Three Weeks to Globalist in Vegas

Most trips are about relaxation or sightseeing, but this one actually had many different types of goals.

• Experiment with working on the road.
• Try out more Vegas hotels.
• Expand my casino status.
• Get Hyatt Globalist.
• See Death Valley.

At the time, I was working on a 20-night Hyatt Globalist challenge based on a status match from American Airlines. I had MGM Gold through a status match, which waives resort fees. In addition, I had a bunch of offers from MGM. This was back when they were still partnered with Hyatt so it was an extremely cheap way to complete my 20-night status match challenge.

My first stay was at the MGM Signature which is a few blocks off the strip. They are kind of like timeshares, really nice suites, perhaps a bit dated, connected to MGM via a very long walkway.

Weekend rates in Vegas tend to skyrocket, often up to 10x higher than weeknights. After spending the week at the Signature, I got out of town for the weekend, renting a car and heading out to Death Valley. 

One of my first stops on the drive out was at Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge to see the infamous pup-fish. These fish are evolved to live in very isolated, harsh desert environments and the species is endangered.

My first night out of Vegas was spent at the Amargosa Opera House. 

This was one of the only places bookable last minute near Death Valley and it was delightfully quirky if a bit rugged. Roughly half of the building was closed and the heat didn't work too well but I enjoyed it. The innkeeper gave tours of the old Opera House for $5 and I was the only guest that showed up and so I got the tour to myself.

The hotel has been featured in a few documentaries and a David Lynch movie, Lost Highway. It was originally built as mining barracks but an artist, Marta Becket, bought it in the 60s and put on shows until 2012. I think she was responsible for most of the art inside the Opera House.

The next day, I went to Death Valley, staying there all day. I think my favorite spot was Zabriskie Point.

After a long day in the national park, I drove back to the outskirts of Vegas and stayed at the Hampton Inn in Summerlin.

This was cheaper than a weekend night on the strip, and the room was nice, but the hotel itself felt a bit like a zoo, it seemed fully booked with lots of families.

I booked Delano on an MGM offer in which most of the nights were free. Under the old rules, elite nights counted as long as at least one night in the stay was paid. Delano is probably my favorite hotel on that end of the strip and all the rooms are suites.

Since this stay, Delano has become a Marriott W, but the rooms are almost identical. 

After Delano, I switched to Luxor. I think this might be my favorite cheap hotel on the strip. Unfortunately, I ended up getting sick while here, probably a light case of Covid or a cold. It meant I had to extend my stay, across expensive weekends, and confine myself to my room for most of the duration.

On the plus side, before getting sick, I wasn't actually sure I was going to meet the Globalist requirement of the status match and ultimately the nights allowed me to re-qualify for Globalist that year as well.

If you ever get one of those 20-night challenges, I highly recommend trying to time your stays for January and February as it will give you a 20-night head start on re-qualifying should you choose to go for it.

Being sick, I actually cancelled my original award flight last minute and then rebooked this one a few days later. It was one of those moments where the advantages of miles became clear, being able to easily cancel and rebook.