but still a great place to stay. We are returning in April 2024 and looking so forward to our week long stay.
Hi we are staying at the Jockey Club. Would it be easier to taxi or Uber from the airport to the Cosmopolitan though. Read the Jockey Club can be a challenge to find. Thanks
Yes, whenever we’ve taken rideshare to the Jockey Club, we’ve always just gotten dropped off at the Cosmopolitan. Las Vegas is pretty restrictive of where rideshare or taxis can drop you off and I don’t actually think that the lobby of the Jockey Club is an approved drop-off or pickup location.
Hope that helps and enjoy your trip to Vegas!
Jess
Can any rooms be accessible with stairs instead on elevators
Hi Harry,
We’ve always been on high floors at the Jockey Club and thus, have only taken the elevator. I know that they have stairwells (as it’s required for fire safety purposes) and from information that I’ve found online, it looks like you can indeed take the stairs. However, please confirm with the front desk so that you don’t accidentally get locked in the stairwell during your visit!
Hope you have a great time in Vegas!
Jess